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What sort of traps would Kobolds set up around a brewery? (new DM)
I recently got some superb advice here on making a fun brewery adventure, and I had a few more questions for the more experienced DMs out there. To reiterate, I am DMing a group of lvl 3 characters for only 1-2 sessions so I can learn the ropes, and I would like to include some fun traps they need to look out for. I'd love to also make sure that everyone gets a chance to contribute, and not just have the rogue (our most experienced player) do all the detection and disarming.
What sort of things would be fun to set up so that players would all need to watch their step, but could also contribute a bit?
Party has a bard, ranger, druid, and rogue.
Probably involving scraps and waste from the brewing process or other nearby businesses. Rotting grains, rough sack cloth, scrap metal from broken pots or barrel hoops. Broken or rotting wood staves. As far as type of trap, probably a deadfall of material triggered by a tripline would be easiest to rig, assuming a built environment where they wouldn't have drastically modified the terrain. If there was a hatch down to a basement, they could have rigged a flimsy cover for it to turn it into a pit trap. Bonus points since either discovering or falling into the trap gives the party an alternate way forward.
Using your pit trap idea, it's a great concept. I'm trying to think of how to prevent the druid from just flying back out of the pit if she falls in. Maybe the pit is so stinky she has to make a concentration check in order to transform?
Consider thinking of things differently: it gives your druid an opportunity to do something cool if she neutralizes the pit trap by wildshaping - and she'll have burned a resource, which is the point of the trap. I recommend against trying to think about neutralizing your players' abilities except in very niche scenarios. (also, druids can't wildshape into Flying creatures until level 8.)
There's a great concept for DMs called "shoot your monks". At a certain level, monks get the ability to catch arrows, so in response DMs stop using archers as enemies. Well, this kind of sucks because it doesn't allow the PC to flex their strengths, and if they never get to use their ability it's as good as never getting it in the first place. So, even when you know it's futile from a win/ lose perspective, shoot your monks. It's more fun that way.
I like to think of kobolds like Kevin mccallister from home alone basically. The party are the burglars and every day is Christmas Eve. So a grenade bouquet made from beer bottles, a massive keg rolling down stairs to crush them (bonus points if there is a shiny but worthless ring at the base as the lure), a brewing tank set to explode foul, malty steam at them, a pungee pit made from the sharpened end of bar stools, huge sack of grain on a rope that swings at them, endless possibilities.
Here's a deep dive on designing traps for the game that I find useful to rewatch every now and again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3HSw-ANugg
E: I forgot to mention to look at Dungeon of the Mad Mage! If I ever need inspiration, it's in that adventure somewhere. In your case look at level 2 (arcane chambers) area 22 (garrux brewery). The book is out there if you're not looking to pick up a $30 book for one section btw.
If you have a bit of description when they fall that helps whoever fell down realize that there may be something of interest down there, it won't matter that one out of four of them could just fly back out. Then the question will be more about how the rest of them get down safely.
I think a good non-traditional trap for that party makeup might be something like a Kobold's "special brew" in a bottle or case of bottles that will poison anyone that drinks them, or if they've been there for a while, maybe a fungus they're growing to try and experiment brewing with that will explode with spores if too much heat (say, a medium-sized body's worth?) gets too close.
In a slightly more traditional vein, maybe a boiler that's on the verge of blowing a gasket because it hasn't been maintained well? Or a heavy cask on an upper floor that's been leaking onto the wood and slowly rotting it away, ready for any heavy creature to come along and fall through.
Love the weak floorboard ideas, and I have a ton of beer barrels around the facility, perhaps some being "tippy" might make for interesting rolls that the party has to accomplish!
I think kobolds being naturally messy is a fun simple way to make traps, like they broke a keg or dropped a crate of bottles, so the floor is all slippery and full of broken glass. It isn't a "hidden" trap per se, but might make for some fun navigational challenges. Or little slapstick gags like they messily put a bunch of bowls and glassware back in a cabinet held back by the door that will topple its contents if it isn't opened right. Or a social trap where the kobolds are transparently pretending to be employees, and it'll take careful flattery and conversation to avoid them all jumping on the heroes at once.
I love the broken things idea. I actually have two drunken dragon hatchlings living up in the rafters, so having pratfall traps that end in a roll to potentially wake up a dragon sounds like enormous fun.
For added mayhem, whichever of these traps you choose, make sure that a rampaging horde of alcoholic kobolds charge through the scene and need to be fought off from time to time, a la wandering monsters.
I like this idea because it also gives the bard the chance to disarm the situation with kobold karaoke!