Disabling Magical Traps - Rusty Bucketeers Keep Out

[Skarppsey]

After reviewing the rules for Search, Disable Device, and the various magical trap spells (glyph of warding, explosive runes, etc) I have a question.

Could a Rogue disable and alarm spell? If so, how? More to the point, could a rogue disable a Stone of Alarm attached to a door? Here's the information on it from the SRD:

----------------------
Stone of Alarm: This stone cube, when given the command word, affixes itself to any object. If that object is touched thereafter by anyone who does not first speak that same command word, the stone emits a piercing screech for 1 hour that can be heard up to a quarter-mile away (assuming no intervening barriers).
Faint abjuration; CL 3rd; Craft Wondrous Item, alarm; Price 2,700 gp;Weight 2 lb.
----------------------

I honestly don't see how a rogue could disable this device because the act would, in most instances I can think of, require touching the door or the stone. Would the stone activate if the door was touched by a mage hand spell or a set of tongs? Those methods would not require a person to touch a door directly, but the same arguement could be made of a pair of gloves - and I hardly think that a pair of gloves would be sufficient to avoid this item.

So what are your thoughts regarding this? Any rules I've overlooked or suggestions you have are welcomed.

 

[FrankTrollman]

Could a Rogue disable and alarm spell?

Yes.

If so, how?

He makes a search check while within 10 feet of the edge of the alarm area. Assuming he made the DC of 26, he then finds it and then can begin "disabling" it. He then starts making disable device rolls (DC 26), if the rogue fails by 5 or more - the Alarm sounds. If the Rogue succeeds, the Alarm is deactivated. If he succeeds by 5 or more, the Alarm is still active but permeable to the Rogue and his friends.

As to how this works from a story perspective - the rules don't really say. The abjuration effect itself leaves a faint perterbation in the air - and people who are really good at this sort of thing (Rogues) can spot it when they look for it (take search checks). After that, I think it looks like engineers on Star Trek monkeying with force fields - the air kind of shimmers periodically while the character sits at the base of it and Macgivers it with a screwdriver.

More to the point, could a rogue disable a Stone of Alarm attached to a door?

It is a magical trap, and therefore it can be found and disabled just like any other.

I honestly don't see how a rogue could disable this device because the act would, in most instances I can think of, require touching the door or the stone.

Well, it activates when anyone comes into range. OTOH, all abjuration effects drop as soon as they are forced against someone. So if the Rogue stands exactly at the edge of the area of effect, and then throws copper pieces at the stone on the door - knocking the stone off the door and a few centimeters towards himself.... then the Rogue hasn't entered the area and the area has been forced against someone so it collapses (failure by more than five involves misjudging the distance and stepping over the line - activating the stone).

Now, you can sit around and think up stuff like this for every single magical trap - but honestly the character in question lives in a world where stuff like this actually works and has a much higher Disable Device skill than you or I do. So if you actually can't think of a way to disable a magical trap, just assume that the character is a lot better at this sort of thing than you are and has some kind of elaborate mechanism involving a bag of flour, a spatula, and some chewing gum that somehow does the trick.

-Frank

 

[Wylan]

The description of the spell/trap/item should say if it can be disabled or not. According to disable device description, there are only 2 spells that cannot be disabled, Spike Growth and Spike Stones. I am sure there are more floating around that can’t be disabled, but they would also state that in the description.

 

[Macbrea]

There could be a million explainations as you how he disabled the stone. Pulling out his drinking mug Johnnie rolled forward in a blink of an eye and covered the stone of alarm completely. Muffling all sound. The rest of the party blinked at the fast thinking actions of the young rogue.