Wind your way up a circular stairway or tumble down steep earthen steps. Stairs can help or hinder in your adventure. What step will your characters take?
- ladder, rope ladder, fire pole,
- curved stairway, circular stairwell, spiral staircase, helical,
- stair step, rise and run, stair flight, landing,
- slope, pitch, rake:
- shallow, gentle,
- steep, imposing, abrupt, intimidating,
- marble, wood, plank, energy, stone, flagstone, cobblestone, carpet, linoleum, hardwood, rock, sandstone, earthen, steel, iron, parquet, tile, mosaic tile,
- carved, chipped, chiseled,
- formed, cast, poured
- constructed, built, reinforced, slapped together, jimmied,
- wide, sweeping, majestic, royal, palatial, welcoming,
- narrow, confining, tight,
- flared staircase, tapered steps, conical stairs, arching stairway,
- landing, platform, level, balcony, dais, stage, scaffolding,
- escalator, moving stairs, conveyor,
- external stairs, service stairway,
- blocks, risers,
- stacked stones, books, rubble, garbage, corpses, furniture, tires,
- alternating tread stair, floating stairway, cantilevered stairs,
- fire escape, drop down stairs, telescoping ladder stairs,
- banister, railing, rail, spindles, balustrade, handrail
- stairway, staircase, stairwell, stair hall, stairwell tower,
- temporary stair, jobs site stair,
- step, stair, tread, nosing, riser, winder, stringer, trim, bullnose, molding, easing, newel post, finial, joists, spandrel, headroom,
- assisted stair lift,
- alternatives? rope, pole, spring, trampoline, slide, elevator, lift, teleportation device, animal ride, trolley, inclined railway, chairlift, towrope, helicopter, dumbwaiter, get a boost from a buddy,
Stairs can be
- trapped, tricked, snared, rigged, jimmied
- rotten, decayed, old, derelict, decrepit,
- broken, splintered, worn, aged,
- steep, dangerous, precarious, perilous
- safe, majestic, solid, ageless, permanent, enduring,
- elaborate, ornate, patterned, inlaid, designed,
- fabulous, elegant, beautiful,
- engraved, adorned, painted, carved, etched,
- illusions, fake, mirage, magic trick, dweomer,
Characters
- assistant, servant, helper, butler,
- troll, bogeyman, trickster, ogre,
Stuff
- carpet, rug, runner,
- slide trap, collapsing trap, other traps
- grips, slip resistant coating,
- dust, dirt, mud, muck,
Developments
- Narrow stairs down in the back of a closet lead to a realm rife with evil.
- A set of mysterious stairs up can lead to a strange portal to another world.
- Something malevolent could live underneath some stairs in an old house. Or at the top of the stairs. Or the bottom. Or in a picture hanging on the wall halfway up.
- A ghost wanders forever up and down the stairs of an old castle; solve its mystery to release it from the purgatory it suffers.
- Think of the possibilities of a closet door beneath a staircase, especially if it has been locked for a century with a skeleton key of intricate design.
- Some magical trick stairs… once you get on them, they go on forever.