Demolitions Expert - Which way to go?

[stallcount]

Some general information to start with.

Starting off at level 5, expecting to play until 11-12
Not terribly optimized party; Hexblade, Paladin, Fighter, Social Rogue (no disable device/open lock ranks)

I have always wanted to play a Demolitions style character, and I feel like the setting, and party make up would be a good place to explore the concept.

I initially thought that a Combat Trapsmith route ala the stage crew, would be the way to go. The skills would be nice, but the overall combat usefulness seemed lacking. Although the idea itself really intrigued me.

I then moved on to a Trapsmith, using Fabricate to manufacture "real" traps, but again I felt limited to what I could do in combat.
Enter Earthbound Spell. The idea of sneaking around (even invisible) and casting trapped scorching rays/fireballs/Glitterdusts feels like the power level I'm after.

I have stumbled upon some character optimization builds over on the Wizards boards using Ultimate Magus as the foundation for some sneaky wizard fun.

Beguiler/Wizard/Ultimate Magus, using earthbound spell for the "traps" and Beguiler's illusions to maneuver enemy's into the trapped squares.

Some of my thoughts are:
1) I would really like to keep up the scouting role of the character, without relying completely on magic for it. Keeping up ranks in Hide/Move Silent/Spot/Listen. Human/Changling and Able Learner?
2) I feel like it would be potentially easy to get around the traps with Detect Magic and the like. Which is a big point in favor of the mundane trapsmiths. What could be some ways around that (triggering my own earthbound spells with summons?)

I don't want to steal the show, and do more in combat than "hack and slash" or "battlefield control spell A" or just "Kaboom!"

Thoughts, comments, ideas? I've been going in circles about a flavorful/fun yet effective way to build this character and am currently out of brain juice. I open it up to the great minds floating around here.

[archangel.arcanis]

Dream Dwarf going into Earth Delver (not sure it that is the right PrC), both from Races of Stone. You can now see through stone/earth, have earth glide like an elemental and be able use earthbound spell from under the ground. I think that should fit most of your requirements right there. Just use Druid or other suitable class really, to enter and you should be golden.

[Unbeliever]

I'll be interested to see what people can come up with.  Inspired a little by Diablo 3's Demon Hunter, I wanted to come up with a kind of trap-wielding archer character.  But, I couldn't really find a way to make the traps worthwhile.  I loved the idea of restricting movement or inflicting hard choices on enemies with them. 

[stallcount]

The earth dreamer looks interesting and adds some nice tricks. I may use that to top off the build, but with all that arcane casting I don't think it would be needed.

Again, I'm a bit torn between mundane traps and using earthbound spell.

For the Demon Hunter idea, you could try trapfinding variant ranger, into trapsmith or combat trapsmith...

[JohnnyMayHymn]

See if you can dip into arcane variant swordsage for an endless supply of explosive runes

[kikage]

If your DM is down for it, make an explosive runes variant, that explodes when the thing it is cast on is destroyed, as opposed to read. Cast that on clay arrowheads, and what ever is within 5 feet of what you shoot, takes 36 damage. Make it sonic damage instead of force, and you've got the ability to fuck up structures hard.

Optionally, you could take it a step further, and get a good size block of wet clay, make individual squares, but keep them wet, and still connected. Research a spell to link all the squares together, so that what happens to one square happens to another. Then go through a place you want to destroy, and start tagging architecturally vital points w/ the non-runed side of the square, once all the squares are in place squish the center detonator. This, of course, relies on your DM letting you do this, but it was an idea I had fun with. 

[gorfnab]

Artificer could easily fill a Demolitions Expert role. Otherwise you could try to import the Alchemist from Pathfinder.

[NiteCyper]

When I think of demolition in D&D, I think of object destruction. This is something conveniently doable by the at-will abilities of the invokers (the Dragonfire Adept and Warlock standard classes) and a Dissolving Spittler meldshaper. I'm not that familiar with Dissolving Spittle, so I don't know if it is good against objects. The Eldritch Blast weapon of the Warlock ignores object hardness, IIRC. The Dragonfire Adept has access to a Breath Weapon.

After discovering four doors, they open one to find a pile of grass. At this point the party decides upon the most effective search strategy, to be used quite often in the future: Burninate.

I also heard a good thing about an adamantine hammer. Not to mention the Warlock's Baleful Utterance invocation.

Using earthbound spell for the "traps" and Beguiler's illusions to maneuver enemy's into the trapped squares.

Sounds like a roundabout way to Color Spray someone.

(click to show/hide)

If your DM is down for it, make an explosive runes variant, that explodes when the thing it is cast on is destroyed, as opposed to read. Cast that on clay arrowheads, and what ever is within 5 feet of what you shoot, takes 36 damage. Make it sonic damage instead of force, and you've got the ability to fuck up structures hard.

Optionally, you could take it a step further, and get a good size block of wet clay, make individual squares, but keep them wet, and still connected. Research a spell to link all the squares together, so that what happens to one square happens to another. Then go through a place you want to destroy, and start tagging architecturally vital points w/ the non-runed side of the square, once all the squares are in place squish the center detonator. This, of course, relies on your DM letting you do this, but it was an idea I had fun with.

Fundamentally alter an already exploitable spell in two ways to try to make it more powerful? Wait, the first alteration sounds like...it is: Shahalandra's Delicate Disk.

[sirpercival]

If your DM is down for it, make an explosive runes variant, that explodes when the thing it is cast on is destroyed, as opposed to read. Cast that on clay arrowheads, and what ever is within 5 feet of what you shoot, takes 36 damage. Make it sonic damage instead of force, and you've got the ability to fuck up structures hard.

Optionally, you could take it a step further, and get a good size block of wet clay, make individual squares, but keep them wet, and still connected. Research a spell to link all the squares together, so that what happens to one square happens to another. Then go through a place you want to destroy, and start tagging architecturally vital points w/ the non-runed side of the square, once all the squares are in place squish the center detonator. This, of course, relies on your DM letting you do this, but it was an idea I had fun with.

You know, you can just use normal ER, and then put in a trap which casts Amanuensis on the ER.

[Cagemarrow]

Explosive Rune's triggers on a failed disable device check of 10 or more, since its an untrained skill any damage to the rune would also trigger it to go off automatically. Hence easy fuses by having something trigger to burn the rune, or placing one on ammunition that gets destroyed upon a hit.  Get creative. 

However if you really want to do damage you're going to want to energy substitution it to acid or sonic since fire only does half damage to objects.