Magic Traps, Spell Traps and Dispel Magic

[Lonewolf147]

I'm hoping someone can help me out with this one and actually provide me with the references to explain it.

I know that magic traps are of two types, Magic Traps and Spell Traps (right from the SRD (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Traps)). I also am familiar with using Dispel Magic on a magic item will suppress its magic for 1d4 rounds.

According to the SRD, a Magic Trap is just like a magic item. So it should be suppressed. But what about a Spell Trap?

Explosive Runes on a scroll, or Delayed Blast Fireball on a book, or Chain Lightning on a locked chest? Are these actually considered Spell Traps since they are placed on/in an object? And if they are Spell Traps, are they considered magic items for the purpose of Dispel Magic? Or can those Spell Traps, once discovered and identified, be targeted by Dispel Magic and actually be dispelled, not suppressed?

Can you use Dispel Magic to target a spell if you don't know what the spell is? (i.e. you see the spell with Detect Magic, but don't get a good enough Spellcraft roll to identify it)

[Darrin]

Explosive Runes on a scroll, or Delayed Blast Fireball on a book, or Chain Lightning on a locked chest? Are these actually considered Spell Traps since they are placed on/in an object? And if they are Spell Traps, are they considered magic items for the purpose of Dispel Magic? Or can those Spell Traps, once discovered and identified, be targeted by Dispel Magic and actually be dispelled, not suppressed?


Those are ongoing spell effects, so yes, you make a dispel check. You roll 1d20 + your caster level vs. 11 + target spell's caster level.

(In the case of explosive runes, a failed dispel check will trigger the runes... which will also end the spell effect, just in a slightly more exciting way.)



Can you use Dispel Magic to target a spell if you don't know what the spell is? (i.e. you see the spell with Detect Magic, but don't get a good enough Spellcraft roll to identify it)

Yep. Targeted dispel, same kind of dispel check. The DM can make the roll if he doesn't want to give away the exact spell effect or caster level.

An area dispel will also work on all ongoing spell effects in a 20' radius, but this won't affect magic items or magical traps. You make a dispel check on each creature or object with an ongoing spell effect, and if you succeed, you can dispel one spell effect per creature/object. If a creature/object has multiple spell effects, you keep checking from highest level to lowest level until you get at least one successful dispel or fail all your checks.

[Lonewolf147]

Thanks Darrin :smallcool:

EDIT: Is there an easy way to distinguish between a Magic Trap and and Spell Trap?

[TuggyNE]

Thanks Darrin :smallcool:

EDIT: Is there an easy way to distinguish between a Magic Trap and and Spell Trap?

Easy? Not necessarily. But greater arcane sight will do the job.

Not sure why you'd need to, though.

[Lonewolf147]

The need would be in how to handle the trap from a disarm/dispel perspective.

How would I know, just from reading a trap description, if Dispel would suppress or dispel the magic of it? That's not generally written out in a traps description, nor is it listed on every spell that can be made into a trap.

Reading around some more, I'm thinking that the difference between the two would be a Magic Trap is an automatic resetting trap that fires off its spell whenever triggered. Where as a Spell Trap is a one time use of the spell.

This would be like a pressure plate that always fires a lightning bolt at the target whenever triggered, or a trapped lock that fires a lightning bolt once when the trap is picked unsuccessfully.