Wilderness Traps

[Furor]

What would the rules be for setting a simple ambush? Falling log trap? Snare? What skills would you use? Survival? Trapmaking? Proffession (carpentry) or a synergetic mixture of two or more? Keep in mind, this is not to capture food, but to catch an enemy in the woods. I am trying to set up a small "home stretch" of woods to lure an opposing team of adventurers into :D

[Furor]

Another thing... I'm really only asking this because when overlooking the trapmaking rules i realized that a 1st-2nd level character could never build a simple falling log trap. I can and i'm certainly not capable of 3rd level + abilities. I realize Dnd isn't meant to be realistic, but i feel that a whole area of trapmaking/tactical thinking has been left out.

[tommy gunn]

Now that ya mention it...

[Hibou]

I'm actually wondering if you need to have a skill that actually applies specifically to an ambush at all. An ambush would mostly involve Hide/Move Silently (for those trying to ambush) and opposed Listen/Spot checks (for those getting ambushed) as well as strategic positioning (pre-flanking).

As for falling log traps and snares, it'd probably be Trapmaking to make the trap, and Survival to successfully conceal it.

I agree that there are problems with trapmaking. It doesn't make sense that it's so overlooked, underrepresented, and unrealistic in D&D. Even in a world of high magic, nonmagic traps and trapmaking shouldn't be underestimated or underused because it is really a potentially awesome part of gaming.

[Captain Obvious]

A lot of things become unrealistic when using a level system. one of my biggest peeves, is that for some reason as you become a better warrior you stop noticing arrows entirely.

I'm sorry, but it doesn't matter how good a warrior or thief you are (i'm not even gonna talk bout wizards), if you get hit with a crossbow bolt, you will damn well feel it.

There's a reason they take a full round to reload - a lot of force is getting stored in that rope. Roughly the equaivalent of the total amount being put into all the awwors the same guy could fire in that round.

Anyways, sorry for going off topic, but i just needed to point out the fact that a crossbow bolt to the head should kill any human. And yet even mid-level fighter just shrug it off. This is kinda rediculous.

[SDragon]

for ambush traps, try doing some research on boobytraps from vietnam; some of them are incredibly nasty, and the technology-based ones (bullet traps, for example) can be replaced with simple magic (low-level magic missle).

funny thing is, i would put american soldiers at low-mid levels, like 3-5, and they couldn't survive these traps. most likely, a third level party would go across these with ease.

[Furor]

The base cost of a mechanical trap is 1,000 gp. Apply all the modifiers from Table: Cost Modifiers for Mechanical Traps for the various features youâ,¬,,¢ve added to the trap to get the modified base cost.

heres my real problem, 1,000 gp? and there's no category for simple traps. My character (vhirago) is a fugitive who sets up a wilderness base and psychotic hunting ground (evil). He draws people in and runs them through a gauntlet of sinister hunting traps (Apocalypto, the boar trap etc.). He does not, however have even close to 1000gp. Why should a falling log trap cost more than the rope to make it? you gonna pay 1000gp to some shmuck for a log? I just have to formulate a plausible rule set for primitive traps so I can swing it by my GM.

[Numinous]

I'd ask your DM if you can just pay for materials, and make survival checks.  Maybe he could give you a bonus if you explained precisely how the trap worked and how you could build it.

EDIT: Speaking of which, what skills do you have that you think might be helpful, and how much gp do you have?

[Furor]

about 25gp and the survival skill, though i'd take a craft and profession next level up (chock it up to reading some survival/trapmaking manual)