Perhaps a clearer statement of what I was trying to say:
There are two types of traps in games. The first type, the character solves, generally by making a search check followed by a disable device check. (And a reflex save, if those checks don't work out so well.) The second type is solved by the player, and generally involves some intricate puzzle that must be figured out. If you use the first type, you are encouraging munchkinism. Every 5 seconds, it's "search check!" If you use the second type, you are unfairly punishing players who did not min max for combat, since a high intelligence and wisdom statistic does not translate into a real world increase in intellect. So, both the combat minmaxer and the thoughtful roleplayer are on the same footing here, while the combat minmaxer maintains his edge in battle, making his pc much "better" at getting things done in the game world than the pc who was created to be a full personality.
Perhaps a clearer statement of what I was trying to say:
There are two types of traps in games. The first type, the character solves, generally by making a search check followed by a disable device check. (And a reflex save, if those checks don't work out so well.) The second type is solved by the player, and generally involves some intricate puzzle that must be figured out. If you use the first type, you are encouraging munchkinism. Every 5 seconds, it's "search check!" If you use the second type, you are unfairly punishing players who did not min max for combat, since a high intelligence and wisdom statistic does not translate into a real world increase in intellect. So, both the combat minmaxer and the thoughtful roleplayer are on the same footing here, while the combat minmaxer maintains his edge in battle, making his pc much "better" at getting things done in the game world than the pc who was created to be a full personality.