How fast can a miner dig out a 5' square of stone?

[Raven Crowking]

Anyone know?


RC

 

[coyote6]

If he has Power Attack and a two-handed weapon (a one-handed weapon wielded in two hands will do in a pinch), then he can "dig" out a 5 ft cube really fast.

According to the D&D RAW, anyways.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Okay, but what would a reasonable answer sound like?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Okay, but what would a reasonable answer sound like?

The 1E DMG had rules for mining speed by race, but I'm away from my books - someone might look it up for you?

-Hyp.

 

[dcollins]

1st Ed. DMG (p. 106) answer: 50 cubic feet per 8 hours (Assumes human, "soft" rock. Faster or slower for different races or rock types.)

Therefore: 5x5x5 feet = 125 / 50 = 2.5 time periods, or 2.5 x 8 = 20 hours.

 

[Hypersmurf]

1st Ed. DMG (p. 106) answer: 50 cubic feet per 8 hours (Assumes human, "soft" rock. Faster or slower for different races or rock types.)

Therefore: 5x5x5 feet = 125 / 50 = 2.5 time periods, or 2.5 x 8 = 20 hours.

Ah, 1E DMG... is there nothing you don't have a table for?

-Hyp.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Stone has hardness 8 and 15 hit points per inch of thickness.

A 5'x5'x5' piece of wall, therefore, has 900 hit points.

Your average human miner is a 10 Strength commoner wielding a miner's pick (which is *not* the same thing as the military pick in the equipment / weapon section).

For purposes of this exercise, I've always assumed it to be a two-handed, 1d12 20/x2 improvised weapon (for medium characters; a small one would do 1d10 damage).

Under these assumptions, it would take our normal human miner 1.8 hours of constant swinging to cut a 5'x5'x5' hole in solid rock. If you assume he swings one round, rests the next, etc., it'd take him 3.6 hours to complete this task.

Make him a half-orc (Str 12), and his time drops to 1.2 and 2.4 hours, respectively.

I've attached my spreadsheet, so you can play with the assumptions yourself.

 

[Raven Crowking]

So, it seems as though there is a pretty big difference between 1st Ed and 3rd. Which is more realistic, though?


RC

 

[dcollins]

Well, 1st Ed. actually dealt with mining rates directly and deliberately. With 3rd Ed. the best you can do is extrapolate from combat rules, which weren't at any point considered for digging simulations.

 

[Sejs]

So, it seems as though there is a pretty big difference between 1st Ed and 3rd. Which is more realistic, though?


RC

1st ed has the more realistic figures, by far.