We have made changes in how PC set traps work. They should no longer have such insane DC's to spot and disable.

Each trap has a modifier to the DC's for both search DC (S) and Disable DC (D). The PC will add their set trap skill to both these numbers to create a final DC. These numbers will most likely be adjusted once we see them in play some more, but these should be much better than the old numbers.

           Minor  Average Strong   Deadly       
           S   D   S   D   S   D    S   D
Spike      7   5   10  8   13  11   16  14
Holy       4   4   8   8   12  12   16  16
Tangle     6   6   11  11  16  16   21  21
Acid       5   7   8   10  11  13   14  16
Fire       5   7   8   10  11  13   14  16
Electrical 3   7   5   9   7   11   9   13
Gas        3   7   5   9   7   11   9   13
Frost      6   6   9   9   12  12   15  15
Negative   6   7   9   10  12  13   15  16
Sonic      6   7   9   10  12  13   15  16
Splash     6   7   9   10  12  13   15  16

Now that we are going to have the technical side out of the way, I imagine traps will get used more, so some guidelines are in order. This list will also be added to, and more DM's might chime in with some advice.

1) Do NOT metagame NPC's. This isn't just a trap rule, but it's one that really needs to be reiterated. Don't set traps near NPC's like they are blind and deaf. Use some common sense here.

2) Do not set traps in populated areas. Basically, even if you go around a corner, Fort Mur, the Blue Mushroom, Sanctuary, the inhabited mines, or other populated areas are not good places to lay traps. Always assume there are unaccounted for NPC's watching you in these types of places.

3) Don't set traps in newbie areas. This will be considered griefing. This includes areas like the sewers, the bug cave, newbie quests, and Sanctuary.

4) Don't grief. Yeah traps can be an interesting tactic, but don't go overboard with them. They can be very griefy, and we will be watching this kind of stuff closely.