Search markers / disarm markers

[mitchiemasha]

We employ the skull markers from Battle Masters for that purpose. When a Hero searches for traps, all found traps are marked with such a marker on the corresponding tile. We house-rule as well that one-off traps like Spear Traps aren't disarmed on a search (unlike the official rules state), only found.

Well there's the issue. Spear traps aren't really disarmed as such, you search, you find it, it goes off, you weren't stood in the way. That's why the UK version disarmed them, it makes sense considering a search would also place the pittraps on the board, the search activates the traps. However, introducing the "this looks dodgy mechanic" (US version), deliberately setting off 1 and not the other doesn't make any sense at all. So... there's a dodgy square, you either try to jump it, have a tool kit to inspect and disarm what ever foul play might be at hand or stand on it, to see what it is.

[Maurice76]

The automatic disarming means the search reveals the total and complete nature of the trap. You not only see the tripwire or the loose flagstone, but also the arrow or spear ... or do you? You might just see the tripwire, or the weirdness of the flagstone, but not where the spear or arrow is actually shooting from. Triggering it then willingly means you're taking a risk.

It's a bit of a grey area, really. We house-ruled that you see the triggering mechanism, but not the arrow, spear or similar itself.

[mitchiemasha]

The automatic disarming means the search reveals the total and complete nature of the trap.

I always presumed "automatic disarm" (Uk ed wording "Rendering it harmless") was for simplicity of writing rules. Where as the the logic in creation wasn't the hero disarming anything, they simply set it off, why it requires no skill. The other traps are set off by a search too, "placed on the board". However, a big hole in the ground remains a problem, unlike a spear that just jabbed out of the wall, ceiling or floor, where nobody was stood... and, they're not repeaters, which would make as a good addition to some unique Quests, in the Quest notes.

The spear being rendered harmless in the UK ed makes sense. It's a 1 shot, it's been activated via the search, it's done and gone.

In the US edition "point to the hazardous square" the search doesn't activate anything, the spear trap should remain a threat, there's no logic to it becoming harmless, it doesn't make sense. I agree with the mod, that's how it should be by default.

[Bareheaded Warrior]

The other traps are set off by a search too, "placed on the board"

Under the classic edition Pit traps and Falling Block traps are not triggered as a result of a search, the markers are placed on the board to represent the "found but not yet triggered trap" that can still be triggered by someone moving onto the square (doh!) or attempting and failing to disarm the trap.

The spear trap being "rendered harmless" by a search in the classic edition doesn't indicate whether it has been disarmed or triggered, probably because in both cases the effects are identical, no one can be on the square when they are found so auto-trigger would have no victim to effect and no permanent feature remains, same as if it was auto-disarmed but for consistency I would treat them as auto-disarmed because chest traps also use the same "rendered harmless" terminology but in that scenario a character (hero) could be on the square in front of the chest when the search is performed, so in this instance you would want to consider auto-disarmed rather than auto-triggered.

As most traps are auto-disarmed when found and those that aren't have a marker put down on the board (although I'd suggest placing it face down to prevent confusion between the "found but not yet triggered trap" and the "feature placed on the board when the trap is triggered" which would use the marker with the face up) there isn't a great need in that edition for additional markers to show what has been disarmed.

In terms of what has been searched, under the same ruleset, rooms can only be searched for treasure once, and in my experience they almost always are searched as soon as possible (heroes don't miss opportunities to get their hands on loot!), it is quicker for the EWP to make a note if ever a treasure search is missed in a room, rather than the other way around.

Appreciate that the OP was asking the question of the 1990 remake rules rather than the classic edition, but I would imagine that having no markers to show the location of "found but not yet disarmed traps" is certainly a problem under that edition, and I would also imagine tracking which heroes have or have not searched a room for treasure, when every hero can search a room once, without any markers provided, is also a problem fortunately I don't play that edition