On the Thursday Trick, Sliding Staircase

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Locked Inside

Sliding Staircase (Special)

Trigger: Mechanical: Pressure Plate	Effects: Never Miss Multiple Targets
Save: Dexterity	Duration: Instant
Resets: Automatic	Bypass: None (Avoid) Disarm

Description: Not enough attention is given to stairways.

I have lots of them in my dungeon and my players are much too trusting. I've seen plenty of Scooby Doo, and even the most naive gamer should know that when you're chasing ghosts, stairways invariably turn into slides.

Note that unless the stairs are very steep, characters may not slide to the bottom of the stairway. A dexterity or reflex check may be used to stop your fall. Modifications may be made. Variations include:

• Coating the stairs with oil
• Setting fire to said oil
• Having a pit trap open up at the bottom of the stairway
• Weapons such as razors, hammers or spikes coming from the ceiling or the landing where the characters end up.

Detection/Disarming: If you describe something interesting about this stairway when you have never said anything about stairways before, then your players will of course not be tricked. They will immediately become suspicious and examine this stairway like it hides the secret to the eternal life.

So make sure you always mention some things about each stairway your players traverse. That said, when the players examine the stairs, these are some of the things they will note.

• There will be gouges and scratch marks from where metal has scraped along the stairs.
• Near the walls, there will be curved marks from the stairs shifting down
• Each step may have some fairly minor "give" because of the fact that it mechanically moves up and down
• If the stairways are coated in oil (or set aflame) residue, scent, and other physical detritus from that should be detectable
• There may be bloodstains or other signs of injury. Also, if people slide to the bottom and die, there may be a pile of dead bodies