The Tavern

Traps basically don't exist except for a few vaults and the zot/tomb endings, where they're absolutely stupid. They don't even make sense or feel like traps: a monster steps in a net trap so you're in a net now? Really? Why not just give that monster a net instead? It's so contrived.

Look, we have to at least stop calling them traps. They're not traps, they're dungeon features. It's fine to have teleport features (they're not traps by any definition) in the zot choke points. It's fine to have them scattered about the dungeon. But they are not traps.

Once we stop calling them traps, it makes improving them a lot easier.

The blink traps for example: why not just have them randomly blink you? I don't see why a monster needs to step in it for it to trigger. The monster stepping in a "trap" is stupid and only there as a poor attempt to make these non-trap features that are called traps seem somewhat trap like if you're really drunk or something.

Anyway, this thread is meant for general trap discussion.

Known locations for 'monster stepped on' traps at least allows for some counterplay, you can know what the monsters are likely to do, and position yourself so you don't suffer effects, sacrificing turns and possibly ideal positioning to get that advantage.

I don't think reflavoring them makes any difference at all.

There are some places with so many traps and so many monsters (notably: Zot 5 and Tomb 2&3) that no matter what you do, you will experience trap events. Particularly when going into Tomb 3, the little available space is covered by real and summoned monsters within three turns, which unavoidably triggers several traps against you. That has nothing to do with your own decision making, except maybe a reckless suicidal teleport into somewhere else on that level, away from the upstairs.

I rather like the dispersal traps, and I don't really mind the traps in Zot.

Unavoidable Zot traps which can randomly give you Zin-bypassing mutations (but 90% of the time do nothing) should just be removed from the game though. As for the Tomb traps, there might exist people who enjoy Tomb in its current state. I wouldn't know.