Trapsmith (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)
(art by Sitaart on DeviantArt)
“Wait a minute!” You cry. “We already had a snare/trap crafting archetype! It was the snarecrafter!”
Yes, we did, but today’s subject can be thought of as an expansion or sister archetype to it. How you might ask? Because the trapsmith specifically uses clockwork and steam-powered mechanisms to enhance their snares!
That’s right, this archetype is from guns and gears, and revolves around the character designing their snares around much more advanced mechanical mechanisms than like, one spring and a few pulleys, and how having such complex parts can prove useful.
The capabilities of seemingly mundane gears in Pathfinder certainly go beyond what is plausible, but it’s still fun stuff, and blending the concept with trap-crafting is a fun way to do that. The name… could have been made to reflect any of that, but here we are.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look, shall we?
The base dedication of this archetype, which requires being a snarecrafter or a snare specialist ranger (therefore getting free snares each day). Said snares are made with steam-powered and clockwork components, and have a habit of belching distracting and blinding clouds of vapor at their victims when triggered, hindering them further.
The complex mechanisms make many of their creations difficult to disable, and the moving parts have a tendency to bite, pinch, and crush probing tools and digits that try, punishing the attempt.
Normally snares have to be placed on a surface, but with a handy propellor to steady them, some trapsmiths can set their snares in the air or underwater. They’re not exactly subtle, but placed properly they can still be a deterrent.
Their mechanical nature does mean that untriggered snares can be disassembled and set up elsewhere with relative ease, meaning that they aren’t wasted.
Furthermore, while universal parts have not been invented yet, these clocksmiths know enough to be able to scrap their originally prepared traps for the day and cobble two of them together to create an entirely different type of snare that is better suited for the situation.
Perhaps the most exotic trick this archetype offers is the ability for the trapsmith to rig their snares with special sensors that can set off the snares with more esoteric criteria, such as based on height or even the color of their clothing, rather than simple things like weight or proximity.
If you’re playing a trapper ranger or any snarecrafter character, this archetype can be a useful expansion of those abilities, including some good utility for reducing trap waste and add more offensive and defensive options for the traps. Be advised, however, going into both the snarecrafter and trapsmith does mean that significant part of your build will be dedicated to snares as an item type, which have their limits since you won’t always be on the offensive and able to set up such traps, nor get your foes to blunder into them.
The crafting of small portable machines with intricate parts is definitely the realm of “this character is smart and meticulous, at least when it comes to their work.” But there’s still a lot or room for nuance and characterization there. Perhaps they are engineers always seeking new innovation, or they might be less interested in invention and more on practical mechanics. Or maybe they’re pyromaniacs that want to blow up their enemies THEIR way rather than rely on anything as gauche as someone else’s formula for alchemist’s fire. Again, plenty of ways to play these characters beyond the basics.
They say that the Clicking Manor has become a haunted place. Formerly the home of a genius inventor and craftsman, the manse was filled with as many mechanical wonders as graced the workshop. However, he fell prey to a Ximtal sakhil, corrupting him with fear and anxiety until he turned the house into an automated deathtrap to keep all others out. It was a simple matter then for the fiend to then turn the mechanisms against their master, but even now it still quietly maintains the house as a delightful tormenting and killing ground for those that catch its eye.
With a visage both elegant yet unnerving, the hungerseed elf Ahgana kept to herself for most of her life, finding solace in machines and steam, her favorite of which being those that keep others from bothering her. However, that changed when a brilliant foreigner recognized the subtle beauty of her designs, and offered her a place in his organization.
Once he realized that that a magic mirror had created a replica of himself, Doctor Tolin has obsessively been studying snarecraft in the hopes of capturing this reflection that fled into the world, convinced that it is an evil doppelganger that will ruin his reputation in some way. However, the reflection has little interest in the original whatsoever.