11 foot pole
Sand
Mirror
Hammer and spikes
Caltrops

• 😮 Traps in Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) are discussed in this video by Professor Dungeonmaster.
• 😅 Traps in 5th edition D&D are done on an ad hoc basis with no firm rules.
• 🔒 Three types of traps: grinder, puzzle, and situation.
• 💀 The grinder trap is common but can slow down gameplay and make players paranoid.
• 🔄 Combining the grinder trap with other elements, like an ambush, can add urgency and peril.
• 🧩 Puzzle traps rely on player intelligence, but some players may find them frustrating.
• 🤔 Tailor puzzle traps to suit your group's preferences or skip them altogether.
• 🧭 Puzzle traps can be made engaging by adding time limits or integrating them into the environment.
• 📚 Author Matt Mayfield's work on designing puzzles and riddles can be helpful.
• 💥 Situation traps involve complex scenarios and moral dilemmas for players to navigate.
• ⏳ The situation trap can involve multiple layers of challenges and consequences.
• ⚙️ Trap design elements: bait, trigger, confine, and time.
• 🕰️ Adding timers to traps increases tension and engagement.
• 🗝️ Examples of trap design elements and scenarios are provided in the video.
• 🎲 Designing traps with bait, trigger, confine, and time leads to more engaging gameplay.
• 👍 Likes, comments, and sharing the video are encouraged, and there are links to the Facebook group and Patreon for further support.

• 🎮 Pathfinder can feel like an MMO with repetitive optimal actions, leading to boredom for players.
• 🧙 The illusion of choice exists in both Pathfinder and D&D, where options are limited by game designers.
• 🍽️ Feat choices in D&D may seem varied, but some options are clearly better for combat optimization.
• 🎭 Characters in Pathfinder and 5E often become similar in terms of combat optimization at higher levels.
• 🍕 Cutting a pizza into smaller slices doesn't give you more pizza; similarly, smaller choices in character building don't significantly differentiate the characters.
• ⚔️ Total party kills are rare, thanks to increased healing capabilities in newer editions of D&D.
• 🔄 Different RPG systems have varying combat mechanics, but the end result is usually the same.
• 🎲 Ability scores in D&D offer small bonuses that don't make a significant difference in gameplay.
• 📚 Pathfinder and 5E are not the only options; there are other systems like Old School Essentials, Five Torches Deep, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and 5E Hardcore Mode that offer different gameplay experiences.
• 👍 Professor Dungeon Master appreciates the support and hopes viewers can take something away from Dungeoncraft.

• 💡 Quick decision-making is better than spending too long trying to figure out the right decision.
• 💡 Balance between creating flawed and interesting characters while optimizing their abilities.
• 💡 Knowing the game rules and mechanics, as well as understanding other players' abilities, enhances gameplay.
• 💡 Act lightning fast by knowing all the options on your character sheet and creatively using them.
• 💡 Learn the game rules and make an interesting character rather than focusing solely on creating an overpowered one.
• 💡 Practice "yes anding" by agreeing with and contributing to the story and ideas presented by other players.
• 💡 Escalate and build upon the ideas and contributions of others to create a collaborative and engaging experience.
• 💡 Care about the enjoyment of other players and actively set them up for cool moments.
• 💡 Avoid talking over others and stealing character moments from fellow players.
• 💡 Describe character actions and interactions in an engaging and detailed manner.
• 💡 Initiating, optimizing, enabling, and collaborating lead to lightning-fast, wacky, and interesting gameplay with everyone having a good time.

• 💡 Magic as a resource in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) can be treated differently to create a unique gameplay experience.
• 💡 In the traditional "fire and forget" magic system, spells are memorized for the day and consumed as they are cast, requiring players to consider their choices and plan accordingly.
• 💡 This approach encourages players to be proactive and strategic, considering the potential challenges they may face and selecting spells accordingly.
• 💡 It creates a sense of teamwork among magic users who collaborate to ensure they have a balanced selection of spells for different situations.
• 💡 The scarcity of magic spells adds value and power to each spell, making them more impactful when they are cast.
• 💡 Limiting the availability of spells can lead to interesting decision points for players, such as whether to spend time researching and learning new spells or continue their current quest.
• 💡 The rarity of magic in a world can be used to regulate its use, with different factions or groups having access to different types of spells.
• 💡 Magic as a resource management system adds depth and balance to the game, allowing for creative problem-solving and role-playing opportunities.
• 💡 The use of magic as a resource can vary from standard systems, providing a unique impact on the game world and shaping the gameplay experience.

Recommend looking at the preview for the second edition of Knave. It does hit points like basic editions, but each character also has wound slots equal to their slots of for carrying items. When you go below zero HP, you start losing wound slots and you have to drop equipment. Hit points can be recovered with a good night's rest, whereas the wound slots need a safe environment, recovering one slot per safe night's rest. Also everyone is just rolling 1D6 / level, rerolling all d6s each level to help average out HPs.

It's a nice balance of OSR and nu school.

Proficiency die instead of set bonuses to speed up game and roll more dice. I think this evolved to his Deathbringer dice. Same concept basically.

• 💡 Your Character Ability scores are secondary to your choices.
• 💡 A good player with an awful character can succeed more often than a poor player with a great character.
• 💡 Ask specific questions while exploring to gather useful information and find Treasure.
• 💡 Talking your way through an obstacle is usually the safest option, use it to gather information and identify weaknesses.
• 💡 Sneaking or bypassing obstacles is a good alternative if talking doesn't work.
• 💡 Combat should be a last resort, consider the risk vs reward before engaging in a fight.
• 💡 Understand the different weapons and their advantages.
• 💡 Wearing armor reduces damage from attackers.
• 💡 Consider alternative approaches and objectives in combat.
• 💡 The core of the game is: Gather information, make choices, and deal with the consequences.