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 mechanical devices, such as catapults, wagon wheels, and doors. You can even use disable device to perform more elaborate bits of sabotage, such as slowing down or speeding up a clock, so someone leaves for an appointment at the wrong time.

To use this skill, you must be adjacent to the lock, trap or device in question.

All attempts to disable a trap, pick a lock, jimmy a door, sabotage a siege weapon, rig a device, etc, are undertaken on the same timescale. This scale ranges from 2d4 rounds, to 1d4 rounds, to 1 round, then to a standard action, a move action, or finally a swift action. Under normal circumstances it is impossible to disable a trap or any other use of this skill any faster than that, and under normal circumstances, no matter how fast you do it, you can't use this skill more than once per round.

All attempts to disable a trap, pick a lock, jimmy a door, sabotage a siege weapon, rig a device, etc, assume the device, lock, etc is sized appropriately for a creature of size small/medium. Trying to pick a lock made for a race of extra-dimensional sprites who are size 'Fine' means you're trying to pick a lock so small you can barely find it, much less get a tool in it. Conversely, trying to disable the Great Wheel of Grantopia, a size Titanic-Plus water wheel, should be simple, except you need something the size of an armored galleon to jam into it. Such attempts can be made, but there is a penalty, see below.

Pick Lock

You can use disable device to pick a lock. You must be adjacent to the lock to attempt to pick it.
Action Required:	Full-round action
DC of Check:	The base DC to pick a lock varies, based on the quality of the lock. Higher quality locks are often magically enhanced, but unless the specific magical effect states otherwise, the fact that a lock is magic or mundane does not affect its DC to pick. Quality of Lock DC to Pick Simple 20 Average 25 Good 30 Superior 40 Peerless 50
Modifiers to Check	Thieves' Tools: If you do not have a set of thieves' tools, these DCs increase by 10. Leave No Trace: Trying to pick a lock without leaving any traces you did it increases the DC by 5. Size Disparity: For every size category difference between you, and the size of the creature for whom the lock was designed, the DC increases by 2. Thus, a sized-small creature attempting to pick a sized-large creature's lock (or vice versa) would suffer a -4 penalty, since there is a two size categories difference. Defensive Lock Picking: You may attempt to pick a lock without provoking attacks of opportunity, but doing so increases the DC by 10, +2 for each additional creature after the first. Taking 10/Taking 20: Since (non-trapped) locks have no consequences for failure, you can take 10 or even take 20 on a pick lock check, if you are willing to take extra time to do so. If you take 10 or take 20, you cannot reduce the time it takes to pick the lock, regardless of your check result; it always takes a full-round action if you take 10, and it always takes 20 rounds (2 minutes) if you take 20. Quick Lock Picking: If you beat the target DC by a large amount (and didn't take 10 or take 20), you end up picking the lock more quickly than a full round action, as detailed below. Note that you can never reduce the time to pick a lock to less than a swift action, no matter how much you beat the DC by. If you exceed the DC by: Time to pick the lock is reduced to: 5 Standard Action 10 Move Action 15 Swift Action
Take 10? / Take 20?	{{{Take10-Take20}}}
Allows Assists?	{{{Assist}}}
Results of Success	{{{Success}}}
Consequences of Failure	The lock fails to open.
Retry Allowed?	Yes, you may make additional attempts to pick a lock. You may never attempt to pick a lock more than once per round.
Provokes AOO?	Yes

Disarm Trap

You can use disable device to attempt to disarm a trap. This typically involves disabling or destroying the trigger mechanism, rendering the trap inert. Before you can disarm a trap, you must first succeed on a Perception check to find it. Most traps and their triggers are hidden. You must be adjacent to the trap in order to attempt to disarm it. Magical traps can only be disarmed by a creature with the Trapfinding class feature. Epic characters with at least 21 ranks in Disable Device can overcome this limitation (see Disarm Magic Traps, below).
Action Required:	The action required to disarm a trap varies by the quality of the trap: Quality of Trap Action to Disarm Simple Standard Action Average Full Round Action Good 1d4 rounds Superior 2d4 rounds Peerless 2d4 rounds
DC of Check:	The target DC to disarm a trap is usually a Challenging DC, based on the CR of the creature who set the trap. Some creatures may create traps with higher or lower DC's than normal for their CR, if they are particularly good trappers (e.g. kobolds), or just dabblers in the art (e.g. goblins). Note that the quality of the trap does not affect the target DC; it only affects how long the trap takes to disarm.
Modifiers to Check
Take 10? / Take 20?	{{{Take10-Take20}}}
Allows Assists?	{{{Assist}}}
Results of Success	{{{Success}}}
Consequences of Failure
Retry Allowed?
Provokes AOO?	Yes

Sabotage Mechanical Device

Action Required:
DC of Check:
Modifiers to Check
Take 10? / Take 20?	{{{Take10-Take20}}}
Allows Assists?	{{{Assist}}}
Results of Success	{{{Success}}}
Consequences of Failure
Retry Allowed?
Provokes AOO?	Yes

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	No	No	Jam a lock, stick a hair on a windowsill, turn a road sign the wrong way, etc.
Disable or rig1 tricky device	1d4 rounds	151	No	No	Sabotage a wagon wheel1, disable a blacksmith bellows, jam a water wheel, etc
Disable or rig1 difficult device	2d4 rounds	Challenging check for the campaign CR1	No	No	Disable or reset a trap, sabotage a siege weapon, jam an alchemical clockwork toy, etc
Disable or rig extremely complex device1	2d4 rounds	Hard check for the campaign CR1	No	No	Disable or reset a complex trap, cleverly sabotage a clockwork device, rig an Orrery to run fast or slow, tamper with a astronomical clock, etc.
Disable a magic trap (such as a symbol spell)	varies	per trap CR, or 25 + double the spell level2	No	No	Only characters with the trapfinding class feature can disarm magic traps.

¹ – If you attempt to leave behind no trace of your tampering, add 5 to the DC.

² – See spell descriptions for specific details

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. You announce what you wish to attempt, calculate your target and modifier to the roll, and the GM rolls, chuckles menacingly, and lets you know what happens.

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 (see table above).

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). See table above.

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.
• Trying to hurry: You can try to move one step down on the time chart by hurrying. If you hurry you cannot take 10 or 20, and the DC increases by 10. Ouch. You can't be faster than a swift action without something in your favor.
• Take your time: You can take your time on a trap, lock, device, rig, etc, and make things a bit easier on yourself. When you take extra time, the DC decreases by -5. You can never increase the time required by more than one step, and all attempts to take extra time must be announced before you roll the time required. Sorry, if you roll a 'four' on the 1d4, you can't try and gamble for a lucky roll on the 2d4. Taking your time on a 2d4 roll adds +1d4 rounds.

Modifiers

• Feats: If you have 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.
• Aid Another: If someone wants to help you with any of these checks, they must have Disable Device trained, and are at equal risk as you if things 'Go Badly'.
• Size Difference: For every size difference, whether larger or smaller, between you and the creator of the device, lock, trap, rig, etc., you take a cumulative -2 to the Disable Device roll.

Magical Traps

Characters with the trapfinding class feature can disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC described in the adventure or the spell description. Failing that, a base DC of 25 + double the spell level of the magic used to create it usually makes it a hard challenge.

For Example: 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.

Disarm Magical Traps (Epic)

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.

Mitigate Trap Damage (Epic)

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). If you choose to use mitigate trap damage, your Evasion class feature (if any) does not apply (since you didn't make a reflex save).

Delay Trap Trigger (Epic)

(Beat the trap's DC by 20) - Alter a trap to trigger either when you say, or when the next enemy passes it. Base 2d4 rounds, can never be hurried to be less than 1 full round of access to trap.