A deathtrap is a room which results in the immediate death of players who enter it with the irrevocable loss of their equipment (players cannot enter the room to loot corpses). Deathtraps represent a minority of rooms in the game with most zones not featuring any. Deathtraps should be differentiated from the entering of water rooms without a canoe or raft. When a player without a canoe or raft in their inventory enters a water room they are also immediately killed, but these rooms can be entered without consequence when the appropriate watercraft is present. Deathtraps are especially common in The Ways and in Shadar Logoth. Boats which are captained by mobs may throw players overboard into a deathtrap if they make trouble or attack sailors.
Strategy[]
Deathtraps do retain certain specific traits to allow players to avoid them. In general, the room's title is to some extent ominous. This feature is useful, but lacks specificity. There are many rooms with ominous descriptions which are not deathtraps. Deathtraps are always "lit" so their room name is always shown via the "exits" command. When in a room adjacent to a deathtrap a player may "look" in the direction of a deathtrap - this will almost always result in a message being displayed warning the player of the dangers of the adjacent room. Some deathtraps have "saving rolls" - if a player enters the room they are immediately removed from the room with a message being displayed indicated they avoided sudden death. This is random and cannot be counted. This "saving roll" is not necessary applied to followers if the leader of a group attempts to enter a deathtrap. In theory, a deathtrap cannot be "fled" into, but this would need to be tested to confirm.(verify)
Deathtraps are occasionally used a method to deny a kill to opposing players. A player being chased by an opposing player may enter the deathtrap to kill themself and avoid the loss of experience and Turn points while also sacrificing their kit. This sort of action might be viewed as negative through a player based honor system.
Locations[]
- Lord Meneril's Manor
- The Maze
- North of Lockshear
- The Castle of Illusions
- The swamps north of Caemlyn
- The Isle of Mad Men
- Shadar Logoth
- The Ways
- "Treacherous Whirlpool Among the Rocks" - east of Lord Dalfoor's Manor on the Erinin River..
- Bottom of a Deadly Gorge - Southeast of Whitebridge.