[PrC] Spellwarp Trapper

[Fax Celestis]

Requirements

Feats: Earthbound Spell

Spells: Must be able to cast second level spells; must be able to cast alarm

Skills: Disable Device 3 ranks, Craft (Trapmaking) 6 ranks

{table=head]Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spellcasting
1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Spellwarp Trapping, Trapfinding, Trap Sense +1 | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Spontaneous Alarm, Tenacious Traps | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Improved Alarm, Trap Sense +2 | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Improved Spellwarp Trapping | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Trap Mastery, Trap Sense +3 | +1 level of existing spellcasting class
[/table]

HD: d6

Class Skills (2 + Int): Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).

Spellwarp Trapping (Ex): A spellwarp trapper can attach an area of effect or ray spell of instantaneous duration to an alarm spell. As a free action, you can warp an area or ray spell with instantaneous duration and a range greater than touch. The spell's level, components, range, and damage (if any) do not change.

The spell remains dormant for the duration of the alarm spell. When the alarm spell is triggered, the alarm spell reacts as normal, and the spell attached to it immediately goes off, aimed at the foe that triggered the alarm spell. In the cases of area of effect spells, the triggering creature is treated as the center of the effect. When this occurs, the alarm spell is dispelled.

You must decide to warp the spell as you cast it. You do not need to prepare it as a warped spell. You can apply metamagic feats as normal to the spell.

The maximum level of spell you can attach to an alarm spell is equal to your spellwarp trapper class level.

Trapfinding (Ex): A spellwarp trapper can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.

Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

Spellwarp trappers can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

A spellwarp trapper who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.

Trap Sense (Ex): A spellwarp trapper gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the spellwarp trapper reaches 3rd level, and to +3 when she reaches 5th level.

Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

Spontaneous Alarm: At 2nd level, a spellwarp trapper can channel stored spell energy into alarm spells that she did not prepare ahead of time. The spellwarp trapper can "lose" any prepared spell of first level or higher in order to cast alarm.

Tenacious Traps (Ex): At 2nd level and beyond, a spellwarp trapper adds her spellwarp trapper class level to the Search and Disable Device DCs on magical traps she creates. She also adds her spellwarp trapper class level to her caster level of alarm spells for the purposes of resisting dispel attempts.

Improved Alarm (Ex): At 3rd level, a spellwarp trapper adds a number of new features to the alarm spell. First, the spell triggers for ethereal or astral creatures, if so desired. Second, the spellwarp trapper can control the area of the spell to some degree: she can lessen the area of the spell to as small as a 5' square, or enlarge it to as large as a 40' radius. Third, the spellwarp trapper may attach a detect spell (such as [i]detect evil[i]) to an alarm in addition to a spell she warps. If she does, the trap will only trigger if the detect spell registers a valid target. The detect spell detects within the normal area of the alarm instead of its normal area.

Improved Spellwarp Trapping (Ex): At 4th level, a spellwarp trapper can attach any spell to an alarm spell, but treats her spellwarp trapper class level as two levels lower when determining the maximum level of spell she can attach when she attaches a spell this way.

Trap Mastery (Ex): At 5th level, a spellwarp trapper can empower a spell she attaches to an alarm spell as if using the Empower Spell metamagic feat once per day. This does not increase the total level of the spell, nor does it increase the total time of casting for the spell. Further, she may sacrifice a spell of sixth or higher level when she attaches a spell to an alarm spell. If she does, she may attach a spell equal to or less than the level of the sacrificed spell to the alarm spell. Doing so allows you to exceed the normal limit on spell level attached to an alarm.

[Fax Celestis]

Updates made.

[Emperor Tippy]

It's good. Pretty balanced. But I already told you that when I recommended some updates.

So I have no idea why I'm posting.

[Fax Celestis]

For the sake of posting, I suppose. It's easy to go overboard when the fora go down.

[Emperor Tippy]

I suppose.

And I suppose to say I contributed to the current version of the Spellwarp Trapper.

[Angafirith]

If you have an alarm spell warped with a ray spell, where is the source of the ray? Is it the center of the alarm, or is it anywhere in the covered area?

[Reinboom]

I finally found a way to prestige back out of it and into standard wizard PrCs to use it to be a full spell progression wizard that is also the trap finder.

Wizard 3/Spellwarp Trapper 2/Sea Witch 3 (Stormwrack)
Wizard 3/Spellwarp Trapper 2/Ruathar 3 (Races of the Wild)

The Ruathar being the easy one, since the only real requirement is to save an elf, or recover an elven magical item, or something similar. The ruathars get a +2 free bonus to search (and spot and listen), and have search as a class skill as well as all knowledge and spellcraft.

Well, it took me awhile to figure out a way to take advantage of that aspect of your class, so, great job xD

I will say that the second part of trap mastery rather interests me, since going 3/5 (wizard -> spellwarp trapper) would mean you are still 3 levels too lower from using the entirety of the class feature.

[ArmorArmadillo]

I like it, it uses trapping (an underused mechanic) and really offers a lot of options to terrain based tactics.

However, I think It should lose the 1st level of caster progression, as it is so easy to qualify for, and is flatly superior to the wiz/sor. Or possibly, add trapfinding as a pre-requisite rather than an ability.

[Reinboom]

I was going to first reply strictly that it doesn't need another restriction.. but then I remembered the whole "half-class" skills stuff. Since this gives 4+ int skills, you can still just go
Wizard 3/Spellwarp Trapper 2/generic wizard build (MatAO)?
loss of 10 skill points, 1 feat, and 1 bab for +2 will, +2 ref, and trap features.

So, I'm... I will have to agree with ArmorArmadillo.

[Closet_Skeleton]

The empty requirements are way too easy compared to all the advantages it has over the Wizard.

better class features, better reflex save, better Base attack, better skill points, better HD.

I would decrease the Base attack back down to wizard level, maybe decrease the will save down to poor (you'll have an okay will save from your wizard levels anyway) but keep the HD and skill point increases. I'd suggest getting rid of the increased skill points if this was a wizard only class since they'll make up for it in intelligence. Does it need UMD as a class skill?

[Reinboom]

The empty requirements are way too easy compared to all the advantages it has over the Wizard.

better class features, better reflex save, better Base attack, better skill points, better HD.

I would decrease the Base attack back down to wizard level, maybe decrease the will save down to poor (you'll have an okay will save from your wizard levels anyway) but keep the HD and skill point increases. I'd suggest getting rid of the increased skill points if this was a wizard only class since they'll make up for it in intelligence. Does it need UMD as a class skill?

Note, it doesn't say arcane spellcasting class. You could technically do Sorcerer 1/Cleric 3 or even just Cleric 3 with the Wealth domain (1st level is alarm).
Even without that, a sorcerer or bard (and ranger...) can prestige in to this directly. But then you said 'if this was', so that may have already been apparent.
Actually, a trapcentric wealth cleric is kind of flavorfully neat.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Note, it doesn't say arcane spellcasting class. You could technically do Sorcerer 1/Cleric 3 or even just Cleric 3 with the Wealth domain (1st level is alarm).
Even without that, a sorcerer or bard (and ranger...) can prestige in to this directly. But then you said 'if this was', so that may have already been apparent.
Actually, a trapcentric wealth cleric is kind of flavorfully neat.

I was aware that there were probably other ways in I just hadn't bothered to check. I also wasn't sure what Fax intended. I compared it to wizard since wizard is the general spellcaster since sorcerers and bards are supposed to be rare and clerics can fight.

[Emperor Tippy]

The reason Fax left in the full caster progression (and I agree with the choice) is that without it, the class isn't really worth takeing.

As good as it is, its not worth a CL in most cases.

[Closet_Skeleton]

The reason Fax left in the full caster progression (and I agree with the choice) is that without it, the class isn't really worth takeing.

As good as it is, its not worth a CL in most cases.

This may be true. In that case he should cut back on some of the other stuff a little.

[Emperor Tippy]

Perhaps.

The only real reason that this PrC is real powerful is that you can get into it early. Most wizard PrC's are later level deals, limiting how much you can do pre epic.

[Fax Celestis]

Right. I'm cutting it back to 2 + Int skills.

There are some mitigating factors, however: Earthbound Spell isn't a commonly used metamagic, and I've never heard of a caster-type taking ranks in Craft (Trapmaking) or Disable Device. Further, the reduced skill list does make it more difficult to enter other caster PrCs further down the line.

I want to leave the d6 and 3/4 bab to make it a viable option for rangers as well.

As for where the spell casts from...//shrug. Do what you like. I'm not in the habit of describing how other people's actions should look.

[Matthew]

No associated fluff? Was there some elsewhere?