A character based around using traps?

[saintstardust]

With Xanathar's inclusion of the snare spell which offers the cheapest (glyph of warding and symbol both have hefty gold costs) magical trap I think available, I was wondering if anyone had ideas on making a character built around sneaking, laying traps, and ranged attacks? Snare is available to druids, rangers, and wizards so I'm guessing it would have to be based around one of those classes, or at least with a dip.

The other portion that comes to mind is a Rogue 3 (Thief) with the Fast Hands feature to drop hunting traps, caltrops, and ball bearings as a Cunning Action. Expertise is Stealth would help, as well as double proficiency in thieves' tools to Set a Trap as part of a short rest (as a tool option).

[Idkwhatmyscreen]

Most combat is static. You are in one location for the entire battle

Most traps are static. They sit in one place until triggered.

How often do you have as a player, have access to the battleground before the enemy? In most campaigns, you are going to the encounters, the encounters are not coming to you. For a trap based character to work, you need to be playing in a campaign where you are in control of the battlefield 90% of the time.

[Naanomi]

Fabricate does wonders with making traps mid battlefield

[JackPhoenix]

You can't really do this stealthily in hostile territory either... dropping pile of metal caltrops or setting up trap is noisy. Maybe marbles, but not on any hard surface.

Prepare battlefield up front, sure. Once in a game, my level 3 rogue/monk decided to try to solo bunch of undead (ghouls, didn't identified what they were IC) we've found in a dungeon and left locked in a room while the rest of the party rested. I decided to go all "Home Alone" on them... caltrops, marbles, hunting traps borrowed from our ranger, some trash that would slow down them but not me (Mobile feat + BA Dash = what difficult terrain?), some oil ready to be set on fire, undisarmed flamethrowing trap, while running and shooting...

3 ghouls should be deadly encounter for 3 level 3 characters. I was alone. They didn't stand a chance.

[Mellack]

Fabricate does wonders with making traps mid battlefield

Fabricate has a 10 minute cast time.

[Avigor]

I'd advise not just thieve's tools but also tinker's tools, and learn halfling, dwarven, gnomish, and draconic so you can read treatises on traps by all the experts, and have your guy toting around a book filled with designs for traps that he calls his "trapbook".

[JellyPooga]

I'd advise not just thieve's tools but also tinker's tools, and learn halfling, dwarven, gnomish, and draconic so you can read treatises on traps by all the experts, and have your guy toting around a book filled with designs for traps that he calls his "trapbook".

Does this "Trapbook" list all the "Traps" he's learned, delineated by "Level" from 1 to 9, each of which has a distinct "Setting" time, range and effect, their effects adjudicated by his "Trapsetting" modifier (Intelligence, of course), with DC's for many. Hmm...sounds sort of familar....:smallwink:

[Zanthy1]

Does this "Trapbook" list all the "Traps" he's learned, delineated by "Level" from 1 to 9, each of which has a distinct "Setting" time, range and effect, their effects adjudicated by his "Trapsetting" modifier (Intelligence, of course), with DC's for many. Hmm...sounds sort of familar....:smallwink:

I like the idea of this

[Throne12]

Its how you want to build this character. i love the idea of a trap master character. But the problem set up time. But first go v-human feat skilled for a few tool profs like Carpentry amd smithing . Then rogue Thief 3 for fast hands. Then Illusionis wizard. If you throw down caltrops then cast a spell like earth tremor there movement it like is so low and they will be taking extra damage when moving. (Death by a thousand cuts). Or have dancing lights casted the bonuses action throw down caltrops then cast fog cloud and just run around outside of the fog cloud. So the monster inside is running back and fourth on the caltrops. Then lights let them know about were you are. Then there the mold earth to quickly dig a hole then put some pokey sticks in the bottom then cast minor illusion to cover it up. Then when they fall in throw ballbarings around the top of the hole. So why Illusionis create illusionary traps then make them real. Quick trap set up. Throw down a lot of bear traps then cast fog cloud over them.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

If you made a ranger then they already can use ranged weapons and stealth and along with the survival ability you could make them a trapper/Hunter.

[the_brazenburn]

A new weapon model... the mousetrap-on-a-stick.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

A new weapon model... the mousetrap-on-a-stick.

Mouse trap on a stick is not as good as a rat trap on a stick ;)
Or a ...goblin trap on a stick XD

[Danielqueue1]

Mouse trap on a stick is not as good as a rat trap on a stick ;)
Or a ...goblin trap on a stick XD

I just imagined a beartrap on a stick spiked teeth and everything could be devastating if you hit someone in the head with it. (homebrew is about to happen)

a trap centric character really depends on your group and party. with a highly mobile party where you can lead enemies into traps, or better, lead enemies into a room full of traps it would be excellent. you may need a bag of holding to manage all those traps, maybe a homebrew magic vacuum for the caltrops and such.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

I just imagined a beartrap on a stick spiked teeth and everything could be devastating if you hit someone in the head with it. (homebrew is about to happen)

a trap centric character really depends on your group and party. with a highly mobile party where you can lead enemies into traps, or better, lead enemies into a room full of traps it would be excellent. you may need a bag of holding to manage all those traps, maybe a homebrew magic vacuum for the caltrops and such.

My thoughts exactly. If you hit someones weapon with it, it would throw off the balance. Also the tiers go from mouse trap to tarrasque trap (it takes 40 people to set it and 10 to lift it. You bait it with a small town.)

[The Shadowdove]

I've always enjoyed traps in rpgs.

The main problem, however, is always that realistically it takes a long time for them to be efficient unless the game has all sorts of gimmicks made especially to cater that that single character's intended playstyle.

Most campaigns alongside other players have a fair chunk of adventurers with little time to run ahead preparing traps to lure foes into.

Also, the mindset is all wrong. Traps are a game of patience, chance, and herding strategy. You don't run into a dungeon and just expect all of your foes to walk into every trap you lay moment before engaging.

Even a simple snare is something you come back to later, after laying it in a well traversed or unavoidable path, in hopes of an animal having been caught.

Expecting them to be something you use reliably most of the time even is asking for a very understanding party and dm who are willing to adjust the entire game to play along with this one character's needs.

If you were going to make a trapper. Thief for fast hands and expertise survival/stealth/etc. Maybe ranger thematically for it's survivalist abilities. Maybe gloomstalker for hit and run/darkness stuff.

Maybe mage if you must use magical traps, which have the most offered legitimate opponent triggered effects. Or shadow monk to teleport and cover your retreat.

[Quoxis]

Are you guys about to build the classic clown-gadget Joker here?

Jokes aside: isn't there that ranger spell that lets you plant arrows in the ground that attack enemies by themselves if they get too close?

[Avigor]

*snip*But first go v-human feat skilled for a few tool profs like Carpentry amd smithing .*snip*

Forgot tools and skills earlier when I listed the languages. Alchemists Tools, Carpentry Tools, Masonry Tools, Poisoner's Kit, Smithing Tools, Thieves' Tools, and Herbalism Kit for certain parts (at least for your ultimate goal of building the ultimate trap-filled maze to show off your abilities if not for in-game use like some would be). For skills, Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, Perception, and Survival could all be fluffed as having at least some degree of synergy (Arcana for magical traps details, History for knowing trap engineer styles and placement tactics, Investigation to reverse-engineer mechanical traps, Nature for synergy with Survival for hunting and/or noticing things out of place in natural environments, Perception to notice a trap).

[Unoriginal]

With Xanathar's inclusion of the snare spell which offers the cheapest (glyph of warding and symbol both have hefty gold costs) magical trap I think available, I was wondering if anyone had ideas on making a character built around sneaking, laying traps, and ranged attacks? Snare is available to druids, rangers, and wizards so I'm guessing it would have to be based around one of those classes, or at least with a dip.

The other portion that comes to mind is a Rogue 3 (Thief) with the Fast Hands feature to drop hunting traps, caltrops, and ball bearings as a Cunning Action. Expertise is Stealth would help, as well as double proficiency in thieves' tools to Set a Trap as part of a short rest (as a tool option).


You could use the spell Tiny Servant from the Xanathar's on your traps and have them set themselves

[GlenSmash!]

Spike growth is about the best trap I have used in 5e. I was playing a Hunter Ranger.

Edit: Thought I should add more details.

It was fun to sneak up on my enemies, cast spike growth, then lay into them with my Longbow, as they charged toward my, they failed the wisdom save to notice the spike growth and each took 6d4 damage.

[saintstardust]

Another interesting interaction: A rogue 1/warlock (tome) 3 could take Aspect of the Moon to not have to sleep and use a long rest near enemy territory to set up traps (1/short rest) with expertise in thieves' tools.

[Danielqueue1]

Also if your DM likes using those randomly generated dungeon maps with all of those wierd tunnels, you could lay traps, snares and alarms along the paths you are not taking so that things trying to get around behind you have a solid chance of getting hurt or at least making noise as they get closer.

That being said, the DM could also use that to really show how dangerous the mini-boss is. "The hulking figure lumbers towards you, not seeming to even notice the bear trap attached to it's right foot the securing peg clattering along behind. the soles of its boots filled with caltrops. It raises its club and charges at you. roll initiative"