We interrupt our regularly scheduled posting for this breaking post prompted by this GLOGtober prompt: "Not intentional traps, just very unsafe."

A Wooden Post Supporting A Piece of Ceiling But The Wooden Post Is Rotten From A Leak In The Ceiling

This not-trap is very unsafe. At some point in time the ground above the ceiling in this hallway of the dungeon shifted and began collecting groundwater. An aquifer now resides above the stone ceiling, and the only thing keeping the hallway from becoming a swimming pool is a lone wooden post situated in the middle of the hallway.

All that water pressure forces water out though, and even the tightly fit stones of the ceiling leak. The leak has been dripping down the back of the wooden post for decades at least. From the front, the post looks solid; from the back it is a decaying stripe.

The hallway is narrow, only 3 feet wide, and the wooden post is situated dead center of the width of the hallway. If the party attempts to navigate this hallway without taking any form of precaution against touching the post, assume they touch it. And then assume the post gives and the ceiling comes crashing down. And then assume the hallway becomes a swimming pool.

The party member closest to the post is crushed under the stone ceiling. Are they dead? Probably. If not, they are at least pinned. Everyone else is largely fine, assuming they are going single-file. They have one round to do something before they are underwater. The force of the water is strong enough they must make a Save/Check to stay standing or be carried away.

You Left The Gas Oven On But You Are In A Tomb And Gas Ovens Have Not Been Invented Yet

Throughout the tomb complex have been puddles of water. That's not the case for this next puddle which is situated in the center of the circular antechamber to the tomb. The burial chamber is connected to the far side of the room via a doorway. However, this is the burial chamber of BeePee-Exxon, high priest of liquid dinosaurs, and the puddle in the center of the room is gasoline. This tomb is a few centuries old and the gasoline puddle is actually a spring of naturally occurring gasoline. Legend says BeePee-Exxon sacrificed a bajillion dinosaurs to create it. The puddle is massive, leaving a narrow slip on either edge to get around.

Chances are that the party will never get to take in this information though.

That's a lot of fumes built up over time. The second the party lifts the door which bars entry, if anyone has an open flame, they all die in a horrific explosion which craters the entire complex. If the flames didn't kill them, the pressure from the blast did. If the pressure didn't kill them, the cave in did.

If the party does not have an open flame, then it just smells funky and the party is perfectly fine. If a spark should occur or a flame should be lit while in this room, see the above paragraph.

Dwarven Doorbell

At each doorway in the dungeon is a lever which stands at about 3 feet, give or take. The doorway itself is only about 6 feet tall, and exceptionally tall characters will constantly need to duck. If someone over 5 feet tall should pull the lever while in the doorway, they will instantly die as the dwarven doorbell "rings".

See, it is common practice in dwarven holds to build doorbells into the various residential quarters. The doorbell consists of a simple mechanism: on either side of the door frame, set inside the wall the door frame is in, at roughly 5-5.5 feet, are two solid columns angled slightly downward. One column is made of flint; the other is made of steel.

When you pull the lever, the two columns are released and slide together, meeting in the middle. This produces a massive clang and a spray of sparks. This lets other dwarves know someone is at the door. In the dark, the spray of sparks illumines the visitor. In the noise of the mines, the exceptionally loud clang stands out against the normal clangs. Within the room is a winch of some sort which resets the doorbell.

For dwarves, it is the customary way to announce one's arrival. For anyone taller than a dwarf, it will crush their head like a melon.