I love the idea of a rogue who sets his own traps. After all, they get rogue talents like Quick Trapsmith and Cunning Trigger, so it seems like it should be a lot of fun, and I've seen people use the Trapper ranger archetype to have some serious fun in-game.
However, the rogue doesn't get traps for free, he has to build them. Am I missing something here? Because when I looked closer at the rules for making traps, the craft skill (which is how a rogue has to make his traps) and magical traps, I'm not really sure I understand how a rogue is supposed to use traps at all.
With the rules of crafting and crafting traps, a simple "one arrow firing trap" (I.e. a crossbow attached to a string) costs 1000 gp to make, takes on average 20 weeks of solid work to create, and only then can you set it up for a one-time shot (unless you want to spend even MORE money so it can actually be used twice.) If you want something bigger, say, a trap with a CR of 3 or 4, we're getting into half a year to make one trap.
Magic Item traps are much quicker to create (1 day for every 500 gp,) but since you can't make them without having the necessary spells (unlike is usual for wondrous items,) a rogue can't make them without the Master Craftsman feat, the Craft Wondrous Item feat, and a wizard friend or some serious multi-classing.
Am I missing something here? How on earth is a rogue supposed to get any use out of making and setting traps? I suppose you could make and set nothing but bear traps (1 gp I think they are,) but that seems rather... limiting. I feel like there needs to be either a rogue archetype that gets ranger traps, or a whole lot of cheaper traps like the beartrap so a rogue can craft something that makes sense.
I love the idea of a rogue setting his own traps, but there's got to be a better way than spending 20 weeks to build a 1000 gp, one-use tripline.
They aren't.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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ranger traps from ultimate magic is the closest thing. Non-rangers can take the feat to learn them.
So why did they include talents like Frugal Trapsmith, Quick Trapsmith and Cunning Trigger? I really don't want to call out Paizo on something, but it feels like someone didn't think those talents through.
That's... a little disappointing.
Honestly, I pretty much ignore the rules on traps. For example, I'm currently playing a engineer who is training to become a wizard whose starting equipment includes crossbows and 500' of twine. He has 1 rank in craft(trapmaking) to represent a practical application of his engineering background. For my first trap, I just told the GM that I wanted to rig 3 crossbows to one string and run the wire up to where I was hiding. Simple as that. I had plenty of time to set it up, so I took 20 to successfully build it. It worked perfectly and hit 2 out of 3. I didn't need any of the CR rules nor did I spend any money or expend any resources other than crossbow bolts. Just depends on your GM.