Glyph of Warding

A glyph of warding is a powerful inscription magically drawn to prevent unauthorized or hostile creatures from passing, entering, or opening. 

It can be used to guard a small bridge, ward an entry, or as a trap on a chest or box. When the spell is cast, the cleric weaves a tracery of faintly glowing lines around the warding sigil. For every square foot of area to be protected, 1 segment of time is required to trace the warding lines from the glyph, plus the initial segment during which the sigil itself is traced. A maximum of a 5-ft x 5-ft area per level can be warded. 

When the spell is completed, the glyph and tracery become invisible, but any creature touching the protected area without first speaking the name of the glyph the cleric has used to serve as a ward will be subject to the magic it stores. Saving throws apply, and will either reduce effects by one-half or negate them according to the glyph employed. 

The cleric must use incense to trace this spell, and then sprinkle the area with powdered diamond (at least 2,000 g.p. worth) if it exceeds 50 square feet.

Typical glyphs shock for 2 points of electrical damage per level of the spell caster, explode for a like amount of fire damage, paralyze, blind, or even drain a life energy level (if the cleric is of high enough level to cast this glyph).

If a cleric is on hand to determine that a glyph of warding is certainly in existence, an associated magic-user can thereafter use an erase spell and possibly (50% + 2%/level of the m-u) remove the glyph. 

As to the design and the names of glyphs of warding, design your own or use an encyclopedia to find interesting alphabets to use. You may refer also to THE WORLD OF GREYHAWK for other runes and glyphs. For example, here is one such series of glyphs, named.

As a [find] traps spell will see the form of the glyph, a cleric might believe he or she knows the name of the glyph from past experience, and try to bypass it — possibly with success.