Traps

The subject came up recently due to the fact that our 5th-level rogue had zero ranks in Disable Device. Every party is going to run into a trap eventually, but even if you can't disarm a trap, you still have a few options.

Ranged Attack Traps -- Once a trap’s location is known, the obvious way to ruin it is to smash the mechanism -— assuming the mechanism can be accessed. Failing that, it’s possible to plug up the holes from which the projectiles emerge. Doing this prevents the trap from firing unless its ammunition does enough damage to break through the plugs.

Melee Attack Traps -- These devices can be thwarted by smashing the mechanism or blocking the weapons, as noted above. Alternatively, if a character studies the trap as it triggers, he might be able to time his dodges just right to avoid damage. A character who is doing nothing but studying a trap when it first goes off gains a +4 dodge bonus against its attacks if it is triggered again within the next minute.

Pits -- Disabling a pit trap generally ruins only the trapdoor, making it an uncovered pit. Filling in the pit or building a makeshift bridge across it is an application of manual labor, not the Disable Device skill. Characters can also neutralize any spikes at the bottom of a pit by attacking them -— they break just as daggers do.

Magic Traps -- Dispel magic helps here. A success on a caster level check against the level of the trap’s creator suppresses the trap for 1d4 rounds. This works only with a targeted dispel magic, not the area version (see the spell description).