The Campfire Ghost D&D Trap – Creating Dungeons and Dragons Traps with Rory’s Story Cubes!

Let’s play a game! Create a #DnD Trap using 3 (and only 3) of the Rory’s Story Cubes in this photo. Please include: the trap, trigger, and effect. I will add most ideas to my website (wallydm.com) and may pick one or two to present in a future D&D TRAP video on this channel.

Here are the Story Cubes you can use:


D&D Traps with Rory's Story Cubes


The Hunt and the Feast Trap

by Wally DM

Story Cubes used to create the Trap:

CLOAKED FIGURE: A hooded spirit that is sitting next to a campfire
MACE: An incorporeal item carried by the spirit
ROAST CAMPFIRE: An incorporeal roast hangs above an open campfire.

TRAP: A spirit offers the strongest PC an incorporeal, magical mace.
TRIGGER: Taking the incorporeal spirit’s magical mace

Adventurers are traveling along a road at night. They see a light of a campfire and the smell of a roast cooking over an open flame. When they arrive at the scene they see that the roast hanging above the campfire is translucent and cannot be touched.

Sitting on a log near the fire is a human figure in a hooded cloak. Passive Perception 12 or higher will notice that the person is also incorporeal. This person is holding a mace across their lap in a non-threatening manner. They motion for the adventurers to sit.

The strange spirit then offers its incorporeal mace to the one that looks the strongest. If they do not take it, then it will offer it to each member of the party until someone accepts the mace.
If someone takes the mace, they will be pulled into a pocket dimension. They are alone with a Wild Boar and must defeat it in combat. They are armed only with a mace. In this dimension, their weapons are incorporeal and cannot be grasped. Spells may work as normal.

If they defeat the wild boar in combat, they will pop back safely to the campfire scene as if no time has passed. The hooded figure is gone, the roast is now real and has been cooked to perfection. The party can enjoy the meal.

If the chosen combatant fails, they are dead. In fact, it is now their spirit that sits by the fire, offering the mace to those who approach. As a GM, you may decide that the character is unconscious in the pocket dimension and another party member can go in and save them.

Meal for the Day Trap

by Wally DM

Story Cubes used to create the Trap:

CLOAKED FIGURE: A hooded spirit that is sitting next to a campfire
MACE: An incorporeal item in carried by the spirit
ROAST: The smell of a good meal cooking could lure the into a trap

TRAP: A spirit welcomes adventurers to eat and rest. It then offers one of them a magical mace.
TRIGGER: Accepting the incorporeal spirit’s magical mace

Adventurers are traveling along a road at night and find a camp with a roast being cooked over an open fire. Sitting on a log near the fire when they arrive is a human figure in a hooded cloak. Passive Perception 12 or higher will notice that the person is incorporeal. This person is holding a mace across their lap in a non-threatening manner. They motion for the adventurers to sit and eat.

The hooded spirit does not speak, but it can hear and see everything that is going on. If the party finds a way to communicate with it, the spirit will proclaim that they are the guardian of the weary traveler and it is here to provide a hearty meal.

There is nothing wrong with the roast. It is splendid and cooked to perfection. The spirit, of course, is lying. Charisma 18, Deception, +6.

After dinner, the spirit will stand up and offer one of the travelers it’s mace. Whoever takes the mace must make a DC15 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, nothing happens and they fail to take the mace (it too is incorporeal). The hooded figure shrugs and then tries to give the mace to a different person.

On a failed saving throw, the adventurer will acquire the mace, but now they become incorporeal and take the place of the hooded stranger by the campfire.

This, of course frees the hooded human figure and they materialize to the prime plane. It is now up to the Game Master. Is this swap permanent? Will the trapped PC now need to trick someone to take the mace and swap places with them? Or, perhaps the effect only lasts for 24 hours at which point the PC returns to the material plane and the figure becomes an incorporeal spirit again?

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