Need Help: Trapmaking

[agumathebear]

hey all, i got a friend that wants the craft skill trapmaking so he can make like nets that catch unsuspecting victims or trip-wires that send a log hurtling down from the treetops, or beartraps, but all i can seem to find is dungeon traps for the DM...can anyone help me out? thanks!

[Cog]

There are two PrCs, Trapsmith in Dungeonscape and Combat Trapsmith in Complete Scoundrel. Until then, DMG II has some 1/2 CR booby traps that can be crafted relatively quickly to tide you over.

The traps you've found already are for players too. I remember the crafting rules being pretty inconvenient for it, though.

[Escheton]

The traps a dm uses against player are also made with craft(trapmaking). The costs involved usually make them less useful for pc's. For that, there are the abovementioned prestiges.

[Skeletor]

Don't forget about spell traps.

[Crosswinds]

The thing about making traps is that, ordinarily, they take a pretty decent amount of time to set up, and require a lot of raw materials.

I tried making a Kobold Factotum/Trapsmith once. The only reason it really worked was because the game we were playing in was more defense-oriented.

For basic traps, things like Caltrops, Marbles, and Wands of grease can be used to herd dumber, more mundane enemies down the path you want them to take to trigger the trap.

Still, that does not eliminate the problems caused by the excessive preparation required for some of the flashier traps.

Encourage the player to find creative ways to use mundane or alchemical items to great effect. Depending on how complicated the trap is, you can probably estimate the DC (Alchemist's Fire on a rope that swings when the rope is cut would be DC 5, while making an inconspicuous Pit Trap would be around DC 10.)