Disable Device

• Ability Score Used: Dexterity
• Usable Untrained? No
• Armor Check Penalty Applies? Yes

You are skilled at disarming traps and opening locks. In addition, this skill lets you sabotage simple mechanical devices, such as catapults, wagon wheels, and doors. To use this skill, you must be adjacent to the trap or device in question.

Table: Common Disable Device Task DCs, Time Required and Modifiers

Device	Time	DC1	Take 10?	Take 20?	Example or Special Notes
Disable or rig simple device	1 round	10	-	-	Jam a lock
Disable or rig1 tricky device	1d4 rounds	151			Sabotage a wagon wheel1
Disable or rig1 difficult device	2d4 rounds	201			Disable or reset a trap
Open a simple lock		20/30	Yes	Yes	Number after the slash is without using proper tools
Disable or rig1 extremely complex device	2d4 rounds	251			Disable or reset a complex trap, cleverly sabotage a clockwork device
Open an average lock		25/35	Yes	Yes	Number after the slash is without using proper tools
Disable a magic trap (such as a symbol spell)	varies	25 + spell level2			Only characters with the trapfinding class feature can disarm magic traps.
Open a good lock		30/40	Yes	Yes	Number after the slash is without using proper tools
Open an amazing lock		40/50	Yes	Yes	Number after the slash is without using proper tools

• ¹: If you attempt to leave behind no trace of your tampering, add 5 to the DC.
• ²: See spell descriptions for specific details

Common Uses

Disarm Trap or Device

When disarming a trap or other device, the Disable Device check is made secretly, so that you don't necessarily know whether you've succeeded.

The DC depends on how tricky the device is. Disabling (or rigging or jamming) a fairly simple device has a DC of 10; more intricate and complex devices have higher DCs.

If the check succeeds, you disable the device. If it fails by 4 or less, you have failed but can try again. If you fail by 5 or more, something goes wrong. If the device is a trap, you spring it. If you're attempting some sort of sabotage, you think the device is disabled, but it still works normally.

Special: A rogue who beats a trap's DC by 10 or more can study the trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (along with her companions) without disarming it.

Retry? You can retry checks made to disable traps if you miss the check by 4 or less, though you must be aware that you fail in order to try again.

Sabotage Mechanical Item

You also can rig simple devices such as saddles or wagon wheels to work normally for a while and then fail or fall off some time later (usually after 1d4 rounds or minutes of use

Open a Lock

The DC to open a lock depends on the lock's quality: simple (DC 20), average (DC 25), good (DC 30), or superior (DC 40).

Modifiers: If you do not have a set of thieves' tools, these DCs increase by 10.

Retry? Yes. You can retry checks made to open locks.

Table: Disable Device DCs to Open Locks

Lock Quality	DC
Simple	20
Average	25
Good	30
Amazing	40

Action

The amount of time needed to make a Disable Device check depends on the task:

• Simple Device: Disabling a simple device takes 1 round and is a full-round action.
• Complex/Intricate Device: An intricate or complex device requires 1d4 or 2d4 rounds. Attempting to open a lock is a full-round action.

Modifiers

Feats: If you have the Deft Hands feat, you get a +2 feat bonus on Disable Device skill checks. This bonus increases if you have certain numbers of ranks in the skill.

Magical Traps

Characters with the trapfinding class feature can disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the spell level of the magic used to create it.

The spells fire trap, glyph of warding, symbol, and teleportation circle also create traps that a rogue can disarm with a successful Disable Device check. Spike growth and spike stones, however, create magic traps against which Disable Device checks do not succeed. See the individual spell descriptions for details.

Epic Skill Uses

Note: All uses below require a minimum of 21 Ranks in the skill to use.

fast disarm

Reduce the time required to disarm a trap or open a lock by taking a -5 penalty on your Disable Device check for each step by which you reduce the time required: 2d4 rounds, 1d4 rounds, 1 round, a standard action, a move action, a swift action.

disable magical traps

If you have 21 or more ranks in Disable Device, you can disarm magical traps at a -10 penalty even if you lack the trapfinding ability. If you possess the trapfinding ability, when attempting to disable magic traps, you never trigger them, even if you perform the trigger action (such as looking at a symbol). If you fail the check, you can still trigger the trap, and you can't use this ability to bypass it.

trap mastery

If you are in the area of effect of a trap's effects or damage, you can attempt to mitigate the effects or damage the trap deals to you using a Disable Device check as an immediate action (adding your trap sense bonus, if any) instead of your AC or relevant saving throw. If you succeed, you take half damage (or no damage if you exceed the DC by at least 10).

sabotage trap

(beat the trap's DC by 20) - alter trap to trigger either when you say, or when next enemy passes it. takes 1 full round of access to trap.