Trapsmith (3.5e Prestige Class)

Trapsmith
"What makes me a good demoman? If I were a bad demoman I wouldn't be sitting here, discussing it with you, now would I?!"

The hiss of a fuse. The sparkle of gases mixing. The sight of an explosion in a mushroom cloud darkening the battlefield. All these are things that trapsmiths deal with on a daily basis. The masters of their craft, trapsmiths use their traps to impede their enemies, dazzling them in countless ways and causing them to continue wondering where they are all the while forcing them to be ripped apart by the sheer power of the traps laid to cause them harm. It is a hard life as a trapsmith--at any moment, you might light a fuse at the wrong time, fumble a lethal trap, or forget where you laid a trap half-a-minute ago. However, the adrenaline and mental challenge that awaits the trapsmith is a lure that some find irresistible.

Trapsmith
Many with a penchant for destruction and mayhem may become petty trapmakers, but only those most devoted to the creation of the intricate mechanical work needed to bring the traps to life become trapsmiths. Often enough rogues, factotums, rangers, and similar classes become trapsmiths, though in theory any class can become one with the proper training. Trapsmiths excel the most when they have high mental scores, though this isn't a hard requirement.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the trapsmith.

The the beginning of each encounter, a trapsmith begins with a number of Trap Points equal to one-half his Wisdom modifier plus one-half his ranks in Craft (Trapmaking). These are used when creating traps, fueling movements that have become almost instinctive with the many times that the trapsmith has armed his creations. By taking a swift action followed by a standard action, the trapsmith may refill his trap points to the number he began the encounter with.

 (Ex): With his knowledge of traps, a trapsmith may create a trap from the barest materials. Even in a desert wasteland, somehow he seems to find the bits and pieces needed to make traps, at times appearing to pull materials out of nowhere. With almost god-like intuition on the crafting of traps, the trapsmith knows the schematics for a number of traps. Each trap has a required class level; at each level, the trapsmith chooses a single trap of the highest level he qualifies for (see the level below) to add to his repertoire, and another of each level below that. For example, a fourth level trapsmith would know four first-level traps, three second-level traps, two third-level traps, and a single fourth-level trap. In order to use a trap, the trapsmith must expend a number of Trap Points equal to the trap's level requirement.

If triggered, traps usually have some effect that the person who triggered it suffers, each effect lasting one round. Furthermore, unless specifically stated, traps deal an amount of damage equal to 2d6 per trap point spent (maximum number of trap points equal to one's class level), and another 1d6 for every two character levels the character possesses, though they allow a Reflex save for half damage. Traps that are untriggered remain viable for three rounds before becoming inert and useless. The DC of a trap for both the save against damage and the secondary effect is equal to 10 + class level + one-fourth character level + Intelligence modifier.

Traps can be thrown or laid down as a standard action, and have a range increment of 15'. A trapsmith may target a specific square an enemy is within with a trap, but to do this he must make a ranged attack roll; should he miss, the enemy gains a +2 to his save against the trap, and should the attack roll total be less than 10, the trap doesn't even reach its intended square (roll as per a grenade-like weapon). Traps that are already layed into which an enemy walks force the enemy to take a -2 penalty to their saves against the trap.



 (Ex): A trapsmith has learned much of evading the threats of fireballs and boulders launched his way by traps, and gains the ability to take no damage or detrimental effects whatsoever on a successful Reflex save against an ability or effect.

At fourth level this ability improves, and if a trapsmith would normally incur a lesser effect on a successful save normally from a damaging ability, he instead takes this lesser effect on a failed Reflex save against an effect.

 (Ex): The trapsmith is experienced in the movement of both friends and foes, calling out at just the right moment for a friend to avoid the primed trap that was about to go off, or shouting an enemy into confusion through both bluffs and truths to get them to step into a set trap. At 2nd level, a trapsmith may use an Immediate action to cause a creature within 100' to move 5' in any direction if they fail a Will save (DC 10 + Class level + one-fourth character level + Charisma modifier) at a cost of one Trap Point for every 5' of movement. This counts as a Language-Dependent, Mind-Affecting effect, and movement caused by this ability provokes no Attack of Opportunity.

At 4th level, the trapsmith's powers grow, and he is able to pierce the language barriers between himself and targets through empathic gesturing and loud noises. At this level, Look Out! is no longer Language-Dependent, and the Trapsmith may move a creature up to 10'.

At 5th level, the trapsmith's voice carries an added dimension, allowing him to force enemies to trip and fall over themselves in their haste to follow his commands which ring to their core. At this level, Look Out! is no longer a Mind-Affecting effect, and the Trapsmith may move a creature up to 15'.

 (Ex): Between all the traps that he's failed to dodge and the poisons that he's worked to apply to his own traps, the trapsmith has developed an immunity to all poisons.

 (Ex): Not only fireballs and boulders may act as a detriment to the trapsmith's ability to navigate a dungeon successfully, but also magical traps plague him. Thus, a trapsmith learns his way around such traps and effects, foiling their creators at every turn. He gains the ability to take no damage or detrimental effects whatsoever on a successful Fortitude or Will save against an ability or effect.

At fourth level this ability improves, and if a trapsmith would normally incur a lesser effect on a successful save normally from a damaging ability, he instead takes this lesser effect on a failed Fortitude or Will save against an effect.

 (Su): The trapsmith has crossed so many traps and magical sensors undetected that the movements have become natural--he does not even need to think about it. After reaching 3rd level, magical sensors and traps (such as Explosive Runes, Glyph of Warding, or Symbol of Pain) do not register, threaten, or harm the Trapsmith unless triggered by another creature.

At fifth level this ability improves, protecting the trapsmith from all devices, powers, and spells that reveal location. This ability protects against information gathering by divination spells or effects that reveal location. The ability even foils limited wish, miracle, and wish when they are used to gain information about the trapsmith’s location (however, Metafaculty can pierce this protective barrier). In the case of scrying that scans an area a trapsmith is in, the effect works, but the trapsmith simply isn’t detected. Remote viewing or scrying attempts that are targeted specifically at a trapsmith do not work.

Playing a Trapsmith
Combat: Trapsmiths can often be found near the thick of things, as second-liners who support their more martial comrades with a host of traps, moving enemies into disadvantageous positions or their comrades out of harm's way. They might also stand at the front of a group, serving as scouts and trapspringers through their vast knowledge on how traps work.

Advancement: Just about any character from any class that has the skills necessary to enter this class can do so, though most often it is entered by scouts and rogues who wish to emphasize their trapping skills in combat.

Resources: Most adventuring companies carry a trapsmith or two to rat out enemy traps, though many military organizations employ them as well for ambushes and the like. Many organizations are willing to bring on trapsmiths as a reserve or wildcard should any battles break out, and many trapsmiths do little but tinker in their downtime.

Trapsmiths in the World
"Ouch!"

To put food on the table, many trapsmiths can be found as wilderness trappers, laying in wait for animals that they can bring down for fur or resources. Trapsmiths like nothing more than to tinker endlessly with mechanisms and various objects, constantly thinking of new ways to create deadly traps that can bring down great beasts at a moment's warning.

NPC Reactions: Most commonfolk are ambivalent to trapsmiths, seeing their work as nothing special beyond what most trappers do in the wild. Some, however, see a portion of the trapsmith's power, and are astounded at the display of light, sound, and deadliness that accompanies a trapsmith's trade. These either remain in awe of the trapsmith, or their emotions quickly turn to hate and the trapsmith might be run out of town.

Trapsmith Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Local) can research trapsmiths to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Trapsmiths in the Game
Trapsmiths are often battlefield controllers and damage dealers, threatening to deal sizable amounts of damage if an enemy moves the wrong way. They can also be used to neutralize enemies with their status effects, allowing them a measure of utility when controlling their foes.

Adaptation: Trapsmiths don't necessarily have to create mundane mechanical traps; instead, they can be runes and glyphs that glow with an arcane light and written on slabs of stone which can then be thrown towards enemies, going off in strange and mystifying colors and shapes as the forces held within are unleashed.