Best Traps To Use For A Horror Campaign In DND

Summary

• Use classic traps like a pit of spikes with added elements to create a terrifying atmosphere for your horror campaign.
• Incorporate thematic traps like a vampire’s vial or grave diggers in a horror campaign to lull players into a false sense of safety.
• Implement visual tricks like bats in the attic or a spider’s nest to keep players engaged.

One of the best ways to keep players on edge in Dungeons & Dragons is to use traps, especially if you’re playing a horror campaign. Whether your party is exploring a decrepit manor or a dastardly dungeon, you’ll want to make sure you populate spaces in your adventure with traps to disarm and avoid.

But, if you’re not sure where to start when it comes to designing original traps for a horror campaign, it can prove tough to run a compelling session. That’s why we’ve created this list, which has some great ideas for traps, perfect for a horror setting.

10

Pit Of Spikes

Tried And True, Yet Classic

A pit of spikes is a classic Dungeons & Dragons trap that you’ve probably used before in your campaign. However, that doesn’t mean you should overlook it when it comes to designing traps for a horror adventure, as this trap can be made new again just by adding some cosmetic touches.

Consider using a weighted floor tile to activate this trap, revealing a pit of spikes beneath the floor covered in blood, and littered with the skeletons of adventuring parties past. Even if the party thinks they’ve made it past the worst part of the trap, have the skeletons come to life, attacking the party for an additional surprise!

9

The Vampire’s Vial

Drink Up

Vampires are, of course, a great monster to incorporate into your horror campaign. You can also use a Vampire or a Vampire’s lair to create atmospheric traps and puzzles that will be sure to send chills down your party’s spines.

This trap is best used either in a social setting or as part of a treasure horde. Offer players a vial of red liquid, eerily reminiscent of a potion of healing. If someone from the party drinks, they will restore hit points as they would normally, but they’ll also incur a point of exhaustion as life drains from them. This long-con trap is great for keeping players on their toes.

8

Grave Diggers

What Lies Beneath

Cemeteries, mausoleums, and crypts make for great locales to explore during any horror adventure. If you have your party traveling through one of these locations, consider placing a magical glyph on one of the tombs.

Should anyone in the party inadvertently activate it, every corpse in the nearby vicinity will spring to life, attacking anyone nearby! This trap has a great element of surprise, and is wonderfully macabre. Just make sure to use mob combat rules to keep combat running efficiently.

7

Bats In The Attic

Don’t Look Up

Use this next trap option if your party is adventuring through a manor or abandoned ruin of some kind. While bats ultimately make for a pretty low-level combat encounter, you can use them as part of a trap on the party’s way to a larger fight, just to keep them humble.

For this trap, have the party travel through either an attic, corridor, or otherwise cramped location. Should they make any loud or sudden noises, they might notice that the ceiling is littered with swarms of bats. The party will have to traverse stealthily to not wake up the horde.

6

The Haunted Diary

It’s A Real Page Turner

Luring in your adventurers with the promise of treasure is always a surefire setup for a great trap. Consider placing a magical diary in the party’s path, encouraging them to investigate it by indicating an arcane aura emanating from the object.

However, should the first person to touch it fail an Intelligence saving throw, the diary will come to life, bearing razor sharp fangs and snapping at their limbs. Once the party renders the book inert, you can reward them with the real magical artifact, a Tome of Understanding.

5

The Spider’s Nest

Like A Fly In A Web

This is another great trap that relies on visual trickery. If your party is working their way through a dungeon or other enclosed space, place a series of Giant Spiders entangled in webs high above them in the rafters or roof.

As the party moves through the space, you can have any number of players make Dexterity saving throws. Anyone who fails is snagged by a Giant Spider and reeled up into their web. The party will have a handful of turns to rescue any trapped party members before the spiders get their fill.

4

Mirror, Mirror

Is That Just My Reflection?

Mirrors make for fantastically spooky set pieces in any horror setting. If the party is exploring a haunted house or a castle, consider placing an ornate mirror with strange infernal writing adorning the edges in the room with the party.

Anyone who investigates the mirror closely will have to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they switch places with their reflection. If the party discovers the trick, they will have to fight their party member’s reflection to reverse the effect. Breaking the mirror can also end the effect, but not without significant damage done to the party member inside.

3

The Black Cat

Cat Got Your Tongue?

If the party is lost and in need of some guidance navigating a large city, use this next trap to add some additional wrinkles to their travels. Have at least one party member spot a mysterious black cat, seemingly imploring the party to follow it.

Should the party follow, they’ll be led down a dark and shady alley, only to reveal that the cat is actually one member of a Hag Coven in disguise. The party can either do battle with the Hag in the alley, praying that her coven won’t arrive, or make a break for it back to the safety of the main street.

2

The Staircase

Does That Step Look A Bit Odd?

For intricate dungeons, use this trap to either separate the party temporarily, or knock the entire group down a few pegs. Set a trap on one step of a large, winding staircase that the party must climb. If anyone activates the trap, every step folds inward, turning the staircase into a large slide.

From there, the party must try to stop themselves, lest they fall into a den of hungry zombies waiting for them at the bottom. Anyone who falls into the pit of undead must fight their way out, or beseech their party for aid.

1

Dark Ritual

Are You Willing To Sacrifice?

If your party is contending with a cult or other religious order in their adventure, consider using this morbid trap. The party comes across a large altar. Whatever object, key, or NPC they’re trying to gain access to is suspended in air above the altar. A plaque placed on the altar indicates a desire for sacrifice.

If the party complies, either sacrificing a bit of their blood, HP, or other magic, it will reveal that the object they were trying to hunt down was an illusion, and the altar was merely placed to trick adventurers into sacrificing some part of themselves. Evil cultists will then manifest, ready to complete the ritual in its entirety.