Maximized Trapfinding

[Muktidata]

Lol at the thread title "[3.5] Hide My Fleshraker" a few threads down. That makes me think of all those kid's movies where the kid acquires an unusual friend (like ET) and has to hide them. Very funny.

Okay, so I am going into the tomb of horrors. All the weight is on my shoulders to scout and disarm the traps. My class levels are set in stone, but I have a lot of my gold left and three feats to work with. I can't find a trapfinding handbook to save my life. Any advice for disarming them. I currently plan on just maxing Search and Disable Device, using a Chronocharm of the Laughing Rogue, MW Tools, wands of Summon Monster I and Detect Magic, but what's out there feat-wise or item-wise that would allow me to be more effective in that area?

[Person_Man]

Anything with Trapfinding 1/Incarnate X works fairly well. Incarnate can get some fairly impressive bonuses to pretty much any Skill (though it has a cruddy class Skill list), and it can infinitely summon a Necrocarnate Zombie at will (although no particular corpse can be used more then once) which you can use to open doors for you.

[Muktidata]

Sorry. As stated, my class levels can't shift. They are (in case you're wondering): Scout 3/Cloistered Cleric 1/Ranger 5. Whispergnome for the race, hit and hide archer, recon, trapfinder for the role.

[AsteriskAmp]

Guidance of the Avatar, Divine Insight and Find Traps. You'll probably want those as Eternal Wands.

[XmonkTad]

I still have nightmares about that tomb...

Maximizing trapfinding is really getting trapfinding and maxing search. Of course, the easiest way to deal with traps is some sort of disposable unit such as livestock, zombies, elementals from the summon elemental (reserve) feat.
But in addition to a masterwork search item and a custom magic item of search, do NOT go into that place without a bit of the old mundane adventuring gear. Bring a pole, rope, string, a hand of the mage, fishhooks, marbles, caltrops, a ladder, a bag of holding, and my personal favorite item in all of D&D: Nozlur's mystic pigments.
So have trapfinding, but being cautious and taking 20 on your search checks are the only thing that will save you.
Godspeed, you poor poor soul.

[Story]

Be sure to send in lots of summons or purchased animals before you. And cast Detect Magic on everything. And even if you think it's safe, only touch stuff with an Unseen Servant or the like.

[Muktidata]

I always have string, rope, torchbug paste, a wand of launch item, poles, etc. Don't mourn my PC just yet. Man, so there's no feats out there that offer a significant boost?

Edit: Custom Item of Continuous Detect Magic: Check

[XmonkTad]

Well its suboptimal, but lucky fingers from complete scoundrel will let you expend a luck reroll to try again at disable device and open lock. Other than that and tactile trapsmith, there really isn't anything that can help you turn off the traps, and I cant think of any feats that would help you find traps.
Really though, you do not want to rely on the dice in there. Pump your search skill and take 20. Or send a summon in there to check for you.

[Story]

Really though, you do not want to rely on the dice in there. Pump your search skill and take 20. Or send a summon in there to check for you.

Ideally you'd be doing both. Also, remember to wear gloves, check the ceiling and floors, and poke everything with an 11 foot pole. And don't pick up the magic items.

[Glimbur]

There's a soulmeld that gives an... insight bonus? to trapfinding. Magic of Incarnum. You can get it with a feat. Probably +2 or +3. Then you can spend another feat for another +4: Bonus Essentia will give 2 essentia because you can shape a soulmeld. At least that's how I read it.

Third feat... skill focus: search? Maybe you can do better.