Disable Device

Fast play rules

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.

Device Time DC 1 Take 10? Take 20? Example or Special Notes Disable or rig simple device 1 round 10 Jam a lock Disable or rig 1 tricky device 1d4 rounds 15 1 Sabotage a wagon wheel 1 Disable or rig 1 difficult device 2d4 rounds 20 1 Disable or reset a trap Open a simple lock 20/30 Yes Yes Number after the slash is without using proper tools Disable or rig 1 extremely complex device 2d4 rounds 25 1 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 level 2 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 With the Technologist Feat

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.

Lock Quality DC Simple 20 Average 25 Good 30 Amazing 40

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

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 bonus on Disable Device skill checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in Disable Device, the bonus increases to +4.

Magic 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.