Falling Axe Trap
A scarred wooden chest is flanked by two axe-wielding suits of armor.
If the wooden chest changes weight by more than 5 pounds or is moved, or if a suit of armor is jostled or moved, a Critical Failure is triggered.
Exploration. An Engineering check or an examination of the suits of armor reveals that the armor is inanimate but contains mechanisms of some kind. A Perception or Investigation check, or an examination of the floor, reveals that the chest rests on a counterweight pressure plate.
Opening the chest doesn’t trigger the trap. The chest contains minor treasure weighing at least 5 pounds (such as a 10-pound gold statuette worth 500 gp or an appropriate item from the Minor Treasures table).
Suits of Armor. Each suit of armor is an object with AC 18, 20 hit points, and immunity to lightning, poison, and psychic damage. Attacking a suit of armor and failing to destroy it triggers a Failure. Destroying a suit of armor prevents it from making further attacks, turning any Critical Failure into a Failure. If both suits are destroyed, the trap is disabled.
- A creature can make a thieves’ tools check to disable a suit of armor’s mechanism (preventing that armor from attacking) or the pressure plate under the chest (allowing the treasure to be taken safely).
- A creature can make a Sleight of Hand check to replace the treasure inside the chest with other items of equal weight, so that the pressure plate isn’t triggered.
Potential Outcomes
Critical Failure. Both suits of armor swing their axes. Each suit of armor makes a melee attack with a +5 bonus against a creature within 5 feet of a suit of armor or the chest, dealing 4 (1d8) slashing damage on a hit. After a hit or miss, the trap resets and can be triggered again.
Failure. As Critical Failure, but only one suit of armor swings its axe.
Success. The trap isn’t triggered.
Critical Success. The trap is disabled.