Ye Olde Inn

Under the 2nd edition of the Classic rules (as opposed to the 1990/2021 Remake rules) the following is provided around how monsters “interact” with traps.

Rules of Play p12 wrote: Monsters do not set off traps. They may move freely through squares that contain hidden traps. Once a trap has been placed onto the board, however, monster must follow the same rules as characters.

However, in the case of Falling Block and Pit Traps, the marker is placed on the board when the trap is found through a search but is not yet triggered so how are the above rules supposed to work in this context?

For Pit Traps

Monsters can move through a square containing a pit trap as normal if it hasn’t been found by a hero search

Once it has been found by a hero search and is placed on the board
a) Can they move through it as normal as if it wasn’t on the board (which breaches the “monsters must follow the same rules as characters” bit)
b) Do they have to jump it but if so and they fail the jump then what happens, do they trigger the trap (which breaches the “monsters do not set off traps” bit)?

And if you decide that they need to jump it but automatically succeed then that feels very much like (a)

For Falling Block Traps

Monsters can move through a square containing a pit trap as normal if it hasn’t been found by a hero search

Once it has been found by a hero search and is placed on the board
a) Can they move through it as normal as if it wasn’t on the board (which breaches the “monsters must follow the same rules as characters” bit)
b) If they move onto the trigger square, does it trigger the trap? (which breaches the “monsters do not set off traps” bit)?

Why should the hero’s awareness of the presence and location of a trap impact on monster behaviour, when the monsters are already aware of the presence and location of the traps before the heroes even rock up?

The GM screen (1st edition?) makes it sound like monsters are impacted by traps... a fallen block that drops on a monster for which they can't move to a safe square, kills the monster. If they fail a roll for jumping a discovered pit trap... apparently they fall in, and lose a body point!

Agreed, the rules are clear that both characters (heroes) and monsters are affected by the effects of a trap being triggerred, my question was around the circumstances in which a monster does or doesn't trigger a trap.

If you apply the part of the rule that states "monsters do not set off traps" then it appears simple, they don't set off (trigger) traps.

However if, for example, a character (hero) has searched for and found a falling block trap, the marker is placed on the board representing the found but not yet triggered trap, so if a monster can move through that square without triggering the trap, but a character(hero) cannot, then how does this not break the part of the rule that states "once a trap has been placed onto the board, however, monsters must follow the same rules as characters"?

Equally using your example "If they fail a roll for jumping a discovered pit trap... apparently they fall in, and lose a body point!", if monsters have to jump a found but not triggered pit trap (same rule as characters), then they might fail that attempt, which will result in them triggering the trap and ending up in the pit, losing a Body point but..."monsters do not set off traps"?

An example



This is the setup, Elf searches for secret doors and traps and finds the pit trap, pit trap marker is placed on the board signifying the searched for, found but not yet triggered pit trap, Elf rolls and decides to move down the passage and open the door, revealing two Chaos Warriors and three Orcs. Elf decides that is a little too much monster for one lonely Elf and continues down the passage, opting to jump the pit trap, successfully, and ends her turn two squares passed the searched for, found but not yet triggered pit trap. EWP turn, he chooses to move one of his Orcs in pursuit of the Elf, does that Orc need to jump the searched for, found but not yet triggered pit trap, if so, what happens if he fails his roll or does the Orc just move through the trap as if it wasn’t searched for, found but not yet triggered?