Grimtooth's Traps by Asimo

Rube Goldberg Would Be Proud

posted by Asimo Original SA post

Grimtooth's Traps: Rube Goldberg would be proud

To properly tell the tale of this book, we'll need to go a bit back in time. While Dungeons & Dragons is considered the first true roleplaying game, the actual gaming hobby predates it by quite a while. There were board games, war games (with or without miniatures), card games, even play-by-mail games that basically took the part of modern play-by-post style games over a much longer time scale. In 1970, three years before Tactical Studies Rules was founded, Flying Buffalo games got it's start by... well, I'll just quote wikipedia.
A fairly impressive feat! Especially since, to the best of my knowledge, the game (and multiple other play-by-mail games) are actually still being run . And after Dungeons & Dragons came onto the hobby gaming scene and made waves, in 1975 Flying Buffalo made the second RPG in history, Tunnels & Trolls , which essentially was something like the original D&D except stripped down into a much simpler and faster form. It also had a few unique innovations of its own for the era, such as "solo adventures" which were essentially a solitaire dungeon crawl designed to be played without a GM. T&T too has seen several revisions and editions over the years and remains available for sale, sort of like an endearing gaming coelacanth; unfortunately I've never personally played it, so someone else would have to go into detail there.

If we fast forward a few years to 1980 or so, Flying Buffalo started publishing the "Catalyst" line of system-neutral and statless supplements for "fantasy roleplaying games", such as maps you could use or cities you could easily port to your game of choice by statting up the NPCs and such on your own. To the best of my knowledge they were the first company to do third-party supplements, although several others followed over the years. And not long afterwards in 1981, over thirty years ago now, they first released Grimtooth's Traps.



The title is fairly self-descriptive, as it's a book of traps, as presented by the eponymous Grimtooth himself, a troll given a cartoonish representation, and who nominally is describing the traps contained within. Later books in the series introduce other characters, but for now this is all Grimtooth's show.


_{Pretty typical RPG art for the era.}

In actuality, the traps were given through suggestions from Flying Buffalo staff and customers, and each one was given proper credit. It opens up with a well intentioned but somewhat quaint note...
... Although as we'll go on, we'll see how implausible this is for some of these examples. From there, the book moves onto an introduction page from Grimtooth himself, explaining quite directly and pleasantly about how this is "the work of a host of distinguished contributors", and how he feels that "this to be the most entertaining collection of traps you've ever laid eyes on." Even if the sentiment gets interrupted from there by,


Curiously, despite the fact that the book is obviously aimed towards the "kill them quick" style of dungeonmastering that encourages the checking for secrets and traps every five feet and never touching anything with less than a ten foot pole, none of the traps have game stats attached to them in order to keep the book system-agnostic, and this means the book goes on to explain that you can easily make things harder or easier on the character. Each trap has a "deadliness rating" of one to five skulls that gives a rough estimation of whether or not you'd need a closed-casket ceremony for the unwary victim adventurer. But it also states that you can increase or decrease the "punch" of a trap by simply altering portions of it:
This is rather generous advice for the era, and the whole of it encourages a freeform attitude that best suits the party that's playing, and it's an unexpectedly pleasant thing to be found in a fantasy RPG supplement from 1981! From here, there's a few notes from the editor about how painful the book was to edit due to just how many traps the poor man had to leave out. This perhaps explains why there were at least six further sequels to Grimtooth's Traps in later years.

_{This is not a serious book.}

There's not too much else at the start, besides an explanation that the book is broken down into chapters to make it easier to find specific traps; in order, Room Traps , Corridor Traps (itself with several sub-chapters), Door Traps , Items and Artifacts , the leftover miscellany Things , and of course, the decidedly enigmatic 101st Trap . The book's introductory page are fairly short, as the vast majority of the 64-page text is unsurprisingly spent on describing the traps themselves, typically two or three to a page, and many with illustrations. Next time, we'll be starting with at Room Traps. But until then...

Room for More

posted by Asimo Original SA post

Grimtooth's Traps - Room for more

Before we get too much farther in your daily dose of trappage, three important things need to be said about how the traps in the book are designed. It's coming from the mindset of a "classic dungeoncrawl" campaign - not surprising considering the book's age and lineage - so there are the unspoken assumptions that:

• The adventurers are, in fact, greedy thieving bastards and will steal everything that isn't nailed down in order to line their pockets with filthy lucre.
  
• The adventurers are not, in fact, idiots, and will be using some sensible degree of precaution in their dungeon crawling; searching for traps, taking the safest and most conservative choice, and so on.
  
• The Dungeon Master is a sadistic and easily amused antagonist who is well aware of the above two facts, just as the players are well aware that the DM is trying to dick them over. Both sides plan and act accordingly.

The end result is that a lot of traps are designed to punish people taking safe actions, even if this moves well beyond plausibility, and a good number revolve around the dungeon delvers attempting to swipe some valuable trinket or fixture. The reasoning for several of the traps in the book kind of fall apart if you don't keep this sort of mindset in your head. Today, we're dealing with room traps.
We'll ignore the fact for now that not all of the ones listed are lethal (... although the vast majority are), or that several of them take active intentional effort on the part of the player characters to trigger. But let's start off with the first trap listed in the book, the Infamous Wheel Trap , a four-skull rating trap by Paul O'Connor, the book's editor.


And here you see the setup for a "basic trap" in the book, something that's almost plausible. A room full of barrels isn't inherently out of the ordinary in a dungeon, sure, but the odd incline at the back and the fact the barrels are perfectly sealed and immobile is certainly a bit odd. This is another... quirk of a lot of the traps in these books, where certain things are simply impossible by sheer act of fiat, although presumably using a trap in an actual campaign would involve a degree of give and take as to how impossible they may be. At least there's a clear sort of motive for getting in the middle of this; there's an (apparently) door at the other end of the room, up the incline, and the adventurers are going to try and go through it. It's what they do.
Well, this much was obvious. Presumably in a real campaign the heroes would get some sort of notice check or saving throw. But it's a pretty direct peril, so maybe there's some way around it, like destroying the whee-
... Oh. From here, it explains the obvious means of avoiding the trap; scrambling over the barrels into the small rooms at the sides, or desperately leap into the groove in the floor to try and duck under the wheel. If you can tell which of these is a bad idea, you're probably qualified to be an adventurer.
The correct answer: neither. Just in case this (I remind, only 4 of 5 skull trap) isn't tense enough, advice is given to make any rolls involved during the wheel's initial descent "tougher and tougher" in order to encourage quick (poor) decision-making, with the chance of a failing character blocking a particular escape path. Fortunately, some advice is also given in case the adventurers did somehow survive in order to let them continue, such as the splashing acid perhaps revealing a secret door..! ... Yeah.

Still! We're off to a good start. So why not move onto the next trap? The Lobster Trap , another four-skull one from Paul. This one requires a bit of setup, as it's less a trap the heroes stumble upon and instead a deathtrap a merciful(?) gamemaster puts unconscious player characters into. At least this is quite plausible, as dungeon crawling goes.


... Well, it's as threatening as anything else. Presumably one could change the critters out for some other horrible beast of preference, at least.
Here we see some more hallmarks of Grimtooth's Traps; completely egregious use of magical effects of some undetectable or invincible nature, a secret hidden in what seems to be the most dangerous location, and advice to make sure that even when the trap's playing softball that the players don't suspect it. Hmm. Naturally, it's noted that fighting the monstrous lobsters is a futile and fatal effort, as the heroes have been stripped of their equipment! In unlikely kindness, it's also noted that said pilfered equipment is stowed outside the trap complex here. But, how does one get out of this mess?
Yes! Not only is there an attribute-drain trap here (with no duration suggested, but in keeping with the era we can probably assume "longer than the adventurer's expected lifespan of thirty minutes"), but if it doesn't drain enough everyone falls to their death. But wait, what about that hidden room below the cage's initial position? Is that another way out, the trap maker giving an easier and safer option for those who dare the risk? Well, it does helpfully note that the characters will notice the lobsters keeping their distance, perhaps clueing them into the invisible wall. But...
... Nope! Still gonna die, if you show even the slightest bit of curiosity. Still, it's at least possible to escape the trap and get your stuff back with only the risk of a single character's health and well being, right?


Well, let's do something slightly safer, right? A three-skull trap. Middle of the pack here! The One that Got Away , by a Michael Austin. This one is probably perfectly plausible, and-


...

I'm not going to bother with quote snippets here, as it's fairly self-explanatory... as such traps go. There is an underground lake, with a pier complete with fisherman's chair and pole. The adventurer decides to go angling for some reason, and as soon as the line goes taut, the spring under the chair fires. Sending the poor hero into the jagged stalactites, the jagged shallow reef hidden in the murky waters, or just left for the maneating fish in the lake. Simple and horribly (in)efficient! Even the book admits outright that "this trap goes to such incredibly lengths to be silly". But who knows, maybe there's gold in the water or something to attract the adventurer's attention?

As noted in the first post, I'm not going to go into detail on every trap here. But what hasn't been elaborated on? The Roman Amphiteatre , Illusions , the Slider Spiker , The Deluxe Centerpost , The Dastardly Lava Room , the Hoovermatic Trap , The Bigger They Are , The Atlas Affair , The Bridge at Rue Vincent , and Is it the Piccolo, or Is it Memorex? , which gets special mention for including shoggoths as a central feature.

And next time... Corridor Traps !

All in a Row

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Grimtooth's Traps - All in a row
The corridor traps are perhaps some of the simplest in the book due to the reasons mentioned; the actions of the heroes are rather predictable! Most of them involve pits or falling blocks or variants thereof, and the lethality varies widely. While most of the writeups are short, this is also the longest section of the book and broken into several subsections, again probably due to how simple it is to set the party up for a fall.

One of my personal favorite traps is actually one of the simplest, a two-skull deal by Scot Rhoads called The Gas Passage .

Why do I like it? Since it's actually simple and surprisingly plausible. It's not out of reason that there would be stagnant or fetid air in a deep and poorly-ventilated dungeon or cavern, or even pockets of methane or something similarly dangerous. It's not something you'd want to inflict on a cinematic adventuring party, but if you're using this book you probably don't have one of those.

Our first five-skull trap reviewed comes without illustration. Look Before you Leap by Mike Stackpole (yes, I presume that one) is the usual sort of "gotcha" the book is famous for.
It's so contrived and absurd it sort of rolls over again into hilarious. I can't help but like it.

Other traps in the section are designed to just mess with the party, splitting them up or redirecting them into different portions of the dungeon. The Chute and Hammer Trap , a three-skull trap by Jason Lujan, adds a bit of injury atop the insult.


See? Anyone can think of a pit trap, and the "floor balanced on a pivot" is used in several different examples in the book. But only Grimtooth would add a claw hammer to the skull just for the sake of it.

Our first one-skull trap of the review can't cause any harm at all, except perhaps to the gamemaster by the players. The Mapper Maddener by J. Walker is pretty much designed to be successful at its name...


I think I saw something like this in a Zelda game. Or maybe a Shin Megami Tensei game. But... yeah, it's another traps that assumes an incredibly old school sort of dungeon delving gameplay, and is one of those things that can completely destroy player-gamemaster trust in the way a sudden death-by-gorgon wouldn't. I'm personally kind of amazed they didn't suggest using several of these in a dungeon, one alone could probably be figured out easily. But hey, it is only one skull.

As I mentioned above, traps involving pivot points are a common theme in the corridor trap section, and the three-skull See-Saw Corridor by John T.T. Longenbaugh is one example thereof. This illustration was even featured on the back cover!



It makes sense; the actual writeup basically just describes the obvious that can be inferred from the picture, although it doesn't make any mention of hiding the far end of the corridor. In any case, the "compounded menace of a long fall and impalement will probably do most characters in."

Still, most of these have been fairly sane compared to the last section, right? Let's change that. A nice three-skull traps, The Avenging Treadmill by Uriah Ward, starts with a nicely ominous statement.


Have I mentioned I love some of these illustrations?
This is not the most ludicrous way to die in the book, sure, but it's one of the ones where there's actually a bit of time to appreciate the dumbfounded looks of horror upon the party's face. "Why," the fighter might seem to think, "Why didn't I just become a blacksmith?" And don't think you can get away just because you're a fancy-pants wizard who can fly or something!


One last one for the road, before we move on. The Hero Sandwich by Mark O'Green and Edward Schoonover is a four skull trap, and...


I'm not quite sure this deserves four skulls for lethality, but it's simple, plausible to trigger, and a completely inglorious demise, so I can't really complain.

As mentioned though, this section is the largest in the book, and I've had to skip a whole lot. If anyone has a favorite I missed, lemme know and I'll give a write up! But the other obstructions were the Hop, Skip, and a Jump , the Sectioning Corridor , Archer's Tunnel , Mirror, Mirror, and the Fall , Magnificent Marble Misadventure , Trip Wire That Isn't , Last Laugh Trap , Between a Rock and a Hard Place , The Greystoke Memorial , Ball Bearing Corridor , The Slippery Pit . While the detours were, Which Way to the Front? , Orfiles Slide of Delver Dumping . The Murderers included, Pilum Pacifier , Folly Flight , Supercharger Crawlway , The B-B Slope , The Rolling Stone , CO2 Delver Extinguisher , Von Hindenburg Chamber , Air Thee Well . Aaand, the Step and Die traps, The Smashing Floor Trap , Whirling Blade Boot Bloodier , First Step Trap , Crossbow Thirteen , Stair Snare , The Piano Floor , The Flesh Pot .

... Okay. That's a lot. May as well take a few requests to elaborate on in a later post. Fortunately, tomorrow's section Door Traps is quite a bit shorter!

Marbles & Memorials

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Yeah, I'm not sure they're really "useful" books, especially in modern games, but it's fun still to see the collective malice of the roleplaying market condensed into simple, ironic death machines. In any case, going back to PurpleXVI's request... the Magnificent Marble Misadventure , a three-skull trap by David McConnell;


Oh, that Wizard. Naturally, marbles are released on both sides of the pit, and the door behind them seals closed, so the writeup reminds of the great difficulty of safely jumping and landing on floors covered in grease and marbles. Not much traction! And best of all, the trap functions perfectly fine coming from either direction.

The Greystoke Memorial , a three-skull by Brandon Corey, was one in the running for the last post. It's another one where the illustration really explains it all.


Heroes come across a pit filled with something suitably uncomfortable. Rope is conveniently placed to allow heroes to swing across the pit! Except it isn't actually attached to the ceiling like it looks, and readily lets them drop and fly into the far wall, presumably to tumble into the pit in a stupor afterwards. And okay, there is one thing that isn't immediately obvious from the pic...
Sadly, this is another trap that requires a bit of GM-sadism blindness to function, but I'm sure proper pressure can be applied to encourage its use.

I already pointed out the Von Hindenburg Chamber, so let's move on to the Piano Floor . A four skull trap by Liz Danforth, and it really sounds a bit innocuous, maybe something focused on musi-




... A... anyway, The Flesh Pot , a two-skull trap from Pat Mueller, is simpler in comparison. It's "simply a pot of sticky glue" . That happens to dissolve flesh . It helpfully encourages the dungeon master to stick this beneath a false floor, in a hole where someone would reach, or any other place you'd want to deprive a delver of their extremity. I assume it's only two skull because it's only maiming, not fatal.

And hmm. Since the door trap section is fairly small, I'll just list them here; may as well do requests! They are: The Circular Doorway , Giant's Razor , The Guillotine Door Trap , Poison Door , Cure A Kicker Trap , Dry-Rot Door , Dragging Doorway , Double Door Doom , Delvermatic Dicer and Malingerer Trap .

Push to Enter

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Grimtooth's Traps - Push to Enter

Door traps are obviously fairly limited. There's a doorway, there's a trap there, adventurers get killed. Unsurprisingly this isn't the longest section, but as always there's plenty of brutality involved! Take for example The Circular Doorway , a four-skull trap by Pat Mueller.


... Oh, let's cut to the chase. It's a magically silenced giant high-speed fan . This is one of those anachronistic ones that works mostly because fantasy adventurers wouldn't know what the fuck it is, and the DM's descriptions would of course dance around the fact. No real admittance of the fact a high speed fan would be fairly noticeable from the air movement, beyond a note that delvers might suspect something is amiss from torch smoke being drawn towards the doorway. But..
Is that really necessary, Grimtooth?

Let's do a two for one next, since they're both in the same illustration. The four-skull The Guillotine Door Trap by James Brazier and Oliver Fittock, and the three-skull Poison Door by Rick Loomis.



The Guillotine trap is fairly... self-explanatory, and the blurb relating to it is brief, noting that it triggers shortly after the door is opened. The Poison Door on the other hand...
A pretty classic style of asshole DM player-screw here, punishing their characters for doing something simple and routine. Which I guess means it's a pretty excellent trap. Yes, this series does seem to be designed around encouraging player paranoia, why do you ask? And if poison isn't good enough for you, it also suggests filling it with methane instead, so that it explodes thanks to the delver's torches once it's triggered...

Coming up next, we have the Cure a Kicker Trap , a two-skull one by S.S. Crompton. Obviously, this is one of those ones designed to discourage the sort of paranoid behavior an adventurer might acquire, despite the other traps being what causes it in the first place...


To be honest, I'm not very fond of this one, but only because I'm not really certain how it works from the picture and description; I can't see of a way to have a wire-triggered trap that wouldn't trigger just by opening the door too, or if it didn't, how breaking the door would trigger it. Still, it wouldn't be too hard to change up the triggering mechanism a bit to something that would be more plausible, and it's a nice and pleasant "fuck you" to a paranoid adventurer sort. And just in case it wasn't clear, the book helpfully explains that it probably won't see action, which likely explains its rating... unless you use it after or combine it with some of the other door traps.

As this section isn't too long, let's finish off with the most... elaborate trap here, the four-skull Delvermatic Dicer and Malingerer Trap by Liz Danforth and Mike Stackpole (again). Just what does this entail? Well...


... Well, this is off to a good start, isn't it? Nothing builds anticipation like being able to see where things are going.
Yes, not only does big heavy object fall from the ceiling, jagged hooks on it tear into anyone it nearly misses. Why? Why not!
"What, Jim, you said you were standing too far back to be hit? No, fuck you ."
Monofilament wire is like a Chekhov's gun. You can't show it at the start of a trap without it being fired having some poor sap diced into cubes by it at the end.

... Well. In any case, tomorrow we'll be dealing with trapped Items and Artifacts ! Since taking requests seems to work, let's give a list and see what people want to hear! This is another fairly large section and I may two it in two parts, and the options include: The Hot Rocks , Nefarious Nymph Statuette , Magnesium Torch , Spy Glass , Moviola , Theft-Proof Gem , Jerk With the Box , Stuffed Raccoon , Rope Serpent , Speak Down , Lightning Gem , Idiot's Vase , Satan's Bow , Cup of Golden Mead , The War of the Ring Trap , Have A Ball , Vincent Van Gogh Seashell , Here Doggie! , A Cask of Immolation , Gauntlets of Doom , Turn-About is Fair Play , Well Blow Me Down! , Bury the Hatchet , Achilles' Shield , Cape of Dorian Grey , The Acid Test Scabbard , Iron Maiden Helmet , The Morningstar Supernova , Double-Crossbow , and the Atomic Necklace .

The problem with Looting

posted by Asimo Original SA post

Grimtooth's Traps - The problem with Looting
Overall, this chapter is focused on what most would call "cursed items", the hallmark of an asshole dungeon master. Or at least one who follows random treasure charts diligently! Not all of these are cursed or even enchanted though, and many use purely mundane means of dismembering entertaining the party. Many of them also require the previously mentioned adventurer greed to work; some gold-plated trinket-trap only works if the heroes are covetous enough to try and pilfer it, after all.

Take for example the four-skull Nefarious Nymph Statuette , by Mike Stackpole; yeah, he did a lot of these. What does this entail? Well...
Well, really, that sounds pretty harmless. Enchanted room, but perfectly mundane statue. Doesn't seem superheavy or anything, so what could be the trick? Go on, pretend you're playing in a campaign, think about it a little. I'll wait.

...

Have your guess yet?

...

Aaaaaahh!

Moving on, we encounter another five skull trap, a particularly devious one. The Spy Glass , also by Mike, is... well, read for yourself.


Well, that was completely unnecessary, wasn't it? Er...

Still, that was sane and plausible by Grimtooth standards, right? Let's try something a bit more silly. Another one by Mike Stackpole (and Liz Danforth!), the five-skull Moviola is an anachronism waiting to happen.


Okay, that definitely wasn't necessary. Seems like gorgon-related traps always involve a high rating, at least. And this one adds the further indignity of paying for the privilege!

Moving on, let's skip down a bit to some less than lethal traps in comparison. Take for example the Jerk With the Box by Paul O'Connor, a one-skull item;


Really, if an adventurer gets hit by this one, they probably deserve the indignity. And there's more!


Another mostly-harmless indignity is the one-skull Stuffed Raccoon by Stefan Jones.
Honestly, I can't imagine even the greediest adventurer being willing to snatch up enchanted taxidermy, but I guess if they do so they deserve what they get.

The last trap we'll be covering today is The War of the Ring Trap , a two-skull item from Liz Danforth.
Let us once more put ourselves in the delvers' shoes, and try to guess what might happen. Thinks about it a bit, knowing what you know about what an asshole the dungeon master may be. Obviously something bad's going to happen, but think of the loot!

...

Have your suspicion in mind now?

...



Anyway... next time, more item traps!

More Stuff!

posted by Asimo Original SA post

Grimtooth's Traps - More Stuff!

Where we left off, we were discussing item traps. Some of them cursed, some of them mundane and deceptive in appearance, and all of them designed to destroy the party when the players attempt to strangle the dungeon master. Take, for example, the Speak Down trap. A one skull item by S.S. Crompton, so it has to be fairly benign, yet...
It's amazing how in the space of a single item description you can instantly picture the sort of players and dynamics that were taking place in this campaign. Which I guess brings up another way traps were used in the old days; passive-aggressively punishing people in the group! Oy.

But moving away from that, we get to some more typical trapped items. Take for example the three-skull Satan's Bow , by Liz Danforth.


Okay, maiming the party members was another big theme too, it seems. Just for the sake of it!

And you think I'm kidding? Well, let's take a look at the Vincent Van Gogh Seashell , a three-skull trap by Michael Austin.
... Augh, god. Why does this exist?

Well, not every trap is designed to maim the unwary. At least not directly! The two-skull Here, Doggie! , also by Austin, is short and simple.
For all its brevity, I actually rather like this one as an example. It has a clear and obvious effect, encouraging players to take and use it, while the drawback is equally obvious... after it comes up. Who says dogs would be the only things able to hear it after all? If I had to do a trapped item these days, it'd probably be something like that. It probably wouldn't even need to be enchanted, really.

Continuing with the idea of "unenchanted but trapped", there's the Gauntlets of Doom , a three-skull item also by Crompton.


This is another one I don't mind. I question how you could get away with this without it being noticed (wouldn't an adventurer notice something squishy?), but the very idea is actually pretty plausible and simple. Heck, you probably don't even need all this setup, just have some poisonous spider or scorpion living inside the item. Dungeons are almost as bad as Australia, the heroes really should get into the habit of shaking found clothing out before wearing it.

Another one by Crompton is the two-skull Turn-About is Fair Play .


Oh, Grimtooth. This is another one I kind of like, since it's really simple and really obvious. Also perhaps something a skilled character could take advantage of... if they survive the first use anyway. It's kind of a winner all around.

As you can see, most of these item traps are of only moderate lethality, and the last two I'll cover today keep up the idea, both being three-skull rated. The first is The Morningstar Supernova by Ashley Morton.


I like this one a little less than the last, since it's not... quite as obvious. But it sure seems effective.

And last but not least, we have the Atomic Necklace , also by Morton.


That's what you get for looting bodies! And if you were expecting a radioactive necklace, I think that one's in the second book...

And that brings us to the end of the Item Traps! Coming up next, we'll deal with Things , which are the miscellany of stuff that doesn't quite fit into the other categories, be it furniture, living creatures, and so on. And after that comes the mysterious 101st trap... but that can wait a little while. This is another shortish section, and the available options include the Sword Breaker , Eye-Catching Trap , Wall Wards , Fountain Trap , Floor Creature , Going Down? , Ariadne's Revenge , Four on the Floor , Various Killers of Paranoids , A Hot Time in the Old Camp Tonight , and The Cranequin Goose . Have a favorite trap, or curious about one? Lemme know!

Leftovers

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Grimtooth's Traps - Leftovers
Or, in other words, this is the miscellaneous section. There's a little bit of overlap with other sections, such as the Room and Corridor traps, but in general stuff found here is found in or a part of a normal dungeon environment, rather than an integral component thereof.

The lethality is highly variable here, as well. For example, we'll start off with Johnny Green's one-skull Sword Breaker .


Admittedly, this seems a bit needlessly convoluted... although I imagine it circumvents the need for an enchanted mirror hiding a pressure-activated switch or some other more potentially-obvious triggers. It's rated one since it only damages gear, not causing bodily harm. Still, something seems missing...
Ah, there's the brutality we were expecting!

The next trap is somewhat similar in idea to the sword breaker, and the book even points out this fact. The Eye-Catching Trap (another from Mike Stackpole) is however rated four skulls. Why? Well...


Okay, yeah, a few too many dancing girl type references throughout the text, but I'll remind this is an RPG supplement from 1981. That said...
Aaaaah. That was... that wasn't necessary you know. I mean- wait, there's more?
Aaaugh! Jagged daggers of wood lodged in the punctured ruins of your eye sockets ?! AAAAAHHH! This is only four skulls because it's not instantly fatal...

Let's... go a little simpler. The Floor Creature by Paul O'Connor is a three-skull rating, and obviously a bit more of a monster than a trap...


This is another one of those good and simple encounters. Obviously, in a modern game you'd probably want to give it appropriate monster stats and have some chance to escape or fight back to anyone caught inside it. But then again, a meaner DM might want to have attacks from the outside hurt people caught within, too. _{Oh god I'm starting to think like this book.}

Moving on, we come to Four on the Floor by Brandon Corey. A three skull rating, and both curiously niche and devious.
I'm not entirely sure how often a classic adventuring party will trigger this. It's an obvious setup of sorts, all out of place. On the other hand, the fact it only works when the liquids are mixed means they might take preparations, lift one glass, have nothing happen, and then nonchalantly remove the rest to the predictable results. Overconfidence deaths are usually the best.

Coming up next isn't so much a single trap, as a variety of traps under a single theme. Various Killers of Paranoids , collectively a three skull trap assortment by Scott Rhoads, is focused on the idea of how to punish those players who have functioning pattern matching skills after dealing with this DM for a while.


All entirely self-explanatory at a glance, as the book goes on to note. Death by irony is always amusing, isn't it? Although I guess these only get three skulls because the person who activated them gets away... hmm.

Also, I thank all of you who asked for The Cranequin Goose , because this is one I would have included at all costs regardless. Also by Mike Stackpole, that despicable bastard, and earning every last goddamn one of its four skulls.


Why!? Why does this thing exist? What kind and merciful god dungeon master would allow such a device within their world? _{I guess the only reason it's four skulls instead of five is, really, when was the last time adventurers ever encountered a lavatory while dungeon delving?}

And that brings us to the end of the section, and nearly to the end of the book. That was a pretty good and memorable one to leave off on, wasn't it? There's not much left, and unless someone has a particular favorite I missed along the way, only one trap remains... tune in tomorrow, for... The 101st Trap!!!

The Finale

posted by Asimo Original SA post

Grimtooth's Traps - The Finale

And we're already to the end! As mentioned at the start, Grimtooth's Traps is not a very long book; sure, there's 101 traps in here, but they're often two or three to a page. And of course, there's several sequels... at least seven books in the line I believe, eight if you include the d20 compilation? But we're not quite done yet here. There's still one more trap, the ultimate, the 101st . There's no skull rating for this one, and it should be readily obvious why once you've read it. And unlike the other traps, which I've tried to summarize and annotate rather than just copy directly, this one only really works if you have the full page in your hands.

Are you ready? There's no turning back now.



This is your last chance.



Don't say I didn't warn you.






... Oh, Grimtooth.

And now that we've seen the breadth of the book, I... still like it? At the very least, it's an interesting footnote in the development of the hobby. Roleplaying games were, when the book was originally printed, less than a decade old - D&D itself came out only seven years prior! And even then the stereotypes of capricious dungeon masters and greedy short-sighted player characters were already fairly solidified, to the point that you could do parodies that still hold up over thirty years later.

And while it's never really stated, you're not intended to actually use everything in the book, or even much of it. It's idea fodder to be repurposed into your own (hopefully less lethal) traps, or to be sprinkled out with great care in order to keep the players cautiously optimistic. It's also why I probably won't be covering the sequels, although I sure won't stop anyone else from doing so; once you understand the mindset behind it, it's surprisingly easy to come up with new traps along the same lines. This is probably why they managed to make another half-dozen books out of reader submissions over the following decades!

But for those at home who aren't using a touchscreen, thanks for joining me on this nostalgic trip back in time.