Using Traps in the Karma System, Part 2

One of the favorite traps of game masters and storytellers is the simple pit trap. A pit trap can be used in almost any sort of environment where the earth is solid and dry enough to not collapse in on itself. All a pit trap requires is a digging implement and, if you want to hide it, some form of covering. The problem with pit traps is that they are incredibly time-intensive. Depending on the nature of the soil (sand, clay, rocky) it can take 30 minutes to an hour for one individual to dig out a standard 5 ft wide x 5 ft long x 1 ft deep hole. This time increases proportionally for each additional foot of depth. And, of course, there is the issue of disposing of the dirt once you have dug it up. So pit traps are not something used arbitrarily by potential enemies (nor are they easy for players to employ).

Pit traps in outdoor environments: These are generally the easiest to create and to hide. Dig the hole. Cover it with a canvas or thin, breakable planks. Then cover the canvas or planks with appropriate material (sand if in a desert or dirt and leaves if in the woods.) As a target walks over the trap, the covering gives way and the target falls in. Spotting a pit trap requires an Alertness check CC. A character can make a Reflexes check BC to avoid falling into a pit trap.

The monetary costs of a pit trap are minimal, assuming the character already has a digging implement. A Natural Sciences check BC can generally determine simple covering for the pit (such as using branches, vines, etc). If such is not easily available, the character needs to provide the canvas or other covering.

One issue with outdoor pit traps, however, is that they are exposed to the elements. This can be a blessing or a curse. A pit trap in a desert can be easily revealed by a windstorm that blows away the sand dusted on top of it. Or it can end up covered by heavier sand that causes it to collapse and fill in. A pit trap in a deep forest may benefit from naturally falling leaves and mosses that help it blend into the environment (increasing the Alertness check to DC), but it can also be set off by larger non-target creatures or even a falling branch.

While creating a simple pit trap requires no Mechanical Aptitude check (anyone can dig a hole given enough time), individuals with a basic understanding of engineering principles and the right tools can design pit traps that can overcome these environmental problems.

Mechanical Aptitude check BC: adjust the trap so that it only collapses when the weight is applied to the center of the pit surface. This is common for larger traps, when the hope is to capture a huge creature or a large group of people. This adjustment increases the difficulty of the Reflexes check to CC. Further, of the center of the pit is more than 30 feet away from the edge, then the distance is generally too far for someone without Evasion or other some other special talent of power to effectively dodge out of. Adds 30 minutes to the trap creation process. Generally, this does not add anything to the cost of the trap.

Mechanical Aptitude check CC: Adjust trap to only be set off by a certain weight threshold. For example, a group of lightly armored bandits may protect their base from heavily armored soldiers by setting up pit traps with a high weight threshold. This would allow lighter characters to walk or run over the trap, while heavier characters would set it off. Adds 30 minutes to the trap creation process. Generally, this does not add anything to the cost of the trap.

Mechanical Aptitude check DC: Adjust the trap against "sudden shock" weight, such as a branch or rock falling onto it. This sort of adjustment often requires springs and additional parts that make the trap more difficult to hide (+2 bonus to Alertness check to spot). This increases the creation time of the trap by 30 minutes. Because it requires additional components, it has a monetary costs, anywhere from a few Thalers (copper pieces) to a Sarder (silver piece).

Mechanical Aptitude check DC: Adjusts the trap with a permanent, resetting door. This can either be a simple spring activated door that slams shut ounce a target has fallen into the pit. Such doors usually require creating a false surface to blend them into the environment (+2 bonus to the Alertness check to spot). Or they can be remotely activated with a lever or pulley system. In either case, this adds one hour (or more, depending on the complexity of the system) to the trap creation process. Because it is parts intensive, it also has a monetary cost. This cost can be anywhere from a Sarder for a simple spring activated door to a Crown (gold piece) for more elaborate systems.

Storytellers may allow characters to scavenge for appropriate parts (Natural Sciences DC) if the environment warrants. A jungle or deep forest with lots of vines and flexible bushes or trees would be easier to scavenge in that an arid desert or open field.

Pit Traps in underground environments: The traditional dungeon pit trap can be an amazingly time intensive prospect. Unless the underground region is nothing but dirt (which is unlikely), creating a pit trap is going to involve chiseling through or breaking through rock. Assuming the character has the proper tools, breaking through a 5 ft wide by 5 ft long x 1 inch deep section of rock takes one hour. The Storyteller should determine how much rock characters need to get through before they hit dirt.

Pit traps used underground can be adapted in the same manner as outdoor traps.

Engineering Complications for pit traps: Everything previously discussed assumes a typical five-foot wide by five-foot long pit that is relatively shallow (less than four feet). Creating much wider pits, or much deeper, creates special considerations. Larger pits are likely to collapse in on themselves, particularly in areas with very loose dirt. A Mechanical Aptitude check CC is required to properly reinforce the pit with to prevent collapse. There is also the issue of getting the dirt out of the hole in the first place, and where it will go. Keep this in mind if your players decide they are going to build a thirty-foot diameter ditch ten feet deep to capture their enemy.

Many engineering issues can be overcome in modern settings because of industrial tools specifically designed to perform these tasks. However, such equipment is not readily available to the average person either because of its sheer size, access regulations, or outright costs. If a player can get access to industrial equipment, the time requirements are reduced substantially. However the monetary costs go up substantially.

Modified Pit Traps: Pit traps, because of their simple design, can be modified with an assortment of nasty additions to increase lethality. When you don't have time to dig a 50 foot ditch to guarantee death from falling, a shallower trap with a spiked bottom can do the trick. Add-ons such as wooden stakes can be easily equipped to the floor of the pit, dealing damage to those unfortunate enough to fall in (5 lethal DT, in addition to any falling damage). A character with time to spare can equip the floor with long metal pikes or blades to deal significant damage (8 lethal DT, in addition to falling damage). Creative characters can stack a pit trap with a modified conibear trap or deadfall to crush victims.

But modified pit traps do not need to be big enough to engulf the entire body. Recent history has shown us that smaller, modified pit traps designed to ensnare just a leg can significantly hamper an enemy. During Vietnam, U.S. forces had to deal with two rather incapacitating variants of the pit trap. Klipping traps were shallow pits, rarely more than two feet by two feet wide, fitted with a metal frame. The metal frame had a series of metal spikes that rose upward at an angle on either side. When a victim's leg would slip into the hole, the spiked would be driven into the calves and thighs, dealing significant damage to the leg (8 DT lethal).

Fish traps worked under the same theory, but were even more devious. The spikes pointed downward at an angle, so that when the leg slipped through, the angled spikes did not do immediate damage. However, a long, thin spike at the bottom of the pit would pierce the foot (4 lethal DT). When the victim would instinctively pull up his leg, the downward sloping spikes would tear into the leg (5 lethal DT). The more the victim would try to pull out, the more damage that was done. While a victim could pull free from a klipping trap, escaping a fish trap required somehow breaking free (Mechanical Aptitude CC).

Both traps required a metal frame and metal parts, but were relatively easy to assemble (Mechanical Aptitude BC). Wooden variants are possible, but do not possess the durability of metal and may warp, rot, or splinter, particularly in wet environments. Such traps could also be carved from stone.

Mud pits and sinking traps: A mud pit or sinking trap is a unique variant of the pit trap. The mud pit generally involves digging out an area and then refilling it with softer dirt or sand. The pit is then soaked with water to create mud. Usually, these are effective in areas that are already muddy to begin with, such as marshes. Travelers moving through the muck step into the prepared area, and suddenly find themselves sinking.

Escaping a mud pit can be accomplished in several rounds, assuming there are allies nearby to throw the victim a rope and help pull him out.  Escaping without help, however, is a time-consuming and dangerous prospect.  Victims need to make a Mental Health check (CC) to remain calm.  Struggling and panic will cause the victim to sink faster.  Escaping requires a minimum of ten rounds and an Athletics check (DC), which must be made each round.  Each successful check represents progress toward slowly digging and freeing oneself from the mud.  A fail check means no progress is made.  A critical failure means the victim sinks further into the mud.

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Coming Up:  Part Three, Building the Perfect Mouse(adventurer)trap, and magical traps