Drop Ceiling Trap
Several inanimate skeletons lie on the floor, their helmets dented and their skulls crushed. A warhammer with a golden head hangs from the wall on a pair of hooks.
A Failure is triggered if the hooks on the wall ever support less than 10 pounds of weight—for instance, if the hammer is lifted from the hooks.
Ceiling. A successful Investigation or Perception check, or an examination of the ceiling, reveals that the ceiling isn’t mortared to the wall and probably slides up and down. The ceiling can be propped up with something tall and sturdy.
Hooks. The hooks are 3 feet up the wall. A successful Engineering check, or an examination of the hooks, reveals that they attach to some sort of mechanism inside the wall. Holding or weighing down the hooks while the hammer is removed triggers a Success.
Skeletons. A Medicine check reveals that the skeletons were killed by blunt force to the head.
Warhammer. The warhammer on the hooks has a 10-pound head made of solid gold. It’s worth 500 gp.
- A creature can make a thieves’ tools check to disable the hooks.
- A creature can make an Engineering check to wedge spikes or similar objects into the gaps between the walls and ceiling.
Potential Outcomes
Critical Failure or Failure. The ceiling plummets, stopping 4 feet above the floor. Creatures whose heads are at least 4 feet above the floor when the ceiling drops must make a Dexterity saving throw . On a failure, the creature takes 16 (3d10) bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone . After 1 minute, the ceiling grinds back to its original position.
Success or Critical Success. The trap is disabled.