The Trap Codex

The Trap Codex — 48 Traps. 18 Signature Designs. One d12.

A system-agnostic trap generator for tabletop RPGs. Four d12 tables and eighteen fully written signature traps, all using the same format: what sets it off, what it does, what careful players notice, and what changes after.

Mechanical traps are engineering. Pressure plates, pendulums, counterweights, flooding rooms. Someone built this, tested it, and walked away. Magical traps are intent. Wards, glyphs, bindings, sympathetic locks. Someone wanted this to last longer than they would. Social traps are leverage. Contracts, customs, hospitality codes, institutional snares. Someone designed a situation where your own behavior is the mechanism. Environmental traps are nature. Bad air, unstable terrain, spore chambers, ice bridges. The space itself is hostile.

Every entry includes a Clue, because careful players should be rewarded. Every entry includes a Consequence, because a trap changes the situation whether it hits or misses. The floor that drops stays dropped. The contract that binds stays binding. The air that runs out doesn't come back.

Eighteen signature traps are fully written and ready to drop into any session. The Hourglass Room fills with sand. The Cordial Contract binds with ink. The Applause Gallery opens every door in the building. The Generous Vault trades what you take for what you have.

Roll a d12 for a quick trap. Read a signature for something with weight.

System-agnostic. No stats, no mechanics. Works with any RPG system.