I think of all the rules, the weirdest one is when you encounter a bottomless pit, they do not give you the option to make the jump. If you encounter a bridge or a spider web, you have the option to turn around and go back. But the bottomless pit, all it says to do is test luck, if you pass you're on the other side, if you fail you're dead. So how do you explain that to other players that their character was simply compelled to jump with no option not to?

DoomTurtle said:

A couple of ways:

1) The character was moving with enough momentum that they could not stop themselves before falling in, so they have no choice but to try and jump.

2) Until the character gets right up on it it looks like a normal floor, so while stumbling in they can try to jump across instead.

3) The characters do not fear death, a pit is nothing to them!

Xiayose said:

I like your explanation #2. It is quite a big pit which takes up roughly the whole room, and with the characters only carrying torches (as shown by the "Torch Goes Out' card) they would probably find the pit with their feet before their eyes. This also helps explain why luck is used for this as opposed to the agility test for the bridge. They are already falling in, so luck will determine if they were able to get across or fall. Whereas with the bridge, they know about it ahead of time, so it will be their agility that determines how well they can balance across it.

Thanks for your help, it kept me from possibly house-ruling the tile to treat it like a bridge or spiderweb.

Personally I don't have much issue with the idea of a big magic hand coming up and pushing the hero forward either. Not explicitly spelled out on the card, perhaps, but what the heck?!

We just laugh and tease the player who drew it mercilessly until they roll.

It was just odd to me that a character could come up to a spiderweb and think "hmm, a minor incovenience, I'll turn around and go another way", but they come across a bottomless pit and think "hmm, a chance to lose my life, I must jump!"

Maybe the entrance to this bottomless pit is steep and slippery.

They do not have possibility to go back - they just fall and die, unless they are lucky and

a) ...manage to find some roots / rope / anything to grab and climb up.
b) ... in the last moment they jump and reach the other side...
c) .... remembered they have received a flying carpet
d) ....( find your own explanation - there has to be some luck tests)

So when encountering the pit,and having to roll immediately to jump to the other side, what if the other side is a wall / dead-end? Does the character just fall in the pit and die? Or would it be played as there was a ledge there if successful, and then the next turn would be allowed to jump back from the way they entered?

Benzin said:

No, he can then search twice in hopes to find a secret door
And if he doesn't find one (which happened in one of my games) he pretty much is screwed and must jump back.

And since this tile can get quite confusing we made it optional, the player can decide if he wants to jump or not.

I go with the "it's a false floor, rigged to fall when you're halfway across. You don't have time to turn around" answer.

We made a neat variant to where if you fall in a pit trap (still have to roll) and another pit is on the board the player emerges from the wormhole . Like mario.

The bottomless pit says: " Test Luck. If you succeed, you make it across the pit, and you take your next turn as normal" Rulebook, P.30

My conclusion to this tile would be that you are forced to jump over, and progress further in. If you want to turn back, you have to come back to this tile later, and roll for it again.

Special case, house rule: If however the Bottomless Pit turns out to lead into the (outer) wall it will be seen as a dead end, and you may encounter the bottomless pit again, or search the area.

Special case, sadistic house rule: If a bottomless pit turn out to lead into the (outer) wall, you will jump into a wall and die.