Alright, looking for RAW guidance on the issue of automatically resetting magical device traps and the fact that they can be cheesed pretty hard.
Basics:
Automatically resetting magical device traps can be created by someone with the craft wondrous item feat, at a cost of 500*Spell Level*Caster level, and take one day per 500gp of cost to craft. Using an Alarm spell as a trigger for a magical device trap confers no additional cost, and the "alarm" area can be set to any size, including a button on the trap itself.
Issues:
1. There is no listed "interval" on automatic reset, so the base assumption is that the reset could take place as often as once a round. I'm relatively certain that across the existing AP's, there are plenty of magical traps that reset once a round to back up this assumption. I know for certain one AP has one that automatically resets every 4 rounds.
2. There is no listed charges/limits on the spell being cast on reset, so as far as I can find, RAW, a magical device trap can cast and reset infinitely.
End Effect:
For 500g, you can create a small trap that casts cure light wounds every time you press a button, every 6 seconds, an unlimited amount of times. So presumably, for 1000g, you could purchase this, even if nobody in the party had the means to create it. This item would arguably invalidate scroll of cure light wounds, potion of cure light wounds, and and wand of cure light wounds. It would invalidate all need to use resources for downtime/between combat healing. It would, in effect, be free, infinite healing, for 500g.
I could take the time to come up with a bunch more examples, but I think just one is enough to show that there's a horrendous loophole here based on my understanding of RAW. So, I reach out to you my fine forum friends. Is there some rule or errata I am missing here that cuts this cheese off?
Thank you for your time!
I don't see any rule that allows players to design traps. CRB seems to talk about GM-designed traps only, since the following quote is in the "Environment" chapter:
Designing a Trap
Designing new traps is a simple process. Start by deciding what type of trap you want to create.
I'm pretty sure that clearly outlining what feat is required to create a magical trap, as well as providing a chart for the cost to create it, can be taken to mean that it is absolutely intended that player characters be able to make their own traps at will. The rules are pretty clearly laid out in the Traps section of the CRB and on PFSRD.
[EDIT] For further clarity;
"If a player character wants to design and construct a magic trap, he, or an ally, must have the Craft Wondrous Item feat. In addition, he must be able to cast the spell or spells that the trap requires—or he must be able to hire an NPC to cast the spells for him. " CRB, 423.
Valid point.
So, as an affected GM I'd retreat to the following position: While a player can add a rest, possible reset times are not clearly defined by CRB. So it's up to the GM to decide. And they are free to make this decisions individually for each trap the player comes up with.
Oh yea, as far as DM caveat this is all a moot point, this is like a million percent absolutely banned from every game I ever run, no questions asked. Its a wand, with no charge limit, no UMD check, no spell limit, and it costs less than a wand. Its broken as all hell, there is literally no redeeming it at all other than outright banning it. I just wanted to see if someone better at searching Errata than me had found where the designers had actively fixed this.
I really feel like there must be a fix, because if there weren't, "trapmancer" would be the #1 most recommended build of all time for Pathfinder. In fact, if the CRB trap rules are good for PFS play, I would expect 99% of players to be playing trapmakers.
I did not realize, well that cancels the PFS thing, and this question is more for just general play! To clarify, I totally get that I as a GM can just say no to this, as can any other GM. I just really hate saying no when a player has honestly found something they should be allowed to do RAW. I would much rather be able to point to an official errata that closes the clearly broken loophole. No luck thus far though!
All fair ways to work around it outside of RAW, but I'm going to hold out hope there's an actual RAW way to deal with this. The cost is pretty clearly laid out, if I adjust it, I'm breaking RAW.
There's nothing in the rules about a trap being connected to an immovable point, so that's also problematic. In fact, aren't there instances of items themselves being trapped? A ring with a magic trap when you put it on, etc? So again, I could definitely apply that rule, but it wouldn't be RAW afaik.
Last but not least, even if you make it more expensive, this is still incredibly broken. It creates the ability to make an item with unlimited spell uses, with a tiny cooldown, with no limitation on the spell being used. Even if I were to say it had to be in a building, it would be worth it to literally make a building, just to put a trap of Wish in it.
Anyway, I appreciate the input, but to reiterate, I don't need non-RAW ways to shut this down, that's easy "I'm GM and I say no, so no", I'm looking for/hoping for an actual response somewhere in the past 10 years of play from an errata or designer pointing out "oh shoot, this was way too vague, here's some additional rules around craft magic device trap".
Is it mobile? Because if it can't be moved, it's probably not better than a wand for adventuring.
Melk, I would assume it can be mobile. There are plenty of instances of trapped lockboxes or jewelboxes that can be easily carried, and can be trapped. There are also no rules against "trapping" a scrap of cloth and tying it to yourself.
The reasons it is better than a wand are as follows;
1. Its cheaper. A wand of CLW is 750g to buy. A trap of CLW is 500g to craft, and uses a feat that is (arguably) more generally useful than Craft Wands. Even if you purchase it, it is only 250g more.
2. It has *unlimited uses*. A wand gets 50 charges, and its done, finished, over. A magical device trap *has no use limit*, once you create it, it can then cast CLW an infinite number of times. So, 50 uses, versus literally infinity uses.
3. It does not require an action to activate. You could attach the trap to a proximity trigger, and then just hang it on your armor. It automatically casts CLW on you every single round as a free action.
4. It does not have a spell level limit. Wands are limited to 4th level spells. This could be created with a 9th level spell on it, and you would then have unlimited casts of a 9th level spell, once every 6 seconds, forever.
5. Traps do not take up an item slot. You could hang 90 copies of a CLW trap on yourself and be healed for 90d8+90 a round, every round, forever.
As far as I have been able to find, every single one of these examples is 100% RAW legitimate.
Welp, reddit thread has pretty much confirmed all of this is 100% doable, RAW, and there's just this horrendous loophole in the mechanics that has never been addressed or fixed, and somehow is being ignored by the same player base that discovered how to use painting magic to create an infinite army of Genies. My mind is totally blown here, but uh, I guess /thread.
Oh, it's been looked into before. Google Tippyverse.
Since a post-scarcity utopia isn't what most GMs want in their games yes, it gets ignored.