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traps are not for everybody. and for many of us the 'core 4' is not an important enough concept to import into your game today, which is fine. also let us leave the spellcaster vs non-spellcaster discussion aside, please. and so, in as far as the 'trap-finder' role should be exemplified by the core rogue, i find that the trapfinding class feature as-written is not sufficient enough to make the rogue class the go-to class to tackle traps. what with the Archeologist Bard's Clever Explorer ability (!!) and the Urban Ranger's Trapfinding ability occupying the same field, the following proposal is an attempted leveler, thereby intended to be rogue-only.
Trapfinding (alternate)
A rogue with this ability has honed her senses and knack for dealing with traps of all kinds. She gains a +1 bonus to Perception and Disable Device skill checks for every two rogue levels she possesses (minimum +1). She can also use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.
At 5th level, a rogue gains Quick Disable as a bonus rogue talent. Using this ability she may halve the time it takes to use the Disable Device skill in any capacity (not just with traps). Any time reduction to less than 1 full round takes her a single standard action to perform the check.
At 10th level, a rogue may always take 10 on any Perception or Disable Device check made to find or remove traps, even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. Further, a number of times per day equal to her Intelligence modifier (minimum 1/day), she may take 20 on such a roll in the same amount of time it would take her to perform a normal check.
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take two,
changes from the original trapfinding ability are summarized here:
*the bonus to Perception applies to all Perception checks
*the Quick Disable and Fast Picks rogue talents are rolled in
*the Trap Spotter rogue talent is rolled in, at extended range
Trapfinding (alternate):
A 1st level rogue adds 1/2 her level to Disable Device and Perception skill checks (minimum +1). She can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.
At 2nd level, a rogue can use the Disable Device skill to disarm or bypass intricate and complex devices in half the normal amount of time (minimum 1 round) and open a lock as a standard action.
At 3rd level, whenever a rogue comes within 10 feet of a trap, she receives an immediate Perception skill check to notice the trap. This check should be made in secret by the DM. Her range with this ability increases by +10 feet every three additional rogue levels. When spotting traps this way, she takes no distance penalty to her Perception check so long as the trap falls within this range.
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fair.
i could see seeing better in the dark a consequence of building on the talent of locating and disarming mechanical and magical traps, as i imagine that many traps are set in places with sub par lighting.
a benefit of rolling it in is not adding words to the class table, and to make the ability less enticing to trade out.
why ought it be separate? like, any reason in particular?
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Seeing in the dark is pretty important to rogues, because you aren't allowed to sneak attack people you can't see well. Also, it's pretty hard to sneak up on people if you have to carry a lantern. Halflings are a stereotypical rogue race but lack darkvision, but nearly all monsters have it.
I think flavorwise it makes sense for rogues to gain progressively better dark-perceptions as they level up. Something like the following:
Night Eyes (Ex): at level 1 a rogue gains Low-Light Vision. If the rogue already had LLV, he gains Darkvision 30ft. If he already had Darkvision the range increases by 30ft. At level 6 to rogue gains Darkvision 30 (or increases it by 30ft.) At level 9 the rogue's Darkvision increases by 30ft. At level 12 the rogue gains See In Darkness.
v1 is the best of the bunch..