Thoughts on Ruins of Adventure

FRC1 - Ruins of Adventure

Wow! Does this book bring back memories! Not memories of playing the table top version, but the Gold Box video game, Pool of Radiance. (It looks like you can download a copy HERE).

A FB post asked about it, which got me responding a few times, reading through the printed adventure, triggering more responses.  I gotta tell you, there is nothing like a dose of reality to clear the fog of nostalgia.  Still, Ruins of Adventure is not a complete loss.  The pdf is cheap at DrivethruRPG, with Amazon and Ebay versions running between $30 and $60 (or more).  My observations come from the pdf.  This means that for less than $5 USD, you too can have a copy.

As written, it is intended for 1e rules, which means GP=XP.  This helps explain the vast amounts of coinage and gems discovered.  The ridiculous amounts of magic items, on the other hand.... well, it IS the Forgotten Realms.  The names are equally ridiculous, but again, it is Forgotten Realms.  At least there are no gratuitous Zs or apostrophes in use.

The adventure is set in and around the ruins of Phlan. As this regional map shows, Phlan lies on the northern coast of the Moonsea (a cool name, that).  The introduction to the adventure tells us how the city was initially ruined:

"From the start of the attack, the humans were defeated. They were out-numbered, out-fought and out-generaled. The first wave struck from the air—wheeling flights of dragons after dragons swept over the rooftops, setting ablaze vast portions of the city.  As the flames licked over the chimneys, the attackers charged into the trapped militia. The Battle of Phlan was a massacre."

With that history in mind, I'd expect far more undead and actual, well, ruins.  As written, the undead are mostly confined to the Graveyard, and the buildings are strangely intact, despite dragons having set 'ablaze vast portions of the city.'  

Regardless, the premise is a fine one, and certainly ripe for adventure.  PCs are part of a group of people reclaiming Phlan for civilized folk.  The docks - now called New Phlan - were recaptured and somewhat resettled before the adventure happens.  Once the PCs arrive, they take jobs for the City Council, clearing blocks of the city for eventual resettlement.  

Here is the city map from the Pool of Radiance game book (because my image from the pdf is split in two).  Lots of stone walls and gates survived the razing of Phlan, as well.  Looking at it, it IS a railroad, which should be expected from an adventure modeled on a video game.  At least this form makes it easy to decide what to do next.  Oh, the water is variously described as acidic and poisonous and both, so don't go swimming - hire a boat.  Later on, you clear the water by purging a pyramid, which I vaguely recall happened in the video game, as well.

Like all good published adventures, FRC1 comes with a hexmap of the outlying areas, complete with a handful of settlements for the PCs to encounter and either parley with, run from, get killed/captured by, or fight through.  The Orc and Hobgoblin settlements come complete with hamfisted moral issues - the Orcs slaughter prisoners, and if Hobgoblin women or children are attacked, the remaining Hobgoblins get +4 on attacks out of anger.  In both cases, it is recommended the DM do something with PC alignment for either allowing slaughter or participating in it.

There is a rumor table, of sorts.  Actually, it is more of a collection of rumors, one true and one false, for certain areas in the Old City.  Written in dialect.  There is also a small army of NPC adventurers milling about New Phlan, each with an agenda, but also willing to sign on for a share in the loot.  Note that there are several assassins among these NPCs, whose agenda is to kill PCs of their shared race.  None of these NPCs can be used as-is, if only because their write ups are vague.  

Here are two examples:  

Elven fighter: Gilesestri is a 7^th level fighter that has been battling evil for 900 years. He is loaded down with magical weapons and armor and other useful devices. He has come to punish the ones that have poisoned the river and now looks for them. He will join a group interested in also looking for those that are polluting the water.

I imagine that Gilesestri glows under a Detect Magic and would likely be a prime target for Eelzifestro, the Elf Assassin 9, him being such a staunch foe of evil for the last 900 years.  Then again, maybe G could join forces with Ren, the White Wizard, and they could clear the ruins together.

Human magic-user: Ren, the white wizard, is a 15th-level human wizard. He is trapped in the Valjevo Castle. If the group frees him, he leads them to a large treasure in the castle. He then helps them finish their quest in the castle, but leaves the moment they exit the castle. He has things he must attend to in the wilderness.

Things to attend to in the wilderness.  How like a wizard! Leaving just when he'd have been most useful!

The combative NPCs, 38 in all (not counting the bandit chief, the berserker chief, the buccaneer chief, and the merchant leader who are designed to appear time and again bringing/offering trouble), range in level from 2-15, with 16 of them being name level or higher.  These potential allies make better patrons and rivals than they do henchmen or short-term party members.

A canny or skilled DM can interweave the various NPC agendas into plots and places and parties of their own, but not on the fly.  Especially when some of the NPCs appear or are referenced elsewhere in the book.  But I've digressed.

The docks and New Phlan are given a verbal description of local inns and merchants, but no map.  Not that you need one for a nonfighting area, but some gamers swear otherwise.  

Then it rolls right into the various city blocks.  Reading through the entries makes it apparent that different people wrote the pieces and that editing was an afterthought.  Buried on page 36 is an encounter with undead that states "The first encounter the party has on their first outing, anywhere (except Sokol Keep), is with a mixed band of undead: skeleton, zombie, wight."  After the stat blocks is this note: "the wight is not supposed to ever hit the party members in this first attack. It should be apparent to the party that they are fighting undead and dealing with a wight."  Why it is here, and not near the front is one of many forever-unknowable mysteries.  

Since that first encounter is found with the graveyard entry, let's talk about how the graveyard is the gift that keeps on giving.  A proper looting provides diligent PCs with 7 assorted ioun stones + 1 more ioun stone per PC (as a reward).  63 base 100gp gems and large amounts of coin and other magics, all for the low, low price of slaying (at least) 5 specters and a vampire.  And nearly 20 wights, 12 in one batch.  Then hordes of skeletons and zombies. 

Note that the skeletons, zombies, and wights are not only replaced, but doubled by those blasted specters, and the vampire replaces lost specters.  If left for last, the Graveyard really will be a nightmare fight, especially as with morale rules, lesser undead won't ever retreat.  Yet killing specters (with 1e's level drain) is not something mid-to-high level PCs seek out, let alone the low-level PCs that are off to clear the cemetery for the Town Council.

Each other section has its own strengths and foibles, particularly the auction in Pobol Plaza, but I want to jump to the end of the book, which contains 15 different random encounter charts, based on rough grouping (river, organized inhuman town, evil specials II, random monsters).  Each chart is a d20 and most contain several entries referencing other charts.  Following are my favorites, if only for how they are phrased, because they read like hexcrawl entries, except that they are random.

Random Encounters –

Sunken Ship: The ship is visible, but it should be mostly underwater. The idea is to provide a quick monster encounter (roll again from this table) tied to a rich treasure of magic and gold.

Island: An unexplored, uncharted island. A good place for that "special" encounter the DM's been working on.

Ruins: Ruins always have random monsters of higher level than the PCs and very little treasure.

Useful ruins: Useful ruins are ruins that have some magic item the characters can use. These ruins are guarded by a single monster powerful enough to give the PCs problems (DM's option).

Magic for magic's sake: Pick a random spell from all the lists, and it hits the party, as if a 6th level spell caster threw it.

A castle of evil, newly set up.

Cave Men (MM 1, AC 8(7), HD 2(1), Damage 1-6 +2, # appearing Special): Cave men should be a steadily increasing threat. They should come in numbers and strength large enough to cause the PCs real trouble. These cave men should come more and more often until the PCs wipe out a nest of 50 of them in the low hills to the north of Phlan.

A ghostly king appears to warn the PCs not to carry magic for two days.

Evil cleric band: There are always exactly the same number of clerics as PCs. The highest cleric has 2 more HD than the highest PC. The lowest cleric has 1 less HD than the lowest PC. These clerics exist only to destroy the PCs. They even go so far as to carry off any bodies that fall during a battle.

Evil magic-user band: These average higher levels than the PCs. They always exist only to destroy the PCs. They will, however, have magic items useful to the party if defeated.

Dinosaur (MM 2, Ankisaurus, AC 7, HD 2, Damage 1-4, # appearing 1-10)

Still, there IS plenty enough to riff on, particularly this delight: "Pilgrim Bands: These groups should be found everywhere, and always under attack."  As written, there are ample bands of ne'er-do-wells about that will gladly attack hapless pilgrims.

This post will likely see a part II because I'm sorely tempted to flesh out many of these vague entries and turn them into table-ready information and one-page and/or five-room dungeons.   Not too mention a map of New Phlan, better maps (variety and interconnectivity - sewers could undercut the whole area allowing for more stealth), and more connections between sections.  Lots of ideas in my head, so I guess we'll see what makes it to paper.

Every Day I'm Shuffling

The Deck of Many Things.

Deck of Many Things, Volkan Baga, Magic the Gathering, 2021

Facebook generates lots of dislike for this not-so-humble artifact.   Typically in the form of a DM debating whether or not to include it in their home game, and the respondents commenting along the lines of 'only if you want to destroy the game or the ongoing story.'

Here's the thing with the DoMT.  The only time it ruins stories is if the campaign has a predetermined ending already set in stone (if that is the case, then player choices don't really matter).  To be honest, if the group is running through a published adventure path (because drop-in adventures are so unprofitable passe'), there is an implied agreement to play out that path to its stated end.  

Otherwise, the DoMT creates stories.  Seriously.  Granted, some of the stories are going to be more player-oriented than PC-oriented.  This is something I am fine with, but humans being humans, some folks may not care for this meta approach to items.  

Still, I maintain that every single card is the beginning of a new story.  Draw some and find out for yourself... or just read along.  

Balance. Your mind suffers a wrenching alteration, causing your alignment to change. Lawful becomes chaotic, good becomes evil, and vice versa. If you are true neutral or unaligned, this card has no effect on you.

Granted, in many games, alignment 'doesn't matter,' but in the better games that do, it makes a huge difference.  Aside from affecting some class-related abilities (particularly clerics - some deities only take specific alignments as worshippers), it also means access/use of certain items or places or people become blocked.  That said, it is likely that similar items and places exist for each alignment, so eventually, you might recover. 

Comet. If you single handedly defeat the next hostile monster or group of monsters you encounter, you gain experience points enough to gain one level. Otherwise, this card has no effect.

One vs. many or one vs. mighty are great tales, even to this day.  As DM, you can rely on random rolls, indirect player choice (we open THIS door), or DM fiat to find this creature or band of creatures.  St George, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh need some company in the bard songs!  To make it worthwhile, the DM needs to metagame and tell the player what is up, just as the ravening ghoul pack rounds the corner.  This is similar to the Skull card, but with Comet, there is no stipulation preventing resurrection.

Donjon. You disappear and become entombed in a state of suspended animation in an extradimensional sphere. Everything you were wearing and carrying stays behind in the space you occupied when you disappeared. You remain imprisoned until you are found and removed from the sphere. You can't be located by any divination magic, but a wish spell can reveal the location of your prison. You draw no more cards.

The Donjon cries out extraplanar rescue mission.  It also implies that Wish spells are available to the PCs, and for a price, even first level PCs can find a wish.  Or they can draw The Fates card, that works too.  As for the player of the trapped PC, well, this is what retainers/henchmen/sidekicks are for.  DnD is a party game for the players, not the PCs.  

Euryale. The card's medusa like visage curses you. You take a −2 penalty on saving throws while cursed in this way. Only a god or the magic of The Fates card can end this curse.

'Only a god' suggests a story there, especially if someone chooses to draw no more cards.  Gaining audience with a god is an adventure, and getting said god to end a curse is another. 

The Fates. Reality's fabric unravels and spins anew, allowing you to avoid or erase one event as if it never happened. You can use the card's magic as soon as you draw the card or at any other time before you die.

DnD's very own 'Get out of jail free' card.  Canny players save this for the right situation; many times the right situation involves canceling other draws from the Deck of Many Things.  Either way, the epic save fostered by dumb luck is a great story.

Flames. A powerful devil becomes your enemy. The devil seeks your ruin and plagues your life, savoring your suffering before attempting to slay you. This enmity lasts until either you or the devil dies.

If the Flames card is drawn and a devil just shows up immediately, the DM is wasting an opportunity.  A long-term, genius-level enemy provides multiple sessions of player paranoia and in-game action.  I don't know if this is most story-rich card in the Deck, but it is up there.

Lord of the Pit, Chippy, Magic the Gathering, 2017

Fool. You lose 10,000 XP, discard this card, and draw from the deck again, counting both draws as one of your declared draws. If losing that much XP would cause you to lose a level, you instead lose an amount that leaves you with just enough XP to keep your level.

How kind, you get to keep your level.  The AD&D DMG version merely reads "The payment and draw are mandatory!"  That exclamation point sets it off.  Story-wise, this is more of a player story, although in-game, it might be a question of how the 'greatest and best' suddenly wasn't anymore.  

Gem. Twenty five pieces of jewelry worth 2,000 gp each or fifty gems worth 1,000 gp each appear at your feet.

Magic is lazy.  Why create something anew to give someone, when it is far simpler to teleport such things from the nearest source.  In the case of Gems and Jewelry, probably a dragon's hoard or a king's treasure vault.  Both are likely to be upset at the presumed thieves.

Idiot. Permanently reduce your Intelligence by 1d4 + 1 (to a minimum score of 1). You can draw one additional card beyond your declared draws. 

As written, that additional draw is optional.  Granted, with a reduction in Intelligence it may not be seen as such.  The story lies in how the Idiot recovers their Intelligence (and perhaps abilities/skills) or an actual in-game reason to justify multiclassing.

Jester. You gain 10,000 XP, or you can draw two additional cards beyond your declared draws.

This binary choice tests your players, resulting in a story about the players themselves and their actions, stories that are just as entertaining (in my experience) as any in-game fictions.

Key. A rare or rarer magic weapon with which you are proficient appears in your hands. The GM chooses the weapon.

Similar to the Gem card, if this weapon did not disappear from its last owner's hands, scabbard, or vault, the DM is missing a chance at long-term story.

Knight. You gain the service of a 4th level fighter who appears in a space you choose within 30 feet of you. The fighter is of the same race as you and serves you loyally until death, believing the fates have drawn him or her to you. You control this character.

Like the weapon and wealth above, the Knight is not created wholesale from magic, but comes from somewhere else.  Perhaps that Knight arrives from the next visited settlement, his/her disappearance and sudden reappearance in the company of adventurers provides lots of role-playing opportunity.  Especially if the Knight doesn't remember his previous life.  

Moon. You are granted the ability to cast the wish spell 1d3 times.

Even if the DM isn't monkey-pawing the wishes, odds are good that whatever is wished for can bring its own story with it.  If it doesn't, why wish for it?

Rogue. A nonplayer character of the GM's choice becomes hostile toward you. The identity of your new enemy isn't known until the NPC or someone else reveals it. Nothing less than a wish spell or divine intervention can end the NPC's hostility toward you.

The story here writes itself.  How the DM determines which NPC is on them, but - while not the genius-level devil - this NPC is inevitably smart enough to not blindly attack the PC on sight.  The build up, discovery, and confrontation with the new enemy can span multiple sessions.

Ruin. All forms of wealth that you carry or own, other than magic items, are lost to you. Portable property vanishes. Businesses, buildings, and land you own are lost in a way that alters reality the least. Any documentation that proves you should own something lost to this card also disappears.

Lost is such a strong term.  This wealth merely goes somewhere else, especially if the treasures 'created' by the deck are coming from other places, in turn.  Perhaps this card is where lost treasure troves come from.  For PCs that are merely mechanics carrying magic items, well, now you know.  For other PCs, recovering and rebuilding will take many sessions.

Skull. You summon an avatar of death—a ghostly humanoid skeleton clad in a tattered black robe and carrying a spectral scythe. It appears in a space of the GM's choice within 10 feet of you and attacks you, warning all others that you must win the battle alone. The avatar fights until you die or it drops to 0 hitpoints, whereupon it disappears. If anyone tries to help you, the helper summons its own avatar of death. A creature slain by an avatar of death can't be restored to life.

Fighting Death makes for a short, yet epic story, especially when the PC wins.  Looking at the default stats for 5e Avatar of Death and its 'half the HP of its summoner's maximum' and AC 20 means that while things are slanted in its favor, some (lucky) PCs have a shot.  A funny story might be a TPK from PCs helping one another into death.  

Touch of Death, Melissa Benson, Magic the Gathering, 1995

Star. Increase one of your ability scores by 2. The score can exceed 20 but can't exceed 24.

The text doesn't specify if the ability score is chosen by the player or at random.  I'm a fan of random, myself.  In rulesets (like RAW 5e) where PCs gain ability scores through leveling, this card doesn't hold as much appeal for a veteran PC.  But if your chosen ruleset doesn't provide automatic stat boosts, then this +2 (random or not), is a huge boost and is more of a player story than PC... unless the PC is suddenly THE smartest/strongest/wisest/etc mortal in the world.

Sun. You gain 50,000 XP, and a wondrous item (which the GM determines randomly) appears in your hands.

Another free item, with the same potential baggage.  The 50K XP could be in the form of memories rushing in from somewhere, all Highlander like, or maybe in the form of bottled memories weighing down and clinking in your backpack.  Either way, it should be more than the player changing the XP value on their character sheet.  

Talons. Every magic item you wear or carry disintegrates. Artifacts in your possession aren't destroyed but do vanish.

Magic items turning to dust IS harsh - even I agree with that.  Still, it certainly tells the players which artifacts they are unwittingly toting about. Watching your treasured gear turn to dust all Avengers-style is a strong image. Finding replacements or somehow recreating the original items are a story.  If your PC is based on using item X in conjunction with item Y and skill Z, then you are likely to have a terrible time with this card.  

Shivan Dragon, Melissa Benson, Magic the Gathering, 1994

Throne. You gain proficiency in the persuasion skill, and you double your proficiency bonus on checks made with that skill. In addition, you gain rightful ownership of a small keep somewhere in the world. However, the keep is currently in the hands of monsters, which you must clear out before you can claim the keep as yours.

Like the 'free' treasures, a keep needs to come from somewhere. Perhaps this keep is historically noted for its changing hands due to the DoMT.  The local kingdom it belongs too has its own view on that. Note that the 3.x book Stronghold Builder's Guide contains the Cheap Keep, a basic format recommended for the DoMT.  

Vizier. At any time you choose within one year of drawing this card, you can ask a question in meditation and mentally receive a truthful answer to that question. Besides information, the answer helps you solve a puzzling problem or other dilemma. In other words, the knowledge comes with wisdom on how to apply it.

The story with this card is that it provides an in-game way for the players to get around whatever convoluted story-based bullshit the DM has cooked up.  One time, at least, and the players will long remember getting one over on the DM.

The Void. This black card spells disaster. Your soul is drawn from your body and contained in an object in a place of the GM's choice. One or more powerful beings guard the place. While your soul is trapped in this way, your body is incapacitated. A wish spell can't restore your soul, but the spell reveals the location of the object that holds it. You draw no more cards.

Another extraplanar rescue mission! If the soul-containment-device (SCD) isn't in the lair of a lich, archdevil, or ancient wyrm, I would be most surprised.  Finding and retrieving the soul is several sessions, and arrangements to care for the body is at least part of another.

The Abyss, Pete Venters, Magic the Gathering, 1994

So many options for game development scattered among 22 cards.  So many stories.  

In short, don't be afraid to use the DoMT in your campaign, especially if your game has no predetermined ending, regardless if you call it a hexcrawl, a sandbox, or just plain ol' DnD. 

Those interested should know that Dungeon #19 has an adventure (and BW cutouts) featuring the DoMT, and Dragon #148 has a short story involving the DoMT, alongside some sturdy cardboard color versions of the DoMT cards.

My image choices all come from Magic the Gathering cards, which make ideal items to use in your D&D games with a custom-ish Deck of Many Things.  Luckily, most of the cards I would use for this are terrible in play, so are monetarily cheap.

Except for the last one, The Abyss.  Usefulness, age, and limited print run conspire to make it far to expensive for me to own, especially for non-MtG purposes.

Here Be Dragons!

 Dragons!

Erol Otus, 1981 - one of two images I always think of when dragons are mentioned.

A question in a FB group Dungeon Master Resources set me posting several links to OSR blogs, posts addressing dragons.  This was because the request boiled down to making dragons 'more interesting' for 5e.  Nothing is more interesting to me than what the OSR creates.  If along the way more 5e players and DMs start leaning towards OSR play, all the better.

I ended up with such a fine collection of such things that I thought I would collect them here.

First up are a d6 Dragon Generator and the Unexpurgated Dragon Generator from Old Guard Gaming.  

Second is Goblin Punch, and its amazing adventure the Dragon Hole (and its follow-up post on better filling it).

Third is d4 Caltrops.  Currently only Black and Blue dragons are addressed, but its a start.  As an aside, the OSE Encounter Activity Tables for various critters is wonderful for those folks that lean towards random rolls and emergent story.  Eventually, the other color dragons will end up on the master list.

Fourth are a new take on Chromatic dragons from Coins and Scrolls.  I particularly like how the format of how each is described.

Fifth is the series of d100 dragon-related posts at Elfmaids & Octopi.  

Smaug, by Angus McBride - a fine artist, often seen in Osprey Military books of my youth, as well as ICE's MERP books.  So much awesome in his art.

In writing this post on a computer, versus Facebooking on my phone, I have better search tools (and can actually type well and see the screen).  As such, here are a few more not mentioned on the FB post.

Archons March On has a Dragon Generator, and lots of other awesome tables, besides.

Blood of Prokopius has a small bit about the dragons of Holmes and Cook rules.  

Throne of Salt has dragons-as-godlings, or at least that is how they come across.

Papers and Pencils has a two-part post about how he creates dragons.  One and Two.

Permanent Cranial Damage addresses how gold transforms mortals into dragons.

Dungeon of Signs has a new breed of dragon.

I'll close with a handful of d12 tables from Dungeon Dozen.

Another Smaug, this by the Hildebrandt Brothers, and from the Tolkien Calendar.  My brother had it and I spent many hours just looking at the pictures.  I wonder if he still does...  it seems there were several calendars ranging from 1969 thru 1977.  Not all were Hildebrandt, however. 

In addition to what I shared, other respondents provided some solid links, with The Monsters Know What They're Doing being a personal favorite.  This Reddit thread is all about dragons.  Plus, lots of comments about making all dragons spellcasters, something I agree with.

Hopefully, there is something here that you can use at your table, or at least inspires your own flavor of dragon.

For what it's worth, I've written about dragons before.

Trap Collection

If I am honest with myself, I must admit that I restarted this blog partially to have set responses to common FB DnD group questions.  This particular post deals with traps.  It is tempting to use this post to catalog puzzle and riddle resources, but for now, it is just traps.  Rules for these traps span rule sets and systems, but a decent DM (or GM, if you prefer) can convert most traps quite easily.

Granted, I've addressed traps before in my unfinished Megadungeon project, which I have not given up on, merely set aside, but here I hope to capture all the resources I can.  There are many.

Jim Holloway - one of my favorite DnD artists

First off are the hardcopy books out there, (and pdf form, as well):

Grimtooth's Traps (Traps, Too, Tree, Fore, Ate, Traps Bazaar, and Dungeon of Doom) - Flying Buffalo's classic trap books of yesteryear.  Fun to read, but I don't know how much fun they actually are to use in play.  Still, worth checking out, if only to get the references to Grimtooth.  The link runs to a collection of them all. Note that Goodman Games has collected them and polished them up for a rerelease. 

Traps and Treachery I and II - while the books from Fantasy Flight Games Legends & Lairs line are out of print, the links run to pdfs on Drivethrurpg.  I own both the hardbacks, and they are best described as monster manuals, but with traps.  

Treacherous Traps - from Nord Games.  Title link runs to pdf, THIS leads to the Nord Games shop where hardbacks (and many other cool things) are available.

Dungeon Magazine - Tallow's Deep (#18) and The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb (#37) are both devious examples of a trap dungeon that isn't automatic death.  There is a conversion to 5e of the latter floating about the net.  I'll leave it to my discerning readers to find pdfs of those two issues of Dungeon.

Pure pdfs (at least to my knowledge):

All Hazards Great and Small - this title is for 3.x and is really a compilation of various monsters-as-traps, the slimes, bugs, and such of a dungeon.  So, naturally occurring traps.

Castle Oldskull's Book of Dungeon Traps - intended for OSRish rulesets, the information on triggers, locations, types of traps, and the like is still worthwhile.  Art is of the freely available type, but fitting.

Lethal Legacies: Traps of the World Before - a d20 ruleset monster manual of traps, to include how they trigger and how to disarm them.  Decent illustrations.

EDIT 3: Courtney Campbell of Hack & Slash has Trick, Empty Rooms, and Basic Trap Design, which is a limited part of his Artifices, Deceptions, and Dilemmas book. EDIT 4: I now own AD&D in hardback - a sweet POD (along with his other two titles - ODD and BECMI).

The cover alone is worth the purchase price.

A new title (part of a highly recommended series) is The Gamemaster's Book of Traps, Puzzles, and Dungeons. I have seen it and its companion pieces on Amazon, but have yet to buy them.

Lastly, some short tables to enhance your trapsmithing ways: d4 Caltrops' A Hundred Clues and Tales for the Tersely Detailed Trap and Dungeon Colour's Traps and Tricks.

Links to blogs and other places focused on traps and trap detection:

Mentats of Gaming Present: Trap-a-Day! - just traps, organized by ruleset and CR.  A fun site worth exploring.

Hack & Slash - this is a lovely blog, being the home of the Quantum Ogre.  The link runs to the part dealing with traps. That said, the author's work is worth picking up in pdf form.

The Alexandrian - These posts are always worth reading, particularly the Gamemastery 101 stuff.  The link runs to an excellent discussion on traps in play.

Goblin Punch - I cannot not mention Goblin Punch.  The link runs to a discussion of how to make traps work well.  Here and here are examples of Goblin traps.  Shitty Goblin traps.  Also from Goblin Punch is this Comprehensive Guide to Secret Doors.  Yes, its technically about doors, but much of the same logic applies to traps.

Psionic Blast from the Past - a fine discussion on how to communicate traps without telling players "It's a trap!" or having them roll passive perception and letting the PC notice it. 

EDIT: Kassoon's random trap generator is kinda neat.

EDIT 2: I found this site recently, and this portion covers Traps and Puzzles, but this is the tip of the iceberg.  

EDIT 3: some links.  First is to the CLICK! house rule regarding traps.  I've not yet used it in play, but it looks like lots of fun.  The second is to a video discussing 5e's darkvision and its impact on traps, passive perception, and gameplay.

EDIT 4: Wally DM has several informative videos, with this one on traps being pertinent to this post.  Give it a watch.  For ease of watching, here are links to titles he addresses: Trap Compendium, Traps, Trammels, and Triggers, Book of Challenges, and Wally DM's own Puzzle Encounters - not exactly traps, but can certainly turn into them.  Some titles he discusses are linked further up post.

EDIT 5: a pair of posts from Ars Ludi about the Bad Trap Syndrome and its cure.

EDIT 6: Archons March On has a d100 list of tricky traps.

EDIT 7: Questing Beast has a solid video, as does Bandit's Keep.  Then there is this collection all about traps.

EDIT 8: Goodman Games is rereleasing Grimtooth's Traps - link up above under Grimtooth. I found several older blog posts addressing traps: Monster Manual Sewn from Pants and False Machine, at least.

This list is far from all-inclusive.  If you need ideas on how to make traps entertaining, watch the first twenty-thirty minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark (actually, watch the whole movie).  If you want a wider variety of traps, watch all of these Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated cartoons (it'll inspire other things, as well, particularly planar gates near the end). 

Edits made 10/31/21 - Happy Halloween!, 7/7/22, 8/5/22, 10/2/22, 12/31/22, 12/16/23