|
I'm a cleric wearing medium armor with medium load. We don't have a rogue in the party so they assigned me to do the lockpicking since I'm a half-elf with Skill Focus: Disable Device.
Is there a way for me to be a competent locksmith so should I try to negotiate with my party and has someone do it instead? As of now we have a archivist bard, a barbarian, a magus, and a fighter archer. We are running a campaign that most lock start out with DC 30 atm.
Why did you choose a half-elf with skill focus disable device?
I mean honestly, with the armor check penalty from medium armor and medium load you're not going to be very good at anything that can take armor check penalties to. Best case scenario you've probably got a -6 penalty to disable device from encumbrance and armor.
If anything, ask you GM to turn the skill focus disable device into something else and tell the party you are not equipped to disable device.
Beyond that you're a cleric, you've only got 2 skill points per level. I probably wouldn't waste a single one on Disable Device.
You know how your party disables traps?
Buy a wand of Mount, and have the party magus cast it and then get the horse to walk in front of the party. The horse now disables traps by setting them off.
As for locks? Whats the door made out of? Do you know where I'm going with this? Hand your barbarian and adamantine pick or axe and tell him to start chopping or breaking rocks.
Admittedly it will be a while before the party can afford an adamantine weapon, but the party doesn't really need someone with Disable Device.
Smashing chest and doors or using creatures to set off traps is an age old tradition that you can join in too.
Disable Device does have an Armor Check penalty, so depending what armor you have, that will be a negative. Usually you can ignore any ACP from a shield since you can just set it down while you work on a log.
You don't mention your DEX, obviously the better that is, the better your disable device would be.
Disable device isn't a class skill for a cleric, so unless you have a trait or something that gives it to you, you aren't getting a bonus for that.
If you aren't a rogue or have something similar to a rogues trap finding, you can't disable any magical trap, no matter how good your disable device ends up.
If the only thing your party wants from your disable device is opening locks, you might be good enough at that, usually taking 20 to open a lock isn't a big deal, so if you get even to a 10 modifier you can open the locks you describe, although not quickly.
All that being said, the Archivist Bard should really be doing this. He has traded away a pretty powerful Bard ability to essentially get Rogue trapfinding so he could disable magical traps. Disable Device isn't a Bard skill either, but for the Archivist it will become a class skill at level 11. I would expect he has a better DEX than you, and likely a lower ACP as well, so even with your skill focus I expect your total mods will be similar by just investing points into the skill, and he has more skill points as well.
I mean honestly, with the armor check penalty from medium armor and medium load you're not going to be very good at anything that can take armor check penalties to. Best case scenario you've probably got a -6 penalty to disable device from encumbrance and armor.
It's only a -3.
If your character is wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from load) for each category. Do not stack the penalties.
I mean honestly, with the armor check penalty from medium armor and medium load you're not going to be very good at anything that can take armor check penalties to. Best case scenario you've probably got a -6 penalty to disable device from encumbrance and armor.It's only a -3.
If your character is wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from load) for each category. Do not stack the penalties.
Remembered incorrectly, whoops!
In general though, the things I stated are valid.