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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RodneyThompson" data-source="post: 4673325" data-attributes="member: 3594">Because it's a different lock.See, that's one thing that I think is commonly misunderstood about 4th Edition's "DCs that scale by level" system. Perhaps we've just not adequately explained the intent, in which case further explanation may be necessary. Essentially, the idea of DCs that scale with level assume that you are throwing level-appropriate challenges at the PCs. The charts by themselves assume that, whatever task the heroes are facing, they are facing it because it's meant to be a challenge for their level. The reason the DC to pick a lock is higher at a higher level is because it's a more complex lock, or perhaps it's forged with magic, etc.At the same time, we also want to maintain internal consistency. To wit:So, when your third level heroes decide to break into the mayor's house, and you decide that's an appropriate challenge for your level, then you set the DCs based on that. However, when the heroes are 26th level and come back to their hometown and decide to break into the mayor's house, then the DCs shouldn't scale--the doors aren't different, unless for some reason you decide that they are. So, you would use those same level 3 DCs...which pretty much means the rogue walks up, rolls his eyes, pops the lock and strides in. However, if the heroes are breaking into the Efreeti Bank in the City of Brass, which is more of a level-appropriate challenge, that's when you set the Thievery DC using the PCs level as a basis. That's because the locks in the City of Brass are tougher to open. The PCs should face challenges with level-appropriate DCs, but it's up to the DM to describe those challenges in a way that makes sense why it's harder. Climbing a cliff at 26th level has a higher DC than climbing a cliff at 3rd level because at 26th level you should be climbing the Cliffs of Death where to rocks bleed a slick ichor and steam vents blast scalding water on you every few seconds...and at 3rd level you should be climbing the rocky cliffs by the beach outside of town. But if you ARE 26th level, the cliffs outside of town shouldn't have their Athletics DC to climb changed...unless suddenly the cliffs outside of town are now the site of a demonic invasion where deadly portals open every few seconds to release bursts of hellfire.</blockquote>

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