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 set the trap.
Apprentice Traps
| Name | Materials | Coverage | Trigger | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snare Trap | 1 Trap Material | 1 hex | Contact | Restrained on failed Agility |
| Caltrops | 1 Trap Material | 3 hexes | Contact | 1d4 + Slowed (remove/3 rounds) |
| Flash Powder | 1 Trap Material | Blast 2 | Manual/Timed | Blind 1 round (Endurance save) |
| Smokescreen | 1 Trap Material | Blast 3 | Manual/Timed | Obscuring cloud (3 rounds) |
| Spike Strip | 1 Trap Material | 1 hex | Contact | 1d8 + 1 Persistent Bleed |
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 Timing Effect: All creatures within 2 hexes make Endurance check vs trap’s Survival or be Blinded for 1 round Coverage: Blast 2
Smokescreen
Materials: 1 Trap Material
Trigger: Manual activation (1 AP) or Timing
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 3
Notes: Creates concealment, not direct harm
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