Setting snares and cheating

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When I recently played this game through with a solo thief (who got promptly slaughterd by Melissan at the end of TOB, but that's another story), I found it was possible to set snares around NPCs I knew would turn hostile later on. And no matter how long before it was that they turned hostile, the snares stayed in place. As soon as they *do* turn hostile, the snares trigger and kill the enemies.

Anyone else think this is kind of strange? And a bit on the cheating side?

One place I used this to good effect was in the basement of Mae'var's guild. At the time Mae'var thought I was his friend so he was non-hostile. Knowing I'd have to kill him later on, I thought "hey, why don't I set the snares *now*" so I did just that. Set several snares around him, went outside and rested, came back in and set several more until I had reached the maximum snares limit. After that I left and did all the quests to get the thief stronghold, got told by Renal Bloodscalp to finish off Mae'var, I headed back to the basement, heard Mae'var's little speech... and then, lo and behold, Mae'var and co turned hostile, the snares were triggered. Everyone died.

I couldn't help thinking afterwards that while I was pleased to have dealt with Mae'var so easily, doing this sort of thing was seriously bending the rules. I mean, those snares had been sitting in the basement of a thieves guild for days and not one of the thieves spotted them?

I used similar tactics to get rid of Firkraag, the Shadow Dragon and several dozen other enemies later on. Set the snares while they're non-hostile, hit them so they turn hostile, the snares trigger and kill them. I felt like a right cheating so-and-so by the time I'd finished.

Should this sort of thing be possible? I'd have thought when I tried to set snares in Mae'var's basement that someone would have got suspicious and stopped me. After all, I was setting snares designed to kill people around people who were my allies - didn't they wonder why I was going it? Even assuming they didn't get suspicious and were perfectly happy to stand around while I set these lethal traps, is it likely the traps would still be there days later? Granted, if you set a trap in a deserted area that no one is going to go traipsing through, the traps could stay there for months or even years, but in a busy guildhall it's pushing credibility just a little bit too far to expect that none of the thieves would have removed them.

 

Well, in Mae'var's case you COULD rationalize it to a certain extent; you could set them by the stairs, out of sight, and lure the enemies into them. For the shadow dragon, it's also perfectly justifiable; after all, you have the wardstone, and that renders you invisible, so the dragon wouldn't know what you're doing. But for Firkaag, it's pretty cheesy, almost on the level of fake talk. Of course, if you don't see anything wrong with a certain level of cheese, then go right ahead; play any way you want to play. If you don't think it's really cheating, then don't do it, but there's nothing really morally or philosophically wrong with it from my standpoint. I don't really do it, but if you don't want to set traps because you can't justify it from a "roleplaying" perspective, then what's the point of the ability? You should use any ability you have access to, especially if you're soloing.

 

I suppose it would be okay with the dragon as you know that you are going to take him out even if you have never played the game before, and if you did it stealthily ie. invisible, he wouldn't know that they are there. Me'vear, no, someone would have to realise and you might not end up killing him (in a roll playing sense) as you have to prove him guilty first.

Also the Dragon might not necessarily move around a lot but Me'vear is likely to need a drink etc.

 

I think it's a little bit out of reality.

But. If the NPC would move and turn hostile on a friend when he is doing something suspicious, then it would be a matter of dices and players skills to set traps being unnoticed. And on the top, when somebody is doing something suspicious, it is common to ask his why he is doing this. In other case he can explain this before, or when others become uncomfortable with what he is doing.

What I want to say is: while playing PnP, DM should/could be so flexible to use all of these possibilities (NPCs moving, NPCs seeing traps, NPCs triggering traps, NPCs disarming traps, NPCs searching for someone who laid these traps, NPCs asking questions, ...). But no todays computer game is able to do all possible things.

This means: lay your traps. But it is up to you to be a DM in a cRPG. Imagine all these thing NPCs can do - and play according to this. E.g.: lay traps on places where there is a possibility you and traps stay unnoticed. Or 'imagine' you explained why you will lay traps - this for defensive means againt other than friends: 'I will lay these traps here, because a evil thing is comming. And these traps will help us to defend against it' - maybe you have lied .

It's your game. If you will like you are runining it by something, don't do it. If it's okey for you and fun, do it.

 

About setting snares and the lure hostiles to yourself, isn't that some of the idea with traps? Atleast that's how I play with them - wire 'em up, backstab someone, he follows you when you're fleeing and gets killed by the traps.¨

Though setting traps around someone who you know will turn hostile as soon as you talk to them or a similar scenario, that's a bit on the cheating side imo. Took out Firkraag once, just for testing the cheesyness of it, with traps only, cut him once and all traps go off.

 

First: You'll receive a mail from Taluntain very shortly and your message edited or your topic moved, just don't spoil Throne of Bhaal plot in the SoA forum. Second: you have found the cheesiest and easiest way to kill dragons in the game, if you set enough snares you could kill almost anything-I just killed Irenicus that way the very first time I played SoA-But, if you find that setting snares is cheesy, try to install ToB alongside SoA and play SoA from the beginning. Doing so, you´ll have a seven trap limit for each area at a time. So, that way you can weaken enemies, but not instant-kill them, unless you are using the most powerful traps, those gotten in ToB at higher levels,

 

Tronak, exactly what TOB plot did I mention in my post? The name of one of the villains? Gee, it's hardly worth people playing the game now I've given *that* much away.

Aside from that, there was nothing TOB-related mentioned in my post. Everything else referred to traps I set while playing SOA.

I just thought this was an interesting point that needed raising and wondered what everyone else's viewpoint on the subject was. I used to think along the lines of "well, it can't be cheating if the game allows you to do it because it *was* cheating they'd have made it impossible" but setting seven snares around Firkraag when he's non-hostile then hitting him to turn him hostile and trigger the traps... now that *is* cheating.

Oh, and the maximum traps you can set in one area remains at seven throughout the whole game.