D&D (2024) How do I disarm traps? Does Thieves' Tools do anything?

[Paul Farquhar]

The 2024 DMG has only one magical sample trap (Fire-Casting Statue), and it allows for both magical and non-magical means of detecting and disarming it. Detect Magic reveals an aura of evocation magic around the statue. A DC 10 Perception check within 5 ft of the statue detects a glyph. Once the glyph is discovered, a DC 15 Arcana check reveals you can disarm the trap by defacing the glyph with a sharp tool. Separately from that, a DC 15 Perception check "if you examine the section of floor that forms the pressure plate" detects the pressure plate, and then you can wedge an iron spike or similar under the plate to prevent the trap from triggering. No check is mentioned or appears to be required. And Thieves' Tools is neither here nor there.

It's just an example. You can find a lot more examples in Xanathar's, which still work with the 2024 rules, published adventures and 3PP trap collections. The only limit is the imagination of the DM.

 

[GMMichael]

Contradicting (?) itself, the PHB also says that a Thief Rogue can, as a bonus action, disarm a trap with a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check using Thieves' Tools. *

Let's also note the near redundancy of Thief Rogue.

Contradicting (?) the PHB, the DMG simply does not mention Thieves' Tools in the Traps section at all. Neither as a general rule (for comparison, the 2014 DMG said you might call for "a Dexterity check using thieves' tools to perform the necessary sabotage"), nor in any of the sample traps. One sample trap can be disarmed with a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, no tools mentioned. And all the rest are handled narratively once detected, e.g. cut the trip wire (explicitly no ability check required), deface the glyph, or wedge a spike under the pressure plate.

I'm going with this: because rogues are awesome, they can disarm anything with a DC 15 Dex/Tools check. Everyone else has to play by the other rules. Because, why couldn't anyone else disarm a (located) trap, too?

* Important note: the entire Tools section in the PHB lists abilities, not skills, but elsewhere skills ARE specified. E.g. it says that picking locks is a Dexterity check using Thieves' Tools, but if you go to "Lock" in the glossary, it says it's a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check with Thieves' Tools. Musical Instruments is listed as a Charisma check, but I mean, it's a Performance check. So it's possible they meant that using Thieves' Tools is always a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, and just neglected to write it down anywhere. (sigh)

It doesn't matter if a tool is a skill or needs a skill - what you're concerned about is (I hope) does it get a proficiency bonus? And you'll notice that "tool" is something with which you can have proficiency. Also, proficiency doesn't stack (to borrow some 3e slanginology).

Or, are they saying that you can use your dagger and a hairpin to open a lock if you have sleight of hand only and having the tool just makes it so it is near impossible to fail?

MacGruber could make the hairpin work.

And when I roll, is it a flat DC 15 then? For ALL traps, from nuisance to deadly, even those that scale in damage and detect DC? Lock DCs vary from 10 to 20, but all traps were made equal? I'm sorry folks, does that make a lick of sense to you?

As above, thief-rogues get a flat 15. Non-thief-rogues just have to deal with other DCs. With the Advent of Bounded Accuracy (tm) 15 is fine for a rogue of up to 20 levels, and let's be real, the game is about combat, anyway, so who cares?

Thank you, this is one valid reading, and it does make the rules consistent. However, from a game design perspective, I think it's a spectacular failure, and possibly the result of tragic miscommunication between designers.

This is a very real possibility.

 

[aco175]

Now I'm wondering why a thief would take expertise on sleight of hands for opening locks? I'm seeing that by 5th level you get +3 proficiency, +4 Dex, and advantage (+5) because of tools.

 

[roguish]

I'm going with this: because rogues are awesome, they can disarm anything with a DC 15 Dex/Tools check. Everyone else has to play by the other rules. Because, why couldn't anyone else disarm a (located) trap, too?

To clarify, when you say "I'm going with this", you mean "I'm making this up", right? It's not your interpretation of the rules in the books, it's your own rule. Because (not that I would ever disapprove of pro-Rogue bias - points at username) the flat DC 15 is decidedly not Rogue-specific normally. It's in the Tools section in the PHB, it's a rule for Thieves' Tools in general. Anyone with 25 gp can buy thieves' tools, and use them, and roll vs DC 15.

and let's be real, the game is about combat, anyway, so who cares?

I care. Cool skill systems make me happy. I think D&D becomes better with a cool skill system, and worse without one. YMMV.

 

[Quickleaf]

I always like to lead with "Ok, imagine this is the door. Show me where you're standing while you disarm the trap, Bob." It works especially well when pre-arming the other players with Nerf weapons.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

At minimum, this is confusing design, and more likely it is confused design. Why we have two things for doing the same thing? So do I also get advantage if I have both survival and nature trained and I am trying to look for herbs in a forest? Why is the DC always 15? It doesn't matter if this is a simple rope trap built by farmer Billy to protect his pumpkins or a technomagical countermeasure build by ancient sorcerer kings to protect their vault?

 

[Hexmage-EN]

The interaction of skills and tools is definitely the clunkiest and least intuitive aspect of the game's design. I tried to rephrase the rules myself just now but kept tripping myself up.

 

[roguish]

You know, I'm beginning to suspect that they used to have a nice Skills section in the PHB, at least as detailed as in the 2014 PHB, which neatly clarified all of this (and stealth, and picking pockets, and all sorts of things), and then they scratched it, replaced it with that half-baked half page of vagueness and disgrace (my apologies, I'm the resident skillmonkey and I have NO chill about this), and that's why we're now scratching our heads about everything skill-related.

 

[Mannahnin]

You know, I'm beginning to suspect that they used to have a nice Skills section in the PHB, at least as detailed as in the 2014 PHB, which neatly clarified all of this (and stealth, and picking pockets, and all sorts of things), and then they scratched it, replaced it with that half-baked half page of vagueness and disgrace (my apologies, I'm the resident skillmonkey and I have NO chill about this), and that's why we're now scratching our heads about everything skill-related.

This sounds plausible. I've been in some disbelief at the paucity of skills explanation in the PH.

 

[Bill Zebub]

This what I love about D&D. Or, what D&D has become. As a DM I don't have to worry about annoying details like describing a trap, and as a player I don't have to worry about actually solving anything.

Player: I look for traps.
DM: Roll.
Player: 18
DM: Yes, it's trapped.
Player: What kind?
DM: Why do you care?
Player: I'm roleplaying.
DM: It's, um, a poisoned dart trap.
Player: I try to disarm it.
DM: Roll
Player: 23!
DM: It is disarmed.

(Yes, I'm being facetious. Shadowdark forever!)