Upon activation, the floor, walls, and ceiling of a particular stretch of dungeon, or a particular room, begin seeping an impossibly sticky glue. The characters are trapped, unless hovering or flying.
Characters must make Strength or Saving Throws to move, and will require 1d4 of them to clear...
The party comes upon a yawning chasm. On either side are rows of very wide and tall pillars reaching up to the shadows of the cavern roof. One of the pillars appears to have fallen over from one side of the cataract to the other, and can now act as a bridge. The pillar is wide enough that crossing...
Icicles hang tenuously from the ceiling. A failed Dexterity save knocks 1d20 icicles loose. They fall to the ground and shatter, creating a frosty mist that refreezes in the nasal passages and lungs, causing 1d6 damage for 1d4 rounds until melted.
The ice particles melt in 3 minutes.
A su...
Often used to protect something, this trap appears as the bust of a large person or god, made entirely of stone. It will radiate magic, if looked for. The bust only shows this figure from the waist up, but it is nonetheless gigantic. Its head is raised to the ceiling or sky, while its hands clenche...
The walls and ceiling here are covered in metal plates, with intricate carvings and reliefs depicting terrible rites by some lunatic cult. At the GM's discretion, there might be clues in the reliefs, or there might be bodies here, burned into a charcoal state.
Either way, upon triggering, the...
The floor here is not paved, but covered in dirt, gravel, and sand. As characters walk, 1d4 of them must make a Dex or Saving Throw, or be caught in fast-moving dry quicksand. Characters have just 1-2 minutes (50-50% chance) to find some way out.
Magic might help. A long pole which extends beyo...
Upon triggering, an incredibly powerful magical magnetic field forms in the area, drawing all metals (ferrous or not) up to the ceiling. Characters wearing metal armor are thrown to the ceiling without any chance to react, taking 1d6 "falling" damage.
Metal weapons, coins, or other metallic...
A valuable item (adjust the price in gold pieces to whatever appropriately entices your players) is trapped in a block of magical ice.
The ice melts as normal if heated, but the loss of weight triggers the release of a suspended pendulum (a sickle) made of magical ice. This swings down at any...
Upon triggering, the floor in the affected area collapses into a chasm, except for a very narrow balance beam in the center. Characters may roll Dex, Saving Throws, or use some sort of acrobatic skill to grab hold of the beam before falling (GM's choice). After this, walking across the beam will re...
A pressure plate causes itself as well as every second tile in the room (in the pattern of a chessboard) to quickly elevate, lifting anyone standing on one 20 feet into the air.
This presents the players with at least 3 options:
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If a creature on the pressure plate jumps down, taking fal...
A player falls into a pit that is a chute into an automated mummy-wrapping machine. Player takes no falling damage, because player falls into wrapping material, but for the same reason feather fall has no effect on the result of this trap: the player is bound from head to toe in cloth wrappings a...
The owner of this talisman gains +10 temporary HP.
Once the temporary HP is depleted, the player immediately suffers -2 CON. This effect is permanent until removed by remove curse, limited wish, wish, or similar.
The talisman's curse is single-use. Once the -2 CON has been bestowed...
Upon triggering, variously colored beams of powerful magical energy flash on from hidden locations in the walls and ceiling. Each beam has a different effect. Characters may attempt to evade (AC, Dex, or Saving throw, GM's choice). Anyone hit rolls 1d6:
1 -- Petrification Ray Turned to sto...
Open the door labeled OBSCURA, and players are met with a bright flash of lights. Players with 15 ft of the door (or 1d4 players, if you're not tracking player position on a grid) are blinded for 1d20 minutes.
Furthermore, the room is a camera obscura and creates a magical duplicate of the p...
Upon triggering, a perfectly spherical boulder of enormous size either falls off a pedestal, or comes out from a hidden panel, and rolls towards the characters. They may attempt to get out of the way, using Dex, AC, or Saving throws (GM's choice), or they may try to outrun it (50-50% chance of succ...
Upon triggering, many long metal spears pop up from the floor and out from the wall simultaneously, and lock into place. Anyone in the area may be struck by 1d4 spears, taking 1d6 HP damage from each. AC and/or Dex rolls/Saving throws to avoid, may apply, as might acrobatic skills, etc.
Anyone...