The manual clearly explains how to trigger traps and that barrels explode when hit (page 17, and 18), but there are many nuances that can drastically change how these elements impact the game. This guide will break down those subtleties and provide clarity.

Triggering Traps

As an explorer, you can trigger traps in the following ways:

  • Activating a trap lever: Spend 2 stamina to activate an adjacent trap lever action space.
  • Effects: Resolve trigger traps effect through an explorer event, one of your items, or an active ability from the current chapter.
  • Chapter changes: If your action changes the chapter, and a new chapter has a trigger traps enters play ability.

In all of these scenarios, you will attack all units on your map tile using 3 high attack dice.

Exploding Barrels

Hitting a barrel follows similar mechanics: you attack all units adjacent to the barrel. This has two significant implications.

Modifying Attack Rolls

Since the attack is considered yours, you're free to modify the roll by losing essence to increase your attack roll. Besides, any adjacent explorer (or explorer adjacent to the trap lever/barrel) can also lose essence to boost the attack, thanks to the contributing explorers mechanic.

Resolving Triggered Conditions

All your abilities from equipped and consumable items are applicable when traps or barrels explode. For example, if you have an item with the effect "When you hit.." this will trigger whenever you hit a unit via a trap or barrel explosion. Similarly, passive conditions like "When you kill.." also apply, making it crucial to think ahead about the items and abilities you’re using in these situations.

FAQ
  • Horror Event Triggering Traps: If a horror event causes trigger traps to resolve, no specific unit is activating the effect, meaning all units on trapped spaces across all map tiles are affected.
  • Monsters Triggering Traps: If a monster triggers the traps, they become the activating unit, and only units on trapped spaces within their map tile are affected.