In Ettes Eternal, some characters are able to craft Traps in order to ensnare enemies both in combat or with well-prepared setups they lead the enemies into. Hunters especially gain a lot of class benefits for dealing with traps.
Core Mechanics
Crafting
Every trap is crafted using an abstracted concept of “Trap Materials”, which are defined as such for simplicity of not micromanaging how many spikes or hooks or nets you happen to have. You can purchase Trap Materials in the Gear section. Trap Materials are consumed upon crafting the trap, and generally cannot be recovered.
Traps generally have a crafting time of ~10 minutes per Tier. There are, like many other parts of Ettes Eternal, five Tiers of traps; Apprentice through Legendary.
Usage
Placing any trap, whether in combat or not, requires a Survival Check to successfully place the trap. This roll will also set a difficulty for resisting, detecting, or disarming the trap (as an Opposed Check).
If you fail your Survival Check to place the trap, the trap is wasted, along with the materials to craft it.
Activation
Traps have 4 primary Activation Triggers, which are pretty straightforward:
- Manual - the trap only activates if the trap-setter personally performs an action to trigger it (generally 1 AP if in combat)
- Contact - the trap activates when a creature touches the trap.
- Timed - some kind of rudimentary fuse or timer is set with the trap and it goes off when that timer ends. This is most common with things like grenade-like traps.
- Magical - This is much more general and will vary on meaning case-by-case, but in general it means any non-natural means of triggering; whether it’s triggered by a spell, movement/sound detection, or more exotic means. Unless specified otherwise, traps may remain active essentially permanently until triggered (or the timer goes off for Timed Traps).
Defending Against Traps
As mentioned earlier, defense comes in three forms against traps:
- Disarming - A successful Survival or Crafting check lets the creature disarm the device provided they can get close enough to do so
- Detecting - A successful Perception check lets the creature realize the trap is there, allowing them to circumvent it or avoid setting it off
- Dodging/Resisting - A successful Agility or Endurance check lets the creature either partially or fully dodge/resist the effects of the trap after it is set off. In all 3 cases, the check to defend against the trap is an Opposed Check against the original Survival Check the trapper rolled to originally set the trap.
Trap List
| Name | Tier | Materials | Coverage | Trigger | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snare Trap | Apprentice | 1 Trap Material | 1 hex | Contact | Restrained on failed Agility |
| Caltrops | Apprentice | 1 Trap Material | 3 hexes | Contact | 1d4 + Slowed (remove/3 rounds) |
| Flash Powder | Apprentice | 1 Trap Material | Blast 2 | Manual/Timed | Blind 1 round (Endurance save) |
| Alarm | Apprentice | 1 Trap Material | 1 hex | Magical | Silent alert to setter; target Slowed, no save |
| Spike Strip | Journeyman | 1 Trap Material | Line 3 | Contact | 1d8 + 1 Persistent Bleed |
| Smokescreen | Journeyman | 1 Trap Material | Blast 3 | Manual/Timed | Obscuring cloud (3 rounds) |
| Poison Mist | Journeyman | 2 Trap Materials | Blast 3 | Contact/Timed | 3 Persistent Poison/round; lingers 2 rounds |
| Silence Trap | Expert | 2 Trap Materials | Blast 4 | Magical/Manual | Soundproof boundary; sound cannot enter or leave (5 rounds) |
| Concussive Mine | Expert | 2 Trap Materials | Blast 2 | Contact/Manual | 4d6+Survival Mod + Stunned 1 round (Endurance save to halve/negate) |
| Convergence Trap | Expert | 2 Trap Materials | 1 hex | Contact/Manual | Pulls 2 connected traps within 4 hexes here and triggers all simultaneously |
Trap Descriptions
Apprentice Traps
Snare Trap
Materials: 1 Trap Material
Trigger: Contact
Effect: Target becomes Restrained.
Coverage: 1 hex
Caltrops
Materials: 1 Trap Material
Trigger: Contact
Effect: 1d4 damage + Slowed until 2 AP spent removing them OR 3 rounds pass. If a creature would end its movement on a Caltrops hex, then no Agility Check is possible to avoid this damage.
Coverage: 3 adjacent hexes
Detection: Difficult (-10 to Perception checks)
Flash Powder
Materials: 1 Trap Material
Trigger: Manual activation (1 AP) or Timed
Effect: All creatures within 2 hexes make an Endurance check vs the trap’s Survival roll or be Blinded for 1 round.
Coverage: Blast 2
Alarm
Materials: 1 Trap Material
Trigger: Magical (motion within 2 hexes)
Effect: Sends a silent signal to the setter the instant any creature moves within range, regardless of distance. The triggering creature is Slowed until they spend 1 AP to remove the line — no Agility check to avoid this.
Coverage: 1 hex
Detection: Difficult (-10 to Perception checks)
Journeyman Traps
Spike Strip
Materials: 1 Trap Material
Trigger: Contact
Effect: 1d8 damage and 1 Persistent Bleed damage/round. If a creature would end its movement on a Spike Strip hex, then no Agility Check is possible to avoid this damage.
Coverage: Line 3
Smokescreen
Materials: 1 Trap Material
Trigger: Manual activation (1 AP) or Timed
Effect: Creatures inside the smoke are Blind while in the effect, and creatures inside the effect are Invisible to creatures outside the effect.
Coverage: Blast 2
Notes: Creates concealment, not direct harm.
Poison Mist
Materials: 2 Trap Materials
Trigger: Contact or Timed
Effect: A pressurized canister releases a toxic mist. Any creature that enters or starts their turn in the area takes 3 Persistent Poison damage per round unless they succeed at an Opposed Endurance Check. The mist lingers for 2 rounds after activation before dispersing, meaning it can affect creatures who did not trigger it.
Coverage: Blast 3
Expert Traps
Silence Trap
Materials: 2 Trap Materials
Trigger: Magical or Manual (1 AP)
Effect: A soundproof barrier forms at the boundary of the area. Sound cannot enter or leave the affected zone, though sound within it functions normally.
Duration: 5 rounds
Coverage: Blast 4
Concussive Mine
Materials: 2 Trap Materials
Trigger: Contact or Manual (1 AP)
Effect: An explosive percussion device detonates on trigger. All creatures in the blast make an Endurance check against your Survival roll: failures take full damage and are Stunned for 1 round; successes take half damage and are not Stunned.
Damage: 4d6 + Survival Modifier
Coverage: Blast 2
Convergence Trap
Materials: 2 Trap Materials
Trigger: Contact or Manual (1 AP)
Effect: When triggered, up to 2 connected traps within 4 hexes are pulled to the Convergence Trap’s location and trigger simultaneously. All triggered traps resolve in the same area, but their effects are treated as a single instance for the purposes of stacking — one save per trap effect, not multiple saves for the same effect. Connected traps must be designated at placement time. Pulled traps do not trigger on anything they pass over during the pull.
Coverage: 1 hex