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Based on this question however, instead of killing off normal humans, I wish to kill off magical humans. I wish to prevent others from entering in my dungeon, so I have set up a multitude of magical traps. However, over time, the traps will become depleted and anyone can pass through after that. My question is : What is the best way to create a maze of horrors? What is the best way to terrify the explorers? A simple trap like shooting arrows works only once.

Note: In my world, people can use elemental type magic along with holy type magic (buffs) while I can use dark magic(necromancy). I have a lot of time to prepare my dungeon, along with the materials (poisoned arrows etc). However I need an effective way of killing off explorers, using magical creatures will not help as a pesky Hero might kill them off anyways.

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  • $\begingroup$ Does you actually need to retrieve your treasure at some point? $\endgroup$
    – Kys
    Commented Jul 21, 2016 at 14:51
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    $\begingroup$ These people who are voting my questions to be closed are annoying, why can't you state why they need to be closed? It makes me think that there is some troll who is doing this for every question of mines. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 22, 2016 at 6:00
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    $\begingroup$ I completely agree with you and I have written it time and again. If you vote to close, make sure there's a note explaining why! If someone else did it before you, you're all good, but if not, then take a few seconds to write it up! $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 27, 2016 at 6:48
  • $\begingroup$ That being said, I believe we already went through the "best" kind of questions, didn't we? Furthermore horrors is partially subjective, and why would magical humans react differently than normal humans when facing horrors? This depends on your world, and are details that we miss to be able to answer it, in the best manner.. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 27, 2016 at 6:50
  • $\begingroup$ @bilbo_pingouin : Well, Im just asking what to put in the maze. This question is similar to this one, so I don't get whats wrong. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 27, 2016 at 6:53

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Use headology. That is, use the normal way of thinking to completely trick and kill adventurers. Like an easily spotted pit trap. And then another. And another, except where you'd stand to avoid it, like the other two is actually trapped on the third one. In between, have some sort of mundane arrow trap just to keep them from thinking about it too much.

The dark and the unknown are the things people are most afraid of. Do not underestimate the power of lanterns lighting on their own, and then, at just the right moment, snuffing out completely, with soft laughter in the dark. Even before anything real happens this will freak people out. Set up a detect life spell that turns on the lights, and another at the end of the hall that turns it off. Permanency should do it. At this point, have a door open. Tell them they can leave now. Do a count-down.

Also, find ways to deplete spells and use auto reset traps. Hire talented artists. They are worth the gold. By the time they get to the real encounter, they won't trust what they see, so they might not strike and some will die. Or you can make some, but not all the encounters real. Mix things up--make some things magical and others totally mechanical.

Never use the same thing twice. Or do, just to set up an expectation that will be completely wrong.

Make sure that avoiding one trap just leads you into another...Throw in some necromancy and it's just good, dark fun. Any trap with a zombie is a good one--so, one could be, you avoid a mech trap, but a zombie is set to grab one person out from a wall (or do an upgrade so the undead has a good grapple). Make it a ledge so the choices are: die in a trap or come to zombie. Anyone trying to help would not have much room to maneuver and help would be limited by whoever happens to be next to him. If it works well, it's a surprise attack, they are grabbed and pulled in, never to be seen again. If you can pipe in his screams, so much the better....

Edit: And since you are looking to trap magic users, have things triggered by the use of certain spells, like, oh say FLY. Basically, think like the adventurers. If you had their spells, what would you use to counter? Have a healing orison trigger a poison dart/ arrows that seeks the center of it. Make sure that whatever they end up using has a nasty consequence.

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    $\begingroup$ very nicely written ! This is perfect ^_^, you get a +1 $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 22, 2016 at 4:28
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You don't need any magic, nor anything out of the ordinary. A wall and some paint will do.

A rare safe for work moment

(Source: a rare safe for work moment from a webcomic called Oglaf)

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Does your world allow using dark (or any other existing kind of) magic for reading people's mind? As was pointed out numerous times in many stories, the scariest thing for any person is something he/she/whatever can't understand and can't even begin to understand.

I assume there is some kind of Core of Dungeon (treasury or any other final destination for all these pesky Heroes). To make it impenetrable you have to surround your core with multiple magical spheres (we don't want these pesky heroes to dig around our traps, right?). We can break these spheres in 3 groups.

Group 1: scanning spheres - they read everything there is in spongy brains of intruders.

Group 2: scaring spheres - they scare off intruders by making their best nightmares reality (with Illusion magic or your equivalent, use information gathered by Group 1). Add some regular low-maintenance traps (like pitfalls with spikes) to wear them off as much as possible.

Group 3: basically, everything else to kill/scare off the most obnoxious of intruders.

There can be only two weaknesses in this system - either omniscient Hero (and I have no idea how to ward off this one) or dumber-than-brick-wall but devilishly robust Hero (same).

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