Big Red Button | Free Trap for D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e

Designed by Claire Martin
Pathfinder 2e conversion by David N. Ross

Curiosity meets chaos with the Big Red Button, a seemingly harmless trap designed to lure characters into pressing it again and again.

Big Red Button - D&D 5e

Magical trap (Simple trap, level 5-10, setback)

Description. On a table lies a small metal box that one can pick up, pocket, and take anywhere; inside it is a big red button with the warning “DO NOT PRESS.”

Trigger. The trap triggers when the button is pressed.

Effect. At first, pressing the button appears to have no effect, but this is merely a trick to encourage pressing it multiple times. Each time a character presses the button, it randomly selects one non-magical item on their person (counting bulk items, like arrows, as one item) and teleports it to one of Hawthorne Blackwood’s secret vaults. Usually, it starts with smaller and less noticeable items.

Countermeasures. With a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) roll, characters can determine that the button is under the effects of an enchantment. No spell or ability check can reveal the nature or purpose of this enchantment. With a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception), the character will notice an item missing from their inventory. This DC diminishes by one for each additional missing item. If a character continues pressing the button until all their items disappear, the button will teleport the character to the vault and reunite them with all of their lost items.

Big Red Button | Hazard 7 - PF2e

Magical, Trap

Stealth DC 30 (DC 0 to see the button); detect magic or similar magic cast at 4th spell rank or higher can detect magic in the button if the box is open

Description On a table lies a small metal box that one can pick up, pocket, and take anywhere; inside it is a big red button with the warning “DO NOT PRESS.”

—

Disable DC 25 Thievery (trained); DC 30 Arcana (expert) to determine for certain that the button will teleport the creature to where previously teleported items went if they are holding no items

AC 25; Fort +18, Ref +12

Hardness 14, HP 58 (BT 29); Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage

Store Away [reaction] (teleportation) Trigger A creature presses the button. Effect At first, pressing the button appears to have no effect, but this is merely a trick to encourage pressing it multiple times. Each time a character presses the button, it randomly selects one nonmagical item on their person (counting bulk items, like arrows, as one item) and teleports it to one of Hawthorne Blackwood’s secret vaults. Usually, it starts with smaller and less noticeable items. If a character has no nonmagical items on their person, the button begins taking magical items, starting with the lowest level. Each button sends all items to the same vault. If the creature has no items, it would teleport the creature instead.

—

Reset The button resets and can be pressed again 1 round later, at the start of the pressing creature’s next turn.

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