Door Spikes

In my old blog, I wrote an article called "Dead Simple Door Spikes," which contained something of the opposite. Too many numbers to memorize! Door spikes do not need a custom subsystem, however simple it may be. This is not worth space on your screen, or in your mind.

Let's look at our palette:

• D&D: Spikes slip on 5-6 on a six-sider. The timing of this check is ambiguous.
• EPT: Again, spikes slip on a 5-6. The rule is given with relation to underworld creatures attempting to open the door, so the suggestion here is that the door doesn't necessarily slip without monster interaction.
• AD&D: Nothing.

This is a great example of when to fall back to the early rules. 5-6 on a six-sider is easy to remember. If players want to add extra spikes, you can handle that circumstantially. Extra wandering monster roll(s) and bonus(es) to the slippage roll are sufficient mechanics for this circumstance.

When to roll? I say on monster interaction. Effectively, monsters opened spiked doors on a 5-6. I would allow them to check every round. If the spikes are unattended for hours, the referee could assign a percentage chance that the spikes were defeated by some creature or otherwise failed somehow. This is not a circumstance that warrants charts and tables. In Demon Idol, I still have a more-complex rule. I'll update it for the next release.