Disable Device
Disable Device (Int; Trained Only)
Use this skill to disarm a trap, jam a lock (in either the open or close position), or rig a wagon wheel to falloff. You can examine a fairly simple or fairly small mechanical device and disable it. The effort requires at least a simple tool of the appropriate sort (a pick, pry bar, saw, file, etc.). Attempting a Disable Device check without a set of thieves' tools (page 111) carries a -2 circumstance penalty, even if a simple tool is employed. The use of masterwork thieves' tools enables you to make the check with a +2 circumstance bonus.
Check: The DM makes the Disable Device check so that you don't necessarily know whether you've succeeded. The amount of time needed to make a check and the DC for the check depend on how tricky the device is. Disabling a simple device takes 1 round (and is at least a full-round action). Intricate or complex devices require 2d4 rounds. 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).
Disabling (or rigging or jamming) a fairly simple device has a DC of 10. More intricate and complex devices have a higher DC. The DM rolls the check. If the check succeeds, you disable the device. If the check fails by up to 4, you have failed but can try again. If you fail by 5 or more, something goes wrong. If it's a trap, you spring it. If it's some sort of sabotage, you think the device is disabled, but it still works normally.
| Device | Time | DC* | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | 1 round | 10 | Jam a lock |
| Tricky | 1d4 rounds | 15 | Sabotage a wagon wheel |
| Difficult | 2d4 rounds | 20 | Disarm a trap, reset a trap |
| Wicked | 2d4 rounds | 25 | Disarm a complex trap, cleverly sabotage a clockwork device |
If the character attempts to leave behind no trace of the tampering, add 5 to the DC.
Retry: Yes, though you must be aware that you have failed in order to try again.
Special: Rogues (and only rogues) can disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the magic used to create it. For instance, disarming a trap set by the casting of Explosive Runes has a DC of 28 because Explosive Runes is a 3rd-level spell.
The spells Fire Trap, Glyph of Warding, Symbol, and Teleportation Circle also create traps that a rogue can disarm with a 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 in Chapter 11: Spells for details.
A rogue who beats a trap's DC by 10 or more can generally study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (along with his companions) without disarming it.