Crafting Traps

[Ponce]

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/craft.htm

Crafting. The simplest trap in the DMG I could find had a craft DC of 20, and a market price of 400 gold pieces (4000 silver pieces).

Assume you are a mid-level kobold wizard with masterwork artisan's tools, and you have a +20 bonus on craft (traps) checks. If you rolled a 20, your total skill check result would be 40. If you multiply this by the DC (20) you get a result of 800. It would therefore take 5 weeks of dedicated work to craft the simplest trap in the game, and it would still cost you 135 gold pieces. (800 x 5 = 4000, the cost of the trap in silver pieces).

I understand this is for mechanical traps. Are these numbers correct? Is this realistic? The DC required to make traps is extremely high compared to other items, they run very high prices, and it takes many weeks of work to create even the simplest traps.

But, from what I understand, this is for simple mechanical traps. I have read the DMG section on creating magical traps, but I'm afraid I don't understand it in relation to casters. If the crafter can cast all spells associated with the trap he wishes to make, what sort of costs does he incur? Does he actually have to use these high prices as the basis for the craft check?

Are traps something that should be house ruled?

[Lord Lorac Silvanos]

Magical traps have to abide by the same rules except for a few spells where the mechanics for using them as traps are specifically mentioned.

The rules are a signal that crafting is for DMs only (and extremely dedicated PCs).

If you want to encourage traps in the game you could house rule it to make it a lot easier to use.

Complete Scoundrel is probably also worth a look.

[Yechezkiel]

Song and Silence, the 3.0 book, had expanded on traps a good deal. The rules/DCs can't be much different if you're DM allows.

[Rincewind]

Protip: Don't craft traps.
Your DM would probably allow you to make improvised trap if there be need, but I don't thing it'd be anything near fun crafting traps...
I mean, you put them down somewhere and wait for other PC's to come and fall victim.... Yuck.
Rather, Craft explosive potions... Dwarven ale + cloth on the mouth of the bottle... Ignite it somehow, and throw...

[ZeroNumerous]

Why craft a trap when you can just cast an Persistant Sepia Snake Sigil or Extended Symbol of Insanity on your front door every day?

[Rincewind]

Why craft a trap when you can just cast an Persistant Sepia Snake Sigil or Extended Symbol of Insanity on your front door every day?

Hear the man.

[TheOOB]

Of course, if you are a powerful spellcaster, Trap the Soul is the best trap...ever.

[JellyPooga]

Trap crafting is one of the rules I've always hated. Taken literally, they say that it takes several weeks of work to dig a pit, a few days to set up a trip-wire and a couple of years to smear a contact poison on a doorknob.

My personal advice is to throw out the rules that exist and make up your own rules. As has been said, they exist simpy to prohibit PC's from making them, which is just daft.

I'm not sure if an all-encompasing "Trap-making" mechanic is viable (after all, there are several 'difficulties' of trap, from a covered pit to a pressure pad, in a dungeon complex, that tips the victim into a pot of boiling acid whislt simultaneously firing several arrrows down the corridor), but perhaps you could divide them into Simple Traps and Complex traps. The former has crafting times measured in minutes and hours, the latter has crafting times measured in days and weeks. Dunno though, I'll have to give it some thought.

[Ponce]

Why craft a trap when you can just cast an Persistant Sepia Snake Sigil or Extended Symbol of Insanity on your front door every day?

Of course, if you are a powerful spellcaster, Trap the Soul is the best trap...ever.

The character has not quite achieved that level of power yet, unfortunately. One day...

The campaign is a solo one, in which the only PC is a kobold spellcaster. Mechanically, traps are probably not his strongest course of action, but we find it suits him and would like to explore the possibility.

The rules are a signal that crafting is for DMs only (and extremely dedicated PCs).

As has been said, they exist simpy to prohibit PC's from making them, which is just daft.

Ah, I see. I guess we'll just wing it then.

Thanks for the help, everyone. I'll get the mentioned reference material.