The Kobold Trapmaster
Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Best in Class, where we bring you a glorious arrangement of archetypes, class features, and prestige classes. I would like to welcome you also to Kobold Week, our week long salute to kobolds: the go-to cute, pathetic, and comical creature. As one might guess, we’ve got a brand new racial archetype for kobolds.
New Rogue Archetype
Kobold Trapmaster
The art of trapsmithing is a cherished and sacred part of the kobold racial identity, and all kobolds, no matter how humble, learn some skill at the art of constructing dangerous traps to protect their communities and slay their enemies. Even among the kobolds, however, few master their race’s art to the degree of the kobold trapmaster, who learns not only to create deadly traps from mundane materials, but also masters every aspect of the trap, such that even the experts of other races envy her skill with these devious devices.
The following archetype is only available to kobolds of the rogue class.
Kobold Trap (ex): At 1st level, the kobold trapmaster learns to craft traps as the oldest of the kobolds’ ancestors did, using only simple materials of personal significance which she carries with her in a bag at all times. While the materials in question can be nearly anything, and indeed are often simple household items, they must be of personal significance to the kobold trapmaster. When she begins play, a kobold trapmaster has only enough materials to manufacture a single kobold trap. As she travels, the kobold trapmaster may pick up additional materials to fill her bag, though it takes time and experience in order learn how to integrate them together to create additional traps. No matter how many things a kobold trapmaster acquires for her traps, she may never create more kobold traps at any one time than one per two rogue levels she possesses.
Creating and setting a kobold trap is a full-round action. A kobold trap may be set in any square adjacent to the kobold trapmaster. Any creature entering a square containing a kobold trap suffers 2d6 points of damage. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 +1/2 the kobold trapmaster’s level + the kobold trapmaster’s Intelligence modifier) halves the damage. Once set, a kobold trap is nearly invisible and characters that do not witness the placement of a kobold trap cannot determine its placement without a successful Perception check (DC 15 + the kobold trapmaster’s rogue level). Disarming a kobold trap requires a Disable Device check (DC 10 + the kobold trapmaster’s rogue level). Once a trap has been triggered, its component pieces fall apart uselessly and must be recovered (a full-round action which provokes attacks of opportunity) before a new trap can be made with those materials.
At 3rd level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the damage dealt by the kobold trap increases by an additional 2d6. The damage dealt by a kobold trap is subject to damage reduction. At 5th level, the traps overcome damage reduction as though they were magical weapons, at 10th level they overcome damage reduction as though they were silver and cold iron weapons, and at 15th level they overcome damage reduction as though they were adamantine weapons.
This ability replaces the sneak attack class feature.
Trap Expertise (Ex): A kobold trapmaster is exceptional when it comes to finding and removing traps, and adds her class level to all Perception checks made to locate traps and all Disable Device checks made to disarm or bypass traps. A kobold trapmaster can locate and disarm magical traps.
This ability replaces the trapfinding class feature.
Quick Traps (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, a kobold trapmaster can construct traps with incredible speed. She can create any mechanical trap with a CR less than or equal to her rogue level in 1 hour, regardless of the amount of time ordinarily required to craft the trap. She must still meet the trap’s Craft DC in order to use this ability, and must expend the required materials in order to craft a trap in this way. Setting traps still requires the ordinary amount of time required for the process.
This ability replaces the rogue talent gained at 2nd level.
Deadly Traps (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, the traps created by the kobold trapmaster are exceptionally more powerful than those created by other characters. The attack rolls and saving throw DCs of any trap she creates are increased by +1. At 6th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, these bonuses increase by an additional +1.
This ability replaces the trap sense class feature.
Killer Kobold Trap (Ex): At 20th level, any creature that fails its saving throw to avoid a kobold trap created by the kobold trapmaster is immediately reduced to 0 hit points. This is death effect. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this effect.
This replaces the master strike class feature.