GMforPowergamers
Legend
if a DM did this I would bring a nerf weapon and crossbow to the next session and every round hit him... every... single... round
D&D General Testing Players
overgeeked
B/X Known World
Shows the designers haven’t played since 3X. There is no taking 20 anymore. Also shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of character stats in an RPG. The player is not the character. Testing one has no bearing on testing the other.
I went to look it up & see how it works. Apparently there are "four magnetic locking pins for a total of sixteen possible combinations" & "eight double ended lockpicks to deduce the correct combination using tactile/auditory cues".
From a purely technical standpoint it might not be bad as a pseudo lockpicking simulator that doesn't require learning how to quickly pick a lock with skill or bore everyone waiting for someone to pick a lock with blind luck & persistence. What is not clear is how much the gm can repin the magnetic lock & how or if it's going to be using the same key so players can just start ruling them in/out based on wear of the keys .
From a GM standpoint there are a few possibilities.
From a purely technical standpoint it might not be bad as a pseudo lockpicking simulator that doesn't require learning how to quickly pick a lock with skill or bore everyone waiting for someone to pick a lock with blind luck & persistence. What is not clear is how much the gm can repin the magnetic lock & how or if it's going to be using the same key so players can just start ruling them in/out based on wear of the keys .
From a GM standpoint there are a few possibilities.
- Normally keys are cut from a blank which is the uncut key shaped to fit the "keyway" with numerical bitting & those are the numbers you often see on keys so they can be reordered easily & possibly in bulk.
- If the gm has enough ability to repin the lock trivially & do so in a way that can be conveyed then a thieve's tool check could grant some of that information to narrow down the selection
Agreed that it's basically a "no" from me, BUT I can see using it in a certain style of game or as a one-off gimmick. Feels like it would get old if used repeatedly.
Also agree that the sell copy is just...off. It betrays an unfamiliarity with post-3rd edition D&D (the "take 20" thing). And I certainly see plenty of non-Rogue characters with lockpicking skills, either because they're artificers or through their backgrounds. Also it doesn't make the case that lockpicking is any more or less "irrelevant" than any non-combat skill. There are ways they could have promoted this product as a fun accessory without trying to pretend that the in-game lockpicking mechanic is some kind of travesty. Like, I think it's potentially a fun enhancement product - there's probably a way to pitch it without pretending there is a big problem that it's fixing.
Also agree that the sell copy is just...off. It betrays an unfamiliarity with post-3rd edition D&D (the "take 20" thing). And I certainly see plenty of non-Rogue characters with lockpicking skills, either because they're artificers or through their backgrounds. Also it doesn't make the case that lockpicking is any more or less "irrelevant" than any non-combat skill. There are ways they could have promoted this product as a fun accessory without trying to pretend that the in-game lockpicking mechanic is some kind of travesty. Like, I think it's potentially a fun enhancement product - there's probably a way to pitch it without pretending there is a big problem that it's fixing.
Vaalingrade
Legend
If I have to use this to prove my real life skill, I get to use my chemistry knowledge to Doctor Stone my way though your setting.
I’ve wanted to learn more about lock picking just to be able to better describe what’s going on when a PC tries to pick a lock. Especially in a game that relies on description rather than an ability test (like b/x), I feel this would be useful. Not sure how I’ll gain similar practical information about finding secret doors though…
that sounds awesome, actually
overgeeked
B/X Known World
Thomas Rainsborough
Explorer
Yeah....no...Next up...players are forced to march 20 miles in a day carrying 50 pounds of gear before they can play a char Fighter with the Outlander Background.
