Use this skill to disarm a trap, jam a lock (in either the open or closed position), or rig a wagon wheel to fall off. 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, or the like). Attempting a Disable Device check without a set of thieves' tools imposes a -2 circumstance penalty on the check, even if a simple tool is employed. The sue of masterwork thieves' tools provides a +2 circumstance bonus on the check.
Check: Your DM makes the Disable Device check for you secretly, so that you do not know whether you have 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 DC's.
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 are attempting some sort of sabotage, you think the device is disabled, but it still works normally.
You can rig simple devices such as saddles or wagon wheels to work normally for a while and then fall off some time later (usually after 1D4 Rounds or minutes of use).
| DEVICE | TIME | DISABLE DEVICE DC1 | 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. |
| 1 = If you attempt to leave behind no trace of your tampering, add 5 to the DC. | |||
Action: The amount of time needed to make a Disable Device check depends on the task, as noted above. Disabling a simple device takes 1 Round and is a full-Round action. An intricate or complex device requires 1D4 or 2D4 Rounds.
Try Again: Varies. You can retry if you have missed the check by 4 or less, though you must be aware that you have failed in order to try again.
Special: If you have the Nimble Fingers Feat, you get a +2 bonus on Disable Device checks. 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 their companions without disarming it.
Restriction: Rogues (and other characters with the trapfind 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. 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 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.
Based on the entry in the Player's Handbook 3.5 Page 72