Gaping Moat

Ultimate Equipment Guide II

Author Greg Lynch, J. C. Alvarez
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2005

When enemies see a fortress equipped with a gaping moat, they usually think they are facing a dumb or simply defenseless enemy. This is because such a fortress appears as having no moat at all, which makes enemies much more confident about storming the place and Climbing its walls. The gaping moat is there, however, ready to spring a nasty and deadly surprise on overconfident foes. A gaping moat is like most other moats – A square pit or trench, surrounding a fortress on all sides. However, each of a gaping moat’s four sides is equipped with a line of swinging trapdoors covering the pit’s entire area. The upper side of these trapdoors is always designed to look exactly as the surrounding terrain, so the trapdoors, and the moat hidden below, are all but undetectable when closed. The trapdoors are connected to a special mechanism leading to a single set of levers, usually located on the fortress’ barbican or a similarly high place. By manipulating these levers, defenders are able to open or close the trapdoors at will, causing what appeared to be stable ground to become a deadly pit trap.

A gaping moat is usually 20 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Its trapdoors are 20-foot wooden squares, covered with earth, stone, grass or any other material required to make them look like the surrounding terrain. Trapdoors are hinged on one side (usually the side nearer the fortress) and connected to a central mechanism via ropes and chains. Each of the four sides of a gaping moat can be opened or closed separately. A single character can open or close one of a gaping moat’s sides as a full-round action.

When a gaping moat’s trapdoors are opened, they swing inwards abruptly, plunging any creatures currently standing upon them into the pit below. This usually causes 2d6 points of falling damage to the victims, though the pit’s bottom can be equipped with spikes or filled with water to increase the effect.

A gaping moat is regarded as a trap for the purposes of detecting it, which requires a successful Search check (DC 20) and avoiding it, which requires a successful Reflex save (DC 25). Therefore, all of a gaping moat’s traits are given in trap format, as detailed in Chapter Three of the SRD. To disable a gaping moat requires access to the lever mechanism, usually located inside the fortress. The price given is for a single 20-foot cube section of gaping moat, including the corresponding trapdoor; the customer must usually hire and install as many gaping moat sections as required to surround his entire fortress.

• Gaping Moat: CR 2; mechanical, location trigger (plus the trap must be activated manually); manual reset; DC 25 Reflex save avoids; 20 ft. deep (2d6, fall); multiple targets (as many as can fit in the entire moat area); pit spikes (Atk +10 melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d4+2 each);
• Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 20 (requires access to lever mechanism). Market Price: 4,000 gp (per 20-ft. cube section).

• Gaping Moat, Spiked: CR 4; mechanical, location trigger (plus the trap must be activated manually); manual reset; DC 25 Reflex save avoids; 20 ft. deep (2d6, fall); multiple targets (as many as can fit in the entire moat area); pit spikes (Atk +10 melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d4+2 each);
• Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 20 (requires access to lever mechanism). Market Price: 8,800 gp (per 20-ft. cube section).

• Gaping Moat, Pool: CR 4; mechanical, location trigger (plus the trap must be activated manually); automatic reset; DC 25 Reflex save avoids; 20 ft. deep; multiple targets (as many as can fit in the entire moat area); onset delay (5 rounds); liquid (victims drown unless able to escape);
• Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 20 (requires access to lever mechanism). Market Price: 8,800 gp (per 20-ft. cube section).