On the classic crushing trap

Following Sebastion's suggestion concerning the pit trap: made with Algodoo, which I'll be downloading sometime soon . . . . . . I'll be modifying my pit traps. I like this a lot. It works for this particular style of dungeon, given the builder was a high-level mage who would have had access to a...

On the mechanics of traps

(just noticed that my last post was the 200th for this site, since restarting it a few years ago. I'm contemplating making that a challenge and getting it over 400 this year. … probably a bit of a stretch, but we'll see . . .) Let's continue with a brief examination of simple machines. (of course, as stated before, I'm not a mechanical engineer. I am a mechanically minded person, meaning I tend to think about things in literal, process-oriented terms; I have had the opportunity over the years to learn a few things about machines; and I have access to the internet, which makes it relatively easy...

On the problem of traps

Traps in D&D have always bothered me. I get it: they're iconic, they're fun, they're a staple of the fantasy genre, and so on. I love the idea of them, having grown up with the Indiana Jones films (and games) (except the 4th, because fuck Lucas). And I love the roguish archetype, especially the clever,...

On the question of flight

This is a topic you'll see around the 'net and D&D forums that I've never weighed in on. Mostly I considered it a non-issue because, let's face it, I haven't allowed flying PCs in my game since the days of "every splatbook, all the time," under 3rd Edition rules. I generally felt as other DMs...

Damage

Disclaimer: This will not be a useful post. The reader should approach the following content with a grain of salt. You may be entertained by this material but you should, in no way, interpret it as a game design recommendation. I'm not being self-deprecating ~ I want to acknowledge that what I'm about to write...

On damage

Disclaimer: This will not be a useful post. The reader should approach the following content with a grain of salt. You may be entertained by this material but you should, in no way, interpret it as a game design recommendation. I'm not being self-deprecating ~ I want to acknowledge that what I'm about to write...