Dire Petting Zoo (3.5e Sourcebook)/Animals as Traps

= Animals as Traps =

Sometimes, regular "dangerous" animals should just be a trap. It's just weird thinking about a barbarian trying to kill a poison dart frog with a giant sword. The thing is: most regular animals are just a minor annoyance for the mighty heroes of rogue-level D&D games. And, really, DMs shouldn't be rolling 50 attack rolls against a player that happens to fall into a snake pit.

Some animals are pretty dangerous, but too ordinary to warrant writing up a full monster entry. As a result, I write them up as minions, similar to 4e, only instead of having them die when hit, when they are lower than 1 hp, they flee. It may not be a perfect simulation, but it at least makes some animals a credible threat without having our heroes get killed by a coyote.

Animal Trap Entries
The following entries are some sample "traps" that are animals. Unlike regular traps, the animal trap is noticed with a Spot check in a reactionary way, much like noticing a hiding opponent. Disabling the trap is done with a Handle Animal check. Disabling effectively means the animals involved in the trap are pacified for 1 minute per rank in Handle Animal. Once an animal is no longer pacified, it becomes a readied trap again. Succeeding on a Handle Animal trap by 10 or more pacifies the animal for 1 day.

The following list shows some differences and some notes regarding animals as traps:


 * Just like a regular trap, the DM can decide on the details of how the trigger works.
 * Some traps, such as a rattlesnake trap, also allow a Listen check.
 * Some traps aren't specifically animals (but really, the whole vermin being different thing always seemed stupid to me)
 * There is no market price for these traps because they aren't really built.
 * Some are traps are "minions". These animals are fought like a regular D&D opponent but immediately run away after one hit and don't have any notable abilities. They can still act at negative hp, but they always flee.

Some of these animals aren't completely factually accurate, but have mechanics that should promote at least some fun. That's the whole point you play this game, right?

Feral Dog
CR 1/2; animal; minion, attacks until hit; Atk +5 melee (1 damage); AC 15; Saves +3; HP 1; Speed 40 ft.; Spot DC 17; Handle Animal DC 17.

Hornet Nest
CR 1/2; animal; proximity trigger (10 ft.); automatic reset; Atk +5 each round against 2 targets within 200 ft. (1 damage); Spot DC 17; Handle Animal DC 17.

Emperor Scorpion
CR 1; animal; proximity trigger (same square); manual reset (usually skitters away); Atk +6 melee (2 damage); Spot DC 18; Handle Animal DC 18.

Skunk
CR 1; animal; proximity trigger (5 ft.); automatic reset; 10 ft. cone, Fort save DC 18 or else be sickened until a thorough bath is taken. Even then, opponents get a +4 bonus to track you by scent; Spot DC 18; Handle Animal DC 18.

Tarantula
CR 1; animal; proximity trigger (same square); manual reset (usually skitters away); Atk +6 melee (1d6 damage); Spot DC 18; Handle Animal DC 18.

Wolf
CR 1; animal; minion, attacks until hit; Atk +6 melee (2 damage); AC 16; Saves +4; HP 1; Speed 40 ft.; Spot DC 18; Handle Animal DC 18.

Black Widow
CR 2; animal; proximity trigger (same square); manual reset (usually skitters away); Atk +9 melee (1 damage + poison); Spot DC 19; Handle Animal DC 19.

Black Widow Venom: Fort DC 15, Initial: 1d6 damage, Secondary: ongoing 1d6 damage every hour, save ends.

Small Constrictor
CR 2; animal; proximity trigger (same square or below the snake); automatic reset; Atk +9 melee (1 damage + grapple); Grapple +8 (2 damage per round); Spot DC 19; Handle Animal DC 19.

Stingray
CR 2; animal; proximity trigger (10 ft.); automatic reset; Atk +9 melee (1 damage + poison); Spot DC 19; Handle Animal DC 19.

Stingray Venom: Fort DC 15, Sickened until a successful save, which is performed once per hour.

Hyena
CR 3; animal; minion, attacks until hit; Atk +11 melee (3 damage); AC 19; Saves +6; HP 1; Speed 40 ft.; Spot DC 20; Handle Animal DC 20.

Porcupine
CR 3; animal; proximity trigger (same square); automatic reset; Atk +11 melee (1d4 damage + quills); Spot or Listen DC 20; Handle Animal DC 20.

Porcupine Quills: Porcupine quills dig deep under the skin and are incredibly painful. You take a -2 penalty to all skill checks due to the distraction.

Rattlesnake
CR 3; animal; proximity trigger (same square); manual reset (usually slithers away); Atk +11 melee (1 damage + poison); Spot or Listen DC 20; Handle Animal DC 20.

Rattlesnake Venom: Fort DC 16, Initial: 1d10 damage, Secondary: ongoing 1d6 damage every hour, save ends.

Poisonous Frog
CR 4; animal; touch trigger; manual reset (usually jumps away); Atk +13 melee (poison); Spot DC 21; Handle Animal DC 21.

Frog Poison: Fort DC 17, Staggered until a successful save, which is performed once per hour.

Spitting Cobra
CR 4; animal; proximity trigger (same square); manual reset (usually slithers away); Atk +13 melee (1 damage + poison); Spot DC 21; Handle Animal DC 21.

Spitting Cobra Venom: Fort DC 17, opponents gain Concealment until a successful save, which is performed once per hour.

Boa Constrictor
CR 5; animal; proximity trigger (same square or below the snake); manual reset (usually slithers away); Atk +15 melee (2d6 + grapple), Grapple +15 (4d6 per round); Spot DC 22; Handle Animal DC 22.

Stampede of Buffalo (or an equivalent herd animal)
CR 5; animal; sound trigger (Listen + 15); no reset (well, unless you follow the herd and get caught in another stampede); Reflex DC 18 (6d6 bludgeoning damage to all targets in a line 50 ft. wide and 200 ft. long); Spot DC 5; Handle Animal DC 22.

Wolverine
CR 5; animal; minion, attacks until hit; Atk +15 melee (5 damage); AC 22; Saves +7; HP 1; Speed 40 ft.; Spot DC 21; Handle Animal DC 22.

Black Bear
CR 6; animal; minion, attacks until hit; Atk +17 melee (6 damage); AC 24; Saves +8; HP 1; Speed 40 ft.; Spot DC 23; Handle Animal DC 23.

Brown Bear
CR 8; animal; minion, attacks until hit; Atk +21 melee (8 damage); AC 28; Saves +10; HP 1; Speed 40 ft.; Spot DC 25; Handle Animal DC 25.

Enraged Elephant
CR 10; animal; minion, attacks until hit; Atk +25 melee (10 damage); AC 31; Saves +12; HP 1; Speed 40 ft.; Spot DC 27; Handle Animal DC 27.

DM Suggestions
Traps, in general, can slow down a typical dungeon crawl. By having them as reactionary, rather than actively pursued, the players have no need to ask permission to step on each tile worrying that fire might shoot out. I suggest using regular traps in this way (allowing the search check to be a reactionary thing) kind of like how an elf is always searching for hidden doors.

The CR of traps don't really factor in the length of real-life time for the encounter and also don't usually diminish PC resources enough to actually count as the listed CR. I put the CR there for the purposes of what level you should place these traps against characters. I'd suggest giving about half the experience for traps that you normally would for an equal CR monster, one quarter if the trap is just dealt with, but not "disarmed". Since traps are reactionary, they won't slow down gameplay anyways, so they should fly by in a couple minutes and just be gravy exp for the players.