Time required to set a trap?

[LaRayna]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if there is a location in the rules where it mentions how long it normally takes to set up a trap, because I can't find it. Also, this is for pathfinder 1st edition.

[frogglesmash]

They're made using craft (trap making), so presumably they use the same rules to determine crafting time as any other crafting skill.

[LaRayna]

I didn't mean to build them. I mean after they're built. When you set them up in battle to use them on an enemy.

[LaRayna]

Like for example, with the rogue quick trapsmith talent you can set up a trap with cr equal to half your rogue level in a round. What's the time length for setting up a trap without said talent?

[Darg]

The only thing that mentions a time frame is resetting a trap. Obviously setting up a pitfall trap takes more time and effort than a simple trip wire. Even the talent you mentioned is completely up to DM approval. I would suggest talking to your DM and working out a list of times for traps you want to use.

[Wildstag]

This is a fun prompt, in light of recent threads...

So a trap takes about as much time as any Craft check would, which means you figure out the market price of the trap in Silver pieces (10xGP). Then you determine the trap's craft DC, multiply your check result with the DC, then subtract that value from the total cost of the trap.

So for a hilariously bad example, take the CR 1 "Doorknob Smeared with Contact Poison". A craft check is done in weeks for Silver pieces, and days for copper pieces. Let's assume some things about the PC. Firstly, you'll be a level 10 PC with full ranks in Craft (Trapmaking), a minor ring of Craft (Trapmaking) +5, and a +2 Int mod. All told, you have a +20 to the skill checks (you could do better, but let's assume this simple baseline).

Doorknob Smeared with Contact Poison costs 900 on the market. Thus, the total in SP is 9,000. On a given day, you take 10 on your craft check for a result of 30. The DC for crafting it is 20. So multiply 30x20 and you get 600. Subtract that value of SP from the total SP value, and you are left with 1 day of work and 8,400 SP value remaining. That is one week gone already. All told, it will take you 15 weeks to smear the poison on the doorknob.

Now, you could chalk that up to 15 weeks to procure the poison, if you want it to be less bizarre, but that's GM thing. By RAW, it'll take you 15 weeks to put poison on a doorknob.

Next, suppose you could construct the trap in advance, it's just a simple bell attached to some wire, and on either end of the wire is a piton you'll need to hammer into a wall. That'd take a day to make each. Wire doesn't have a listed cost, so it's 12 SP total. In coppers, that's 120. So if you were making a check each day, with Taking 10, you could divide 600 by 120 and get a value of 5. It'd take you a day to make 5 of those traps.

To set it up, I'd just talk to the GM and say "look, I can go over there and hammer a piton into a rock to show you how long it'd take. Adjusting the tension of the wire wouldn't take more than a minute. All told, you mind if it only takes me 2 minutes to set this up?" That's what I'd say is a reasonable amount of time to do all this.

In Pathfinder, the rules aren't really different. To set a trap, you just work with the Craft DC.

If you want, just work with the GM to make approximations of traps that won't take weeks to set up. Maybe move some earth with magic, put a net over it, and cover the net with some disguising leaves and dirt. Now it'll look like a camouflaged pit trap, and only take you ten minutes.

[Rebel7284]

I didn't mean to build them. I mean after they're built. When you set them up in battle to use them on an enemy.

So here is the thing, the main reason the time is not listed, is that you are never meant to do it. The whole point of most traps is to have them set up in advance. The vast majority of traps don't even WORK if the enemy observes you set them up! Now sure, there are ways to be undetectable in combat. There are even ways to make the trap components undetectable as you are setting them up, but that's a TON of work and skill involved. So I would say that for the most part, you just CAN'T use traps in combat unless you have the special training AKA class features that let you. However, if you have a specific scenario in mind, you could talk to your DM and see what they think about the feasibility and time of whatever you are planning to do.

[Uncle Pine]

If you want something faster and handier, a Combat Trapsmith (Complete Scoundrel 34) can craft and set various kinds of traps as a full-round action. At 5th level, this becomes a standard action instead.

[Psyren]

Ranger Traps (https://aonprd.com/RangerTraps.aspx) are a full-round action to set, which can be reduced to a standard with Quick Trapper.

If you mean the type of traps you'd find in a dungeon though, that is probably going to depend. Setting a crushing stone trap for instance is probably going to need some form of access to/construction of the ceiling of the dungeon it's located in.

[Martin Greywolf]

Stepping back from RAW, the reason why no rules are listed is that "trap" is a very vague category. There are so many of them ans with such a variety of things you can do that mechanics can't really cover it properly and not be very silly.

Take your basic pit trap with spikes, it can have sky high DC and horrendous damage if you set it up right - well concealed, long fall. It also takes long time to dig it out - unless you have magic, then digging it is easy and quick. That said, it's not portable at all.

Consider than a humble mine - once it's made, you can set it by dropping it - sure, it's not gonna be well concealed that way, but if the people sprinting after you don't notice it, it will kill them just as hard. Or you could spend some time to bury it just under the surface as mines tend to work. Unless they are kind of mine that goes several feet under.

So the only thing you can really use is your judgement. A round is supposed to be roughly 6 seconds. If you have a mine in your pack and want to just set it down, your limiting factor is how quickly you can get it out of your pack, so probably standard action. If you want to quickly set up a tripwire that goes o to set off a grenade/alchemical fire/whatever, you'll likely need all of those six seconds, so a full round action, or more than one.

Also don't forget that a lot of these can be made quicker at manufacture, for example giving the trap some sort of magnetic or magical sticking ability, then you don't have to attach the various fiddly bits, and time necessary decreases.

[LaRayna]

So I stumbled upon this is the pathfinder booklet for a class called the Artisan, it's called the traveling trap which seems to make everything easier, but I'd like everyone's opinion.

Traveling Trap Aura varies; CL varies Slot none; Price varies; Weight 1 lbs Description: A traveling trap is a magic device trap, and follows the usual rules for crafting such items. However, instead of planting the trap in a single, immovable location, this trap is placed inside a small metal rod that may be carried easily in a pocket or belt pouch. This trap is activated/ deactivated via a command word, and when activated and hidden, the trap springs whenever anyone meets its trigger condition.

[Asmotherion]

Depends on the trap and environment.

I mean, setting up a tripwire with a crossbow, would take what? A minute at best?

Digging a hole can take several hours, and making (or reseting) a complex trap such as flooding a room could take days.

Other factors can include, but are not limited to: Access to spells, having help from others, the environment and how easy it is to hide the trap in it etc.

Things like that are usually either left to DM judjment, or, most usually, are not a factor.

Reseting traps list the condition to be reset, and some traps get automatically reset, probably your best bet for laying them in combat. Or improvising traps, like a portable hole and laying a carpet on top of it. Or an other magical trap that can be crafted with the standard rules.

[Wildstag]

So I stumbled upon this is the pathfinder booklet for a class called the Artisan, it's called the traveling trap which seems to make everything easier, but I'd like everyone's opinion.

Traveling Trap Aura varies; CL varies Slot none; Price varies; Weight 1 lbs Description: A traveling trap is a magic device trap, and follows the usual rules for crafting such items. However, instead of planting the trap in a single, immovable location, this trap is placed inside a small metal rod that may be carried easily in a pocket or belt pouch. This trap is activated/ deactivated via a command word, and when activated and hidden, the trap springs whenever anyone meets its trigger condition.

Fairly certain that’s third party. If your GM is the type to allow it, good for you though.


I mean, setting up a tripwire with a crossbow, would take what? A minute at best?

Digging a hole can take several hours, and making (or reseting) a complex trap such as flooding a room could take days.

Other factors can include, but are not limited to: Access to spells, having help from others, the environment and how easy it is to hide the trap in it etc.


I feel like a crossbow tripwire would take longer than a minute. You’d need to mount the crossbow so that the wire doesn’t yank the crossbow and mess up the line of fire. You’d want to test the aim of the crossbow, make sure it is gonna hit the tripper. You’d probably need a pulley system or pieces to allow a change of direction for the wire to even be able to pull the trigger.

Basically you would need enough moving parts that setting it up would require work and calibration testing.

Digging a hole for a pit trap would be quick if you have two hands, but the harder part is moving the dirt in an inconspicuous way. A wheelbarrow would leave marks, as would just placing dirt on the ground. And you’d also need to be carrying shovels with you during your travels.

[Batcathat]

Digging a hole for a pit trap would be quick if you have two hands, but the harder part is moving the dirt in an inconspicuous way. A wheelbarrow would leave marks, as would just placing dirt on the ground. And you’d also need to be carrying shovels with you during your travels.

If you're able to camouflage the giant hole in the ground, it's probably not hard to hide the wheelbarrow tracks.

[LaRayna]

Fairly certain that’s third party. If your GM is the type to allow it, good for you though.



I feel like a crossbow tripwire would take longer than a minute. You’d need to mount the crossbow so that the wire doesn’t yank the crossbow and mess up the line of fire. You’d want to test the aim of the crossbow, make sure it is gonna hit the tripper. You’d probably need a pulley system or pieces to allow a change of direction for the wire to even be able to pull the trigger.

Basically you would need enough moving parts that setting it up would require work and calibration testing.

Digging a hole for a pit trap would be quick if you have two hands, but the harder part is moving the dirt in an inconspicuous way. A wheelbarrow would leave marks, as would just placing dirt on the ground. And you’d also need to be carrying shovels with you during your travels.

Fortunately yes. As long as the book has the pathfinder associated logo stamp on it, he let's us use it. So I figure by that description, the trap could be set up magically via command word?