How to counter a magical trap

[Li Shenron]

This is about disarming a trap with mundane means:

Magic traps may be disarmed by a rogue (and only a rogue) with a successful Disable Device check (DC 25 + spell level).

Now, if you are a spellcaster, can you use Dispel Magic against the trap? Does it work like against a spell (effectively disarming the trap) or like against a magic item (suppressing the trap for 1d4 rounds)?

 

[Thanee]

Depends on the type of the trap.

Some traps are just spells (i.e. Glyph of Warding) with a (sometimes permanent) duration. These can be dispelled like every other spell.

Other traps might resemble magic items, those could be suppressed with dispel magic, as usual.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Oscar carramiñana]

Varies as the magic trap
some magic traps are spells, these traps can be dispelled as any other spell.
a magic trap with magical effect only the rogue can disarm it

 

[Li Shenron]

That seems pretty harsh... so if you don't have a PC with at least a level in Rogue or a Cleric with Find Traps, there's nothing you can do except walk through the trap and hope to win the ST?

 

[Thanee]

Nah, there are plenty ways. Safe-triggering it, for example, and of course dispelling works, it's magic, afterall.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

The dreaded Disjunction would surely take them out? Although that's a pretty high level solution. Disintegrate could certainly remove some obstacles.

There's an argument that Knock bypasses any traps tied to doors - depending on whether it opens the locking mechanisms 'properly' or just forces them.

I think summons are a good way through traps. Although they do tend to set off any associated alarms.

I've seen a PC throw a bat, from a bag of tricks, at a door with an Energy Drain trap... 10 minute reset time on that...

Polymorphing/summoning a creature that can dig is another - just go round the trap. Umber Hulk is a good start.

 

[Li Shenron]

...and of course dispelling works, it's magic, afterall.

Well, that is what I though at first but it is not very clear after reading the SRD.

Now that I think about it, it is not even 100% clear to me if you can use Detect Magic to find it... to one side, it's a magic trap so it could be radiating a magic aura, but to the other side it may NOT radiate until someone triggers it.

Does anyone have a reference for this (maybe it's in the 3.5 DMG, which I don't have)?

It could be case-dependent: can a trap can use magic to implement the trigger but not the effect, and another trap the other way around?

This perhaps brings up another issue, in case you cannot dispel it because there's no spell going off until you trigger it, can you perhaps counterspell the spell with a ready action as soon as it goes off?

 

[Thanee]

Yeah, it is case dependant, of course, but generally even spells waiting for a trigger are already there (i.e. Contingency).

Glyph of Warding is definitely Detect Magic'able and Dispel Magic'able.

Bye
Thanee