Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Magrus 01-17-08, 01:54 PM	I've got a player who is running a Trapsmith/Wizard gestalt in a game where the party is defending an arcane tower who is wanting to trap the walls. I like that he's thinking of doing this, however, he stumbled upon a half-baked idea in the DMG2 (pg 45) without creation rules. As I can see it now, the base is this: True Seeing and Non-Detection used in the base, constant effect/ auto-reset. +4 more spells of whichever the creator chooses. As I am seeing it, the rules in the DMG2 don't count incorporating the first two base spells, at all. The cost of including those in a magic trap as based in the DMG rules is as follows: True Seeing, 6th level Wizard spell: 500 gp x 12 x 6 = 36000; Components: 250 x 100 = 2,500 gp; XP: 40 x 12 x 6 = 2880 XP Nondetection, 3rd level Wizard spell: 500 gp x 5 x 3 = 7500; Components: 50 x 100 = 5,000 gp; XP: 40 x 5 x 3= 600 XP For a total of 51000 gp and 3480 in XP in creation just that alone. Am I missing something here, or have the designers put out a trap system that is completely under- priced and discounting using some expensive mid level spells as a base for their turret system as a free upgrade off of their basic magical trap system in the original DMG? I love the idea of him thinking tactically and wanting to set up magic turrets, but the rules here don't seem right for power balance.
Justisaur 01-17-08, 03:15 PM	Traps are a big mess to begin with. Normal Magical Device Traps can use True Seeing in them for free as well, but it is required to be cast during the creation. The non-detection is therefore the only freebie. It doesn't seem like much as I can't think of much the non-detection could do for the trap. That's not too much of a freebie for being required to put 4 other spells in it of the same level, different schools, and same spell list. The basis appears to be 125gp X Spell Level X Caster Level X 4 spells, and you need craft wondrous item. If I follow right a normal auto-reset trap would have a 500 gp X Spell Level X Caster Level. But since the spells go off one per round it's about the same effect, possibly slightly less due to the 'healing' round. You also have the issue of being easily targeted, and therefore destroyed, which may not be able to be done so easily with a normal trap. I