Wilderness Trapsmith?

[barna10]

So, I am modifying the Trapsmith prestige class from Dungeonscape. I am focusing on a wilderness trapper/guerrilla fighter type of angle. The main entry will be from the Barbarian class via the Trapkiller option from Dungeonscape.

I'm making the entry requirements Craft(trapmaking) 8 ranks, Survival 8 ranks, and BAB +5, and trapfinding (should there be more requirements here?)

Spells is where I really need help. What suggestions do you have for spells to add or remove from the standard Trapsmith spell list. Also, I am thinking of making the casting stat Wisdom instead if Intelligence. Ideas?

[Lord Il Palazzo]

I'm not overly familiar with the trapkiller variant so if it addresses this that's fine, but I'd be warey of making a casting prestige class with entry from barbarian since you couldn't cast while raging and that's pretty much the point of a barbarian.

For a trapmaking prestige class, I'd tend to favor intelligence as the key stat since Craft(trapmaking) is likely to be such a big deal and it's nice for the casting to synergize with that.

[barna10]

I'm not overly familiar with the trapkiller variant so if it addresses this that's fine, but I'd be warey of making a casting prestige class with entry from barbarian since you couldn't cast while raging and that's pretty much the point of a barbarian.

For a trapmaking prestige class, I'd tend to favor intelligence as the key stat since Craft(trapmaking) is likely to be such a big deal and it's nice for the casting to synergize with that.

I'm more worried about flavor than optimization. The character will be a guy that sort of "Fonzies" his way past traps, "a hist here, a snap there, etc".

[Lord Il Palazzo]

True, but trapsmith classes tend to be as much (if not more) about building traps than about getting past them. (In my interpretation, at least.) This doesn't seem to fit well with the raging warrior image most barbarians have which is why I'm questionable about designing one for barbarian entry.

Rangers seems like the more likely wilderness trapper sort. They are more skilled characters (with more points per level and a better list) and seem more cunning in their general flavor which fits the guerrilla/trapper role very well. Someone whose fighting style is summed up in the word "rage" would be less likely to plan far enough ahead to lay booby traps around an area or would at least tend to favor a more direct approach.

If you are set on the barbarian route, I'd recommend sticking to crude but brutal traps (possibly ignoring spell casting almost entirely in favor booby traps). Even when devoted to traps rather than melee, a barbarian should be brutal and excel at damaging and killing rather than disabling and disorienting his enemies. I'd kind of like to see a barbarian trapper get a wider variety of booby traps (to show that that's his focus and to make up for a reduced spell list) and some sort of bonus to damage on them, maybe equal to his class level or his Int/Wisdom modifier, whichever you use. Int still feels more right for this kind of character as trapping is something that requires more planning and cunning than intuition and common sense.

Alternately, trap making could compliment (rather than replacing) your melee abilities and you could go with abilites that allow him to maneuver enemies into your previously laid traps (bonuses on bull rushes come to mind and maybe more control over the direction you push them.) Knocking someone backward onto a tripwire to set off a barrage of crossbow bolts or something.

[BowStreetRunner]

First off, take a look at the Champion of Gwynharwyf prestige class in BoED for a Barbarian caster class. The second level ability Furious Casting is an important consideration - do you want this PrC to be able to cast while raging, or is the raging for in combat and the casting for out of combat?

As for the spells - I would remove gaseous form and knock at 1st level, dimension door at 2nd level, and fabricate at 3rd level. These all sort of go against the smash & bash trapkiller theme. Maybe replace them with shatter and find traps at 1st, freedom of movement at 2nd, and passwall at 3rd.

(I know someone is going to point out the Trapkiller ACF already gives a find traps ability, but it has a -5 penalty, so the spell is a nice alternative.)

[barna10]

True, but trapsmith classes tend to be as much (if not more) about building traps than about getting past them. (In my interpretation, at least.) This doesn't seem to fit well with the raging warrior image most barbarians have which is why I'm questionable about designing one for barbarian entry.

Rangers seems like the more likely wilderness trapper sort. They are more skilled characters (with more points per level and a better list) and seem more cunning in their general flavor which fits the guerrilla/trapper role very well. Someone whose fighting style is summed up in the word "rage" would be less likely to plan far enough ahead to lay booby traps around an area or would at least tend to favor a more direct approach.

If you are set on the barbarian route, I'd recommend sticking to crude but brutal traps (possibly ignoring spell casting almost entirely in favor booby traps). Even when devoted to traps rather than melee, a barbarian should be brutal and excel at damaging and killing rather than disabling and disorienting his enemies. I'd kind of like to see a barbarian trapper get a wider variety of booby traps (to show that that's his focus and to make up for a reduced spell list) and some sort of bonus to damage on them, maybe equal to his class level or his Int/Wisdom modifier, whichever you use. Int still feels more right for this kind of character as trapping is something that requires more planning and cunning than intuition and common sense.

Alternately, trap making could compliment (rather than replacing) your melee abilities and you could go with abilites that allow him to maneuver enemies into your previously laid traps (bonuses on bull rushes come to mind and maybe more control over the direction you push them.) Knocking someone backward onto a tripwire to set off a barrage of crossbow bolts or something.

This class will be a guerrilla fighter/trapper using traps in war and to hunt game. He also is used to handling traps set by Fey. His traps will be snares, falling logs, etc. He won't be dancing around combat trying to set off booby traps.

[barna10]

First off, take a look at the Champion of Gwynharwyf prestige class in BoED for a Barbarian caster class. The second level ability Furious Casting is an important consideration - do you want this PrC to be able to cast while raging, or is the raging for in combat and the casting for out of combat?

As for the spells - I would remove gaseous form and knock at 1st level, dimension door at 2nd level, and fabricate at 3rd level. These all sort of go against the smash & bash trapkiller theme. Maybe replace them with shatter and find traps at 1st, freedom of movement at 2nd, and passwall at 3rd.

(I know someone is going to point out the Trapkiller ACF already gives a find traps ability, but it has a -5 penalty, so the spell is a nice alternative.)

I don't see the class using spells in combat. I like the spell suggestions. I may use some of them. I'm probably going to add some from the Ranger and Druid lists. Pass without trace and entangle look good. I think fabricate could still fit.

[Lord Il Palazzo]

This class will be a guerrilla fighter/trapper using traps in war and to hunt game. He also is used to handling traps set by Fey. His traps will be snares, falling logs, etc. He won't be dancing around combat trying to set off booby traps.Easy there. I don't know what's in your head for this class which is why I'm throwing out suggestions and seeing what you like. Use them if you like them, don't if you don't. Crafting more traps is hard to pull off in combat when your opponents know you're there and where you're setting snares and you've said you don't want spell casting to be his "thing" in combat so I'm trying to give him a role once the preparation phase is over and the action starts (since combat tends to be a big part of most games) besides sitting around patting himself on the back. (I know he'll still have his barbarian melee and rage for combat, but unless you advance rage with levels and/or bump this trapsmith variant up to full base attack bonus that's going to suffer as a result of the focus on trapping.) Actively trying to use traps in combat seemed like a good way to do this while making the two halves (barbarian and traps) come together as one whole but if you don't like him "dancing around", that's fine.

The changes to the spell list look good. (Fabricate should still fit fine.) Entangle is a bit combat-y if that's not what you're going for but whatever. It wouldn't hurt to have one or two options in that area. I don't know how open to homebrewing spells you are, but something that acts as a delayed-effect entangle would be pretty much perfect (possibly with a conditional trigger, like maybe specifying a type of creature when you cast the spell and an entangle effect triggering when a creature of the chose type enters the area.) If you go with Wisdom casting, you'll probably want to remove Fox's Cunning and add Owl's Wisdom. What do you think about adding Obscuring Mist or Fog Cloud from the druid list? It could help obscure traps making it easier for foes to stumble into them. Spike Growth from the druid list also fits a trap theme.

[BowStreetRunner]

I took a look at Spell Compendium with your comments above in mind. Some spells to consider:

Climb Walls (not just for walls)
Crumble (object damage would be useful for removing traps)
Deep Breath (I have this image in mind of all those scenes where the warrior rises up from the water where he's been waiting in ambush.)
dispel ward (better thematically than dispel magic, as it works primarily against magic traps)
Embrace the Wild
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