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In the DMG, it mentions that a perception check can be used to spot a secret door. See page 65.
Are there more rules for opening a secret door? Is a secret door just a normal door after it is perceived? Should I simply use the "Open Lock" rules in the PHB?
It seems like there should be more to it than this.
This is the realm of adventure design, rather than hard and fast rules. Pre-published modules will often outline exactly how a door is opened. For example, in the 2008 D&D day adventure, the secret entrance to the underground crypt was opened by placing statues on certain shelves. You might specify that the perception check also finds the opening mechanism or a well hidden key hole. If it doesn't matter, just include the opening with the perception check. If it does matter, then figure out another skill or a puzzle that need solving.
A secret door is a door that is hidden. Otherwise they could have any of the characteristics of doors in general, and more.
If the door has a lock on it, you can open it using Thievery. If it doesn't have a lock, you can just push it open (or pull, lift or rotate it). If its catch is concealed somewhere else than on the door, or very well hidden in some sort of detailed decoration, you might have to spot or search for that also. If the catch is on the other side of the room, or on the ceiling, or in the mouth of the idol in the next room, you might have to arrange to release it and then get through the door before it closes .. and so on.
Do you allow passive perception to spot secret doors? Just curious. I don't remember anything official.
I do. Look, for example, at page 262 of the PHB. It states that the DM usually uses the passive perception to determine if a character sees a hidden object or creature. I think that it's quite reasonable to consider a secret door as a hidden object.
It's completely up to you - you could introduce some puzzle mechanic in with the secret door, and then throw in some XP in there...
Just remember that if the group take a short rest, and look round the chamber, it's assumed they'll roll until the crit, so show them everything, (or work out how much the check would be with their skill bonus added... but a critical implies a level of skill or luck above that of the bonus.
There is also the Detect Secret Doors ritual in the PHB, if they think it's there somewhere but can't find it.
That implies some level of action is required to find a secret door beyond passive perception. Is it simply active perception? If the DC to detect a secret door is above the entire group's passive perception skills, the DM needs to have already decided if it's simply not able to be found--whatever is behind that door is not necessary for the adventure.
However, if the DC is such that someone's passive perception is always going to detect it, it's not a very good secret door, is it?
However, if the DC is such that someone's passive perception is always going to detect it, it's not a very good secret door, is it?
I've used concealed goblin doors extensively in a campaign i'm running. The DC is 20 and only the rogue and ranger have a very good chance of finding them. No one's passive DC is high enough to detect the doors. But i let them take 20 when there's time, rather than rolling over every inch of the goblin warren. Still, they miss doors at times and have to backtrack, and the goblins are still able to outmaneuver them.
I divide secret doors into two categories. Easy and hard.
Easy ones are the run-of-the-mill ones that are hard to find, but with a good perception you spot them and can open them like a regular door.
Hard ones require a skill challenge. Think of the Chamber of Secrets from the Harry Potter series. It took the whole book before they could find it, using multiple skills.... perception, diplomacy, history, dungineering, and arcana.
The PCs scour the room,
rolling a lot of Perception checks. Unless the characters
are under a time constraint, assume that they’re
going to roll a 20 eventually, and use the best possible
Perception check result for the party.
Last edited by TarionzCousin; 10th March 2009 at 06:25 AM..
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