Trap

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Adventurers avoid a bladed trap while exploring an estate.
See also Category:Images of traps.

See also: Hazards of Golarion, Diseases of Golarion, and Poisons of Golarion

A trap is a hazard intended to detain, kill, harm, or surprise a creature. Traps can be unknowingly triggered by the victim's presence or actions—such as opening a door, picking something up, or switching something on—and sometimes have some form of bait designed to lure the victim toward it. Traps might be used to capture or kill wild animals, deter dungeoneers, or repel or kill trespassers who violate personal or restricted areas. Traps are more common in uninhabited or actively defended locations; a peacefully inhabited site (or one overrun with monsters) is unlikely to still have many active traps remaining.

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Types

Most traps are mechanical devices engineered to perform a specific action when triggered, and might be as simple as a false floor over a pit or a complex, cascading contraption with far-reaching effects. Some are magical in nature, whether as a component or enhancement of a mechanical trap, wholly comprised of spells and other magical devices or triggers, or created from nothing by a spell.

Duhgik, kobold trapsmith, builds a snare trap.

Creation

See also: Category:Trapsmiths and Category:Trap shops

A person who creates traps is often called a trapsmith. Mechanical traps are created in much the same manner as any other mechanical device, though this process can be aided by magic items, such as a ring of maniacal devices.

Magical traps are most often created through spells, and through magic items that can contain spells or similar abilities, such as a staff of traps.

Detection

Traps are typically designed to be camouflaged and require a keen eye for most people to detect before triggering them. Many rogues are especially adept at sensing the presence of traps, and spellcasters can enhance their senses to detect traps.

Merisiel attempts to disarm a trap.

Disarming

Detecting a trap is often the most difficult part of dealing with them; a known trap can be avoided or disarmed. Traps can often be disabled with a steady hand, careful analysis, and the right set of tools. However, lingering at the site of a trap to disable it is sometimes as dangerous as the trap itself.

As equipment

Traps are useful in defense and for hunting. Sharp-jawed bear traps are commonly sold for a few gold pieces, and string is often employed to create tripwires and alarms.

On Golarion

Many of Golarion's dungeons and tombs contain traps, as do several fortifications, closely guarded locations, and containers such as chests. The pyramids of Osirion are particularly renowned for their many complex mechanical and magical traps.

Notable examples of traps on Golarion include:

A witty jury-rigger prepares a bear trap.

Mechanical traps

Bone box

These ghoul-devised mechanical traps are made of bones and body parts, and are liable to explode with diseased splinters when opened.

Deathfall pit

Ghoul-like arms claw at and paralyze those who survive a fall into these 60-foot pits in Gallowspire.

Spring-loaded panel

Flips into the path of a bridge leading into the kobold Vault in the Candlestone Caverns in order to knock its target off of it and into a sinkhole.

Magical traps

Golden egg

A head-sized portable trap in the Pyramid of Kamaria that resembles a hieroglyph-inscribed decoration but explodes when approached.

Prison of blades

A magical cage of force commonly encountered in Hollow Mountain that assaults its victim with mage's swords.

Shocksaw trap

A magically electrified sawblade designed by Karamoss, swung by a metal arm, and imbued with magical true sight.

Skull blast

Emits an explosion of negative energy when approached in Gallowspire.

External links

• Booby trap (real-world defensive trap) on Wikipedia
• Trap (real-world animal trap) on Wikipedia
• Subjects with the Trap trait on Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder Second Edition
• Trap rules on Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder First Edition
• List of sample traps on Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder First Edition