Trap

Traps are typically found on boxes that some creatures drop as treasure or loot when searched. Most traps only require two steps to remove -- the check for traps and then the disarm attempt. Some traps, however, require more steps and/or specific items on hand to disarm them.

Traps found on boxes can be DETECTED to attempt to see the trap, and DISARMED to disarm the trap.

The Perception skill can help in detecting traps. Disarming Traps skill is needed to disarm the traps. Items needed to disarm various traps include disarming kits, which can be purchased from locksmith shops, dagger-based weapons, and lockpicks.

Types of traps

There are a number of traps found on boxes, and some have a few sub-types to go with them. Notably, scarabs have various different types of scarabs, each having a different effect when triggered.

Scarab

Scarabs are a two-part trap. First, disarm the box to drop the scarab to the floor. Then, disarm the scarab to render it inert. Skill in Arcane Symbols will help with disarming scarabs, though that help is believed to be negligible for those with high ranks in Disarming Traps. Scarabs can also be magically disarmed from their box with Disarm (408), but the scarab itself will be lost.

The message received when disarming a scarab is also not exact, but becomes more precise with more ranks in Arcane Symbols. Sample messaging, which may or may not indicate success:

• "You feel like you probably rendered the translucent scarab harmless, but can't be sure."
• "Deciphering the runes is relatively simple, and you're pretty sure you were successful."
• "*scritch scritch* If that had been any easier, you could have done it blindfolded."

Disarming a loose scarab multiple times is possible and often advisable when one is unsure of their success with the first disarm. However, the value of a scarab drops each time it is disarmed. They can be sold at the gemshop.

Scarabs come in five varieties:

Sky-Blue Glaes

Will bite the person who triggers it and inflict a strong disease before flying away. Box is safe after scarab is triggered.

Sea-Green Glaes

Will bite the person who triggers it and inflict a strong poison before flying away. Box is safe after scarab is triggered.

Spiked Onyx

Will burrow into the person who triggers it and cause damage, heading toward the heart. If it reaches your heart, it will kill you, then erupt from your chest and attack someone else in the room. Neutralize Curse can kill an onyx scarab when it has burrowed, or the afflicted limb can be ambushed off if the scarab hasn't reached the torso yet and the scarab can be attacked like a normal creature. Box is safe after scarab is triggered.

Blood Red

Will latch onto the hand of the person who triggers it and draw blood until the victim is dead, then attack someone else in the room. Neutralize Curse can kill a blood red scarab when it is leeching, or the afflicted limb can be ambushed off and the scarab can be attacked like a normal creature. Box is safe after scarab is triggered.

Translucent

Casts the spell Evil Eye at the person who triggers it, with a very high casting strength. The scarab returns to the box after it has been triggered. A successfully disarmed translucent scarab can be rubbed for a defensive spell effect.

Glimmering Opalescent

Casts a very strong CS-based spell at the person who triggers it before returning to the box. Spells observed to be cast include Spike Thorn, Dark Catalyst, Boil Earth, and Elemental Blast. A successfully disarmed opalescent scarab can be rubbed for a defensive spell effect.

Poison Needle

Poison needle traps can be magically disarmed with Disarm (408) and are also rendered inert after being triggered. They require putty from a disarming kit to be disarmed manually.

On detection, a live poison needle trap looks like this:

Hmmm, you can see what appears to be a tiny hole next to the lock plate which doesn't seem to belong there. Looking closer you see a gleaming sliver of metal recessed in the hole.

A successful manual disarm looks like this:

Using a bit of putty from your <disarming kit>, you manage to block the tiny hole in the lock plate.

A manually disarmed poison needle trap looks like this:

You see a tiny hole next to the lock plate which has been completely plugged.

Triggering a poison needle trap will result in a minor hand wound and a hefty poison, and looks like this:

Ouch! You feel a tiny prick in your finger! You see a needle protruding from a small hole beside the lock plate with a little of your blood on it!
You feel a fierce poison coursing through your veins!

Needles can be removed and used as a thief trap through the Lock Mastery Rogue Guild skill. The potency of a needle trap is influenced by its difficulty, but the thief's skill has no impact on whether or not the needle is hit. The extracted trap is "a slender steel needle".

Jaws

This trap has a large amount of roundtime associated with disarming it, but generally disarms easily. A pair of springs are left in the box after this trap is disarmed. Setting the trap off severs the hand of the person handling the trap.

The jaws can also be extracted via Lock Mastery and used as a thief trap. Nothing about a jaws trap is influenced by its difficulty, and the ability for a thief to avoid it or steal it is strictly based on their training. Only the highest level and highest trained thieves can actually steal them, and even at maximum training the chance is slim. The extracted trap is "a pair of small steel jaws".

Sphere

The sphere is unique in being disarmed in that the person disarming the trap must be holding a lockpick when disarming it in order to pry the gem from its set location. Setting this trap off casts the spell, Major Elemental Wave (435), which can have devistating results to all persons in the room. The gem may also be removed with Lock Mastery, and used as a thrown weapon. When thrown, the gem creates a wave similar to the spell mentioned earlier, but to reduced effect.

On detection, a live sphere trap looks like this:

Examining the box, you locate a small dark reddish-brown sphere held in a metal bracket towards the back of the lock mechanism.  The spherical crystal gives off a faint humming noise, occasionally extruding a thin spiky filament.  It appears that were the tumblers to be activated, the gem would be caught amongst them.

You will need a lockpick to disarm this trap. Be careful that habit doesn't kick in and you pick the box when you pull out the lockpick to disarm it, or the trap will go off.

No matter how you try, your fingers are just too big to get back there to the gem.  You'll need some sort of thin, rigid implement like a lockpick.

A successful manual disarm looks like this:

A successful manual disarm with a successful trap extraction looks like this:

With utmost care, you slip your copper lockpick into the lock and gently nudge the tiny gem until it begins to work loose and its inner glow begins to fade.  Tilting the box forward, you knock the gem free of its metal housing and poke it out through the back of the lock, allowing it to gently roll down the inside of the box's front wall.

A manually disarmed sphere trap looks like this:

A thorough search of the area inside the tumblers reveals what appears to be a metal bracket of some sort, although it seems to be empty now.

The extracted trap can be any one of the follows:

• a small light violet sphere
• a small icy blue sphere (cold)
• a tiny stone grey sphere
• a small amethyst sphere (plasma)
• a tiny wavering sphere (lightning)
• a small dark red sphere (fire)
• a miniature emerald sphere (acid)
• a small dark reddish-brown sphere (impact)

Gas Cloud

On detection, a live gas cloud trap looks like this:

Looking closely into the keyhole of the lock, you spy a small vial of liquid and a tiny hammer device which seems poised to shatter it if the lock is tampered with.

A successful manual disarm with a successful trap extraction looks like this:

Using the metal grips from your gold-painted toolbox, you manage to reach in and grasp the post of the metal hammer, and bend the weak metal out of striking range of the vial.


Having rendered the hammer harmless, you carefully remove a green-tinted vial filled with thick acrid smoke from the fel coffer.

A manually disarmed gas cloud trap looks like this:

Looking closely into the keyhole of the lock, you spy a tiny hammer device which has been bent back slightly.

The vials can be extracted via Lock Mastery. These vials can be hurled at enemies to do lightning damage or used to disarm plate-trapped boxes. To use a vials to disarm plate-trapped boxes, the vial can either be held in the hand or bundled into the locksmith's toolkit and accessed like a normal tool (by doing nothing but having the toolkit available). The extracted trap is "a green-tinted vial filled with thick acrid smoke".

Acid Vial

On detection, a live acid vial trap looks like this:

Peering closely into the lock, you spy a tiny vial placed just past the tumblers of the lock mechanism.  It would appear that any tampering with the lock mechanism would cause the tumblers to crush the vial and release whatever substance is inside.

A successful manual disarm with a successful trap extraction looks like this:

You carefully push a small ball of cotton into the lock mechanism, surrounding and protecting the small vial from anything that may shatter it.


Using a pair of metal grips, you carefully remove the padded clear glass vial from the maoral coffer.

A manually disarmed acid vial trap looks like this:

Looking closely at the lock, you spy a small metal housing set just inside the lock mechanism, but it appears empty.

The vials can be extracted via Lock Mastery. These vials can be hurled at enemies to do damage or used to disarm plate-trapped boxes. To use a vials to disarm plate-trapped boxes, the vial can either be held in the hand or bundled into the locksmith's toolkit and accessed like a normal tool (by doing nothing but having the toolkit available). The extracted trap is "a clear glass vial of light yellow acid".

Spores

If tripped, a spores trap sends spores into the air which then poison the lungs of everyone in the room. Chest and neck damage is given for several rounds. Leaving the area immediate mitigates the damage.

On detection, a live spores trap looks like this:

Peering into the chest's lock, you see a small tube towards the bottom of the tumbler mechanism.  The tube is capped with a thin membrane, but it seems likely that the tumblers would tear it off while turning.

A successful manual disarm looks like this:

Taking a lump of putty from your <locksmith's toolkit>, you carefully apply it to the end of the small tube.  That should block whatever it's meant to deploy.

A manually disarmed spores trap looks like this:

Peering into the chest's lock, you see a small tube towards the bottom of the tumbler mechanism.  It appears as though the tube has been plugged with something.

Plate

This trap consists of a plate blocking the lock, rendering it inaccessible. There are several ways to overcome a plated box. If enruned or made of mithril, they can by popped open with Disarm (408). A warrior can bash a plated box open. A locksmith practicing Lock Mastery can use a wooden wedge to force the box open. A vial of acid can be used to melt the plate away, allowing a locksmith access to the lock to attempt to pick the box open.

On detection, a plate trap looks like this:

There appears to be a plate over the lock, sealing it and preventing any access to the tumblers.

A manual disarm with use of an extracted acid vial looks like this:

You carefully pour the contents of a green-tinted vial filled with thick acrid smoke onto the maoral chest where you think the keyhole ought to be.  Amidst a cloud of acrid smoke, the metal plate covering the lock begins to melt away.

A manually disarmed plate trap looks like this:

You see a metal plate covering the lock plate, but it appears to have been melted through, granting sufficient access to the lock to attempt picking it.

Additional Information

http://www.jerrec.com/traps.htm

http://www.ladytaylir.netfirms.com/trap.html

http://www.hhooru.com/gs/traps/