Traps and Secret Doors

[acslacker]

TLDR: How do you get traps to show up on the map without setting them off and without a rogue? How are secret doors detected?

As a big fan of Wizardry V, I like what I've seen so far from BG1. I've read a bit on the forums before starting. Sounds like the rogue's only skill in battle is dying, and he regularly botches trap removal. I vividly recall from my days in Wizardry V getting into serious trouble from botched traps. In fact, just about all of my disastrous dungeon runs included my thief botching a stunner, daemon eye or rainbow ray (and instead of getting a game-over when the party is wiped, good old Wizardry auto-saves, resulting in me having to create an entirely new team to haul the bodies of my old team out of the dungeon). With this in mind, I happily left my rogue warming the bench at the guild in favor of a heavy-hitter and trap zap.

So now I need to figure out how to detect traps sans rogue. I bring up the J-map, and there's a Scry spell listed at the top. I feel like using this spell while the map is up is key to getting the traps to appear on the map. If this spell allows traps to appear on the map, what is the detection range? Failing that, I'm going to use levitate, fully knowing one in four will spring. Do you know if levitating over a trap (successfully) allows the trap to appear on the map? Is there any other way to detect traps before springing them? Aside from cheating, of course.

In a similar vein, I'd like to know more about detecting secret doors. I see the extended light conjuror spell that indicates it can detect secret doors. Well, I used that spell, but nothing came up during my thorough search of the wine cellar. Either there aren't any secret doors in the wine cellar, or I'm using the spell improperly. How does the spell notify the player of secret doors? I also noticed the stone shine spell for the magician. It costs a lot of points and doesn't seem to do a whole lot. Obviously it detects secret doors at limited range, but is it more or less pointless with the conjuror spell available?

[noblesse_oblige]

The Sorcerer class is your friend. It has access to the LOTR (Locate Traps), Second Sight (SESI), and Sorcerer Sight (SOSI) spells, which can detect traps on the map. The Rogue cannot detect traps on the map.

Any PC can detect traps on a chest with a certain probability. Rogues should be the most proficient at disarming them, but always have a failure chance. The TRZP (Trap Zap) spell of the Conjurer class is 100% reliable for removing traps from chests and also out to 3 squares in the facing direction on the dungeon map. (There is currently a bug in the remaster which prevents the zap from wrapping around the map as in the originals though.)

[SaschaGoto]

Additionally, traps are marked on the map when you walk/"hover" over them with an activated levitation spell. (LEVI or MALE)
Lighting spells that can detect secret doors will simply show the doors in the 3D view, and they will be marked as secret doors on the map. (The door shows as an "empty" square instead of a filled one.)

[flux_c]

The Scry Sight spell will tell you the distance your party is from the exit stairs. Its especially useful for after being teleported. It does not deal with traps in any way.

There are really only a couple ways to deal with map traps, and they are all spell related. The Rogue is incapable of detecting or disarming traps while traveling. The only way I know of to make traps appear on the map is by actually walking over the square with the trap. As you said, Levitation and Major Levitation will help most of the time here. This will cause the trap to appear on the map, whether its triggered or not.

The Sorcerer spell Locate Traps will give a notification in the text window if there are any trap(s) within 30' and in the direction you are currently facing. It does not make them show up on the map, nor does it tell you how far away the trap(s) are or how many. Trap Zap will disarm any traps within 30' in the direction the party is currently facing.

When you have a light spell active that can detect secret doors, the game simply displays them as normal doors in the 3d view.

[noblesse_oblige]

I don't recall any secret doors in the Wine Cellar; there are several in the first level of Sewers though. Mundane lights, like torches and lamps, and the MAFL (Mage Flame) Conjurer spell, STLI (Steelight) Magician spell, CAEY (Cat Eyes) Sorcerer spell also do not detect secret doors, iirc. Likewise for light from the Lightwand. You would want LERE, GRRE, or STSI to detect secret doors. The Seeker's Ballad bard song starts out unable to detect secret doors, but grows in power with the more advanced dungeons. The spells that can detect secret doors generally have better illumination range anyway, which makes it easier to find your way around the dungeons.

[acslacker]

Wow, the rogue class becomes an even more lousy choice.

Thanks for the fast responses. Sorceror will have to wait until my casters get to 13, so levitate it is.