The Case for 20 Ranks of Create Trap

Dr_Chill

Dr_Chill

Fighter
Is there a case to justify taking that many ranks of the skill? Has anyone out there actually done this?
 
1. Not at this time.

2. I know of a couple people who've done it in the past, but they spirit forged them away last rules change.
 
I've seen someone with that many, but as Toddo says, I'm pretty sure they forged it away last rules forge. I can't really see any reason to have that many presently, unless your chapter has some LCO mastercrafting stuff going. Per RAW, all it does is allow you to burn money into the trap system at a slight discount, which is (I would say) absolutely the least effective production point system in the game as far as getting any useful result out of investment. Traps are okay on paper, but massively situational. There really isn't much if any call for the size of batches 20 ranks could create, and paying 8 silver a pop for 50 point Explosive traps (which only have a 5' radius, recall) is not a worthwhile investment.

Being able to set a trap in 30 seconds instead of 60 isn't nearly as good as, say, 30 second refits, either. It's not as if you're going to be setting traps in combat often. If you are, I suspect the rest of the players around you are going to start resenting the constant holds to determine just what got hit when they go off. :(

It seems like a useful thing on paper, though, doesn't it. I would love for traps to be a bit more useful, but the sort of changes that would make them so would also have a fair chance to make them murder to run into on mods.
 
I personally believe Create Trap primarily exists to make Legerdemain useful. >.>
 
Does it, though? I mean, 99% of all things Legerdemain I ever encountered were either my traps or something plot put out, but that may have been a chapter thing. People out here in the Midwest seemed to prefer just stashing stuff in a Ward rather than bothering with easily circumvented locks, given the commonality of Shatter effects.
 
We've had one PC that did traps well enough that I could see him using 20 ranks of trap. The issue is they traps require a very significant amount of OOG effort to prep the reps etc. in order to use, and even then are very plot team specific on HOW effective it is.
 
Traps taking 60 seconds, or even 30 seconds, is an eon. Plus being hit with anything causes it to auto trigger. I don't have to wait that long to drink my potion or to apply my weapon coatings or to call my incants. Rituals take 5+ minutes sans quickening but you are protected by a mandated spell (C.O.P.). I feel that the reason less traps are used is simply because the time it takes. If I could call a trap set as soon as I pull the lever back and secure it in place and tie my already ran line to it (I can set a mouse trap in like 5-10 seconds depending on sensitivity of the bar) I would set traps all the time. But I can't, so I wont.

Is 20 ranks worth it? No. It's really not. 20 ranks of others are not really worth it (except blacksmithing). Yeah it takes longer to identify, but you weren't doing anthing then anyway. :p Reading scrolls in the dark? You need to know the scrolls you have anyway so a light is useful. Short of making lots and lots of things, 20 ranks isn't giving me much of a benefit, IMO.
 
What if the master bonus were the ability to move a trap that's already been set? So you could set a trap somewhere relatively safe, and then pick it up and drop if where it's useful in combat (with restrictions like carrying with both hands, goes off if you take body damage, etc). Ignoring for the moment the logistics of trap usage, would that be a good enough benefit to justify getting 20 ranks?
 
That's not a bad idea. Definitely makes it more useful. I would much rather it be "arming a trap takes as long as it takes for you to physically do so." lol
 
I love traps, and while none of my PCs have legerdemain or create trap yet (it's in the plan, though), I like to use them as often as possible as a plot guy and bring my "trap kit" to every event. I've always said that, while there are many different reasons people don't use traps, there are two major ones: The time requirement for setting a trap and the container volume.

I personally would have zero issue removing both of these limitations, letting people set traps in as short a time as it takes for them to set the trap and without having to lug around big containers. If I can pick a lock in 5 seconds flat, I don't need to spend 55 more seconds with my hands on the lock "unlocking it", so if I can set my trap rep in 5 seconds flat, why do I need to spend 55 more seconds with my hands on the trap "setting it"? Setting traps is one of the only things in our game that places a 100% phys-reppable action and completely negates it in favor of just a counted action. If Person A is experienced with trap gear can set a trap in 5 seconds, but Person B is inexperienced with trap gear and can set the same trap in 120 seconds, all the current rules do is screw over Person A and don't effect Person B at all. It just discourages people with clever devices and prowess at setting them into performing counted actions that supersede fun, which I say is the opposite of what our game should strive to do.

With the exception of big ol' plot traps the PCs are setting ("Here, take this 1'-cube mega-dynamite to go collapse the tunnel! It'll take 5 minutes to set properly, and don't get hit with any flame while you're carrying it 'cause there won't be anything left of you if you do!"), I think these limitations just detract from PCs' enjoyment of using traps. Is there a real reason to keep them other than "that's just the way it's been"? Does anyone really enjoy having to take 60 seconds to set the 3.5" x 3.5" x 3" block they've had to lug around when they could just spend 10 seconds to set the trigger device they can fit in their pouch?
 
kalindra said:
What if the master bonus were the ability to move a trap that's already been set? So you could set a trap somewhere relatively safe, and then pick it up and drop if where it's useful in combat (with restrictions like carrying with both hands, goes off if you take body damage, etc). Ignoring for the moment the logistics of trap usage, would that be a good enough benefit to justify getting 20 ranks?
Click to expand...

My concern with being able to move traps is that we probably don't want specific rules to enable suicide bombing as a valid in-game tactic. Because that'd be the most effective use of the ability. Set all your explosive/flame/etc traps, go into fights, and either detonate yourself or wait for someone to pick up your stuff/body and blow up as soon as they move.
 
Actually, that used to a tactic of a character out here on the West Coast. The rules used to be written where if you were interrupted setting a trap it would go off. Not just go off on the person setting it, but go off in a normal 5ft radius. As a Barbarian, he would have Resist Element a couple times, take a few Flame Traps out into the middle of the big bad battle, begin setting a trap, and as soon as an NPC hit him he would call a hold, pull out a 5ft rope, and say everyone takes "X" Flame and he would call "Resist" to it.

It took about two years, I think, for the rules to change so he couldn't do that anymore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top