Ten Years Later And ‘Find Traps’ STILL Doesn’t Actually Find Traps in D&D 5.5E
After a decade of learning, years of playtesting, streamlining, and refining, the Find Traps spell still doesn’t actually do what it says.
There’s an old RPG maxim, typically aimed at fireball-happy wizards, that reminds players that “friendly fire isn’t.” And now, after a decade of 5E and all the playtesting and refining that went into the development of 5.5E, the 2024 rules upgrade to D&D, there’s another one to add to the list: “find traps doesn’t.”
Find Traps Doesn’t Find Traps
The Find Traps spell has long been one of the worst spells in D&D, right down there with spells like Witch Bolt or Blade Ward. And given that both Witch Bolt and Blade Ward have both gotten some significant boosts to how they work and what they do, to the point where they’re playable, you could be forgiven for thinking that Find Traps might be fixed. It was one of five spells that we hoped would be fixed in 5.5E.
And now, today, on the first day of Early Access for those who pre-ordered the digital edition of 5.5E on D&D Beyond (and who are also Master Tier Subscribers), we are here to say that Find Traps hasn’t been fixed. It still doesn’t actually find traps in any meaningful way.
It still works exactly the same way it did in 5th Edition, though it has been reworded slightly. The new version of the spell reads:
“You sense any trap within range that is within line of sight. A trap, for the purpose of this spell, includes any object or mechanism that was created to cause damage or other danger. Thus, the spell would sense the Alarm or Glyph of Warding spell or a mechanical pit trap, but it wouldn’t reveal a natural weakness in the floor, an unstable ceiling, or a hidden sinkhole.
The spell reveals that a trap is present but not its location. You do learn the general nature of the danger posed by a trap you sense.
– The 5.5E Player’s Handbook, pg. 273
What’s the Point?
It feels intentional at this point. Especially since the language was cleaned up. Words like “merely” were removed. The wording of what a trap is still functions. But, again, it has to be within your line of sight. If the trap is at all hidden from your line of sight, say behind a statue or whatever, the spell won’t find it.
If it’s further out than a 120-foot cone at the moment you cast the spell, it’s also not going to catch things. And yet.
The spell exists. Something for Clerics, Druids, and Rangers to decide to prepare if they want. But I don’t know that I ever would. And it’s such a strange thing, considering how many other spells got better. Witch Bolt went from being usually worse than a cantrip to being a strong contender for your 1st level attack spell. Blade Ward is now a cantrip you might ever cast outside of the occasional feature that lets you cast a cantrip as part of an attack. In general, the spells are much stronger.
But not Find Traps. It’s still a 2nd level spell that is somehow worse than just having a good Perception score.
Well, it’s like they say. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
