Ogre:CharacterCodex:Skills:Device

Device

This is your ability with simple mechanical device like traps or lock.

Disable Device

Ability	Intelligence
Action	See below
Armor Penalty	None
Untrained	No
Concentration	Yes

Synergy: Search (Trap Only)

Check: 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 you do not know if the trap has been disabled or not.

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 a few minutes of use).

Device	Action	Disable Device DC	Example
Simple	Long	10	Jam a lock
Tricky	Very Long	15	Sabotage a wagon wheel
Difficult	Slow	20	Disarm a trap, reset a trap
Wicked	Slow	25	Disarm a complex trap, cleverly sabotage a clockwork device

OTHER WAYS TO BEAT A TRAP

It's possible to ruin many traps without making a Disable Device check.

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 could neutralize any spikes at the bottom of a pit by attacking them-they break just as daggers do.

Total Success: You can study the device, figure out how it works, and bypass it (along with your companions) without disarming it.

Total Failure: The device is activated and you have a penalty to your save against the device equal to your rank of total failure.

Action: The amount of time needed to make a Disable Device check depends on the task, as noted above. Disabling a simple device takes long action. An intricate or complex device is a very long action or a slow action.

Try Again: Yes, though you must be aware that you have failed in order to try again. Also, for each failure, you have a cumulative -4 penalty to your next Disable Device check for the same device.

Open Lock

Ability	Dexterity
Action	Long
Armor Penalty	None
Untrained	Yes; see below
Concentration	Yes

Description: You know how locks work and can open them without using the original key. Attempting an Open Lock check without a set of thieves tools imposes a -2 circumstance penalty on the check, even if a simple tool is employed. If you use masterwork thieves' tools, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on the check.

Check: The DC for opening a lock varies from 20 to 40, depending on the quality of the lock, as given on the table below.

Lock	DC	Lock	DC
Very simple lock	20	Good lock	30
Average lock	25	Amazing lock	40

Total Success: You can study the lock, figure out how it works, and lock it again without any check after opening it. Total Failure: You break the tools you were using to pick the lock.

Use Rope

Ability	Dexterity
Action	See below
Armor Penalty	None
Untrained	Yes
Concentration	No

Synergy: Climb, Escape Artist

Description: You know how to properly use a rope and knot it.

Check: Most tasks with a rope are relatively simple. The DCs for various tasks utilizing this skill are summarized on the table below.

Use Rope DC	Task
10	Tie a firm knot
101	Secure a grappling hook
15	Tie a special knot, such as one that slips, slides slowly, or loosens with a tug
15	Tie a rope around yourself one-handed
15	Splice two ropes together

¹ Add 2 to the DC for every 10 feet the hook is thrown; see below.

Secure a Grappling Hook: Securing a grappling hook requires a Use Rope check (DC 10, +2 for every 10 feet of distance the grappling hook is thrown, to a maximum DC of 20 at 50 feet). Failure by 4 or less indicates that the hook fails to catch and falls, allowing you to try again. Failure by 5 or more indicates that the grappling hook initially holds, but comes loose after 1d4 rounds of supporting weight. This check is made secretly, so that you don't know whether the rope will hold your weight.

Bind a Character: When you bind another character with a rope, any Escape Artist check that the bound character makes is opposed by your Use Rope check.

You get a +10 bonus on this check because it is easier to bind someone than to escape from bonds. You don't even make your Use Rope check until someone tries to escape.

Total Failure: You totally mess the ropes by making ties hard to undo. You need a Rope Use check DC 10 + rank of Total failure to fix the rope.

Action: Varies. Throwing a grappling hook is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Tying a knot, tying a special knot, or tying a rope around yourself one-handed is a long action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Splicing two ropes together takes 5 minutes. Binding a character takes 1 minute.