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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Baron Opal II" data-source="post: 8806098" data-attributes="member: 6794067">After having a chance to play with some, I find latch/spring locks easy to pick with time, hard to pick with speed, and fast to bash open with a hammer. Especially easy if you don't care about what the lock is keeping closed. If they're pre-weathered (black colored steel rather than polished or rusty), greased, and out of direct weather they hold up for a surprising period of time. As in decades.Pin/tumbler locks are much harder to pick, although still easy if you know what you are doing. I used to have a hot-rodded truck that had as its ignition key a simple small brass key. Which, naturally, I lost one day. Calling a locksmith, I showed him the keyed ignition switch bolted to the bottom of the dash, and asked what he could do. I was expecting him to sell me a new switch with a key. He got out a brass blank and said "let me see what I can do." Over the next 10 minutes he would put the blank in the ignition, wiggle it a bit, file the key, and repeat. Eventually I had two new ignition keys, one filed out by hand and the second a machined copy of the first. "I just listened to what the lock was telling me," he said.So, from that, I tend to view locks on treasure or doors much like car door locks in reality. They're present just to keep honest people honest, point out that there's a place you're not supposed to go, and eat up time until someone notices you doing something you shouldn't. Or, make it obvious there's been a break-in if it wouldn't be otherwise. If there isn't a time factor or lock isn't special in some manner, the rogue picks the lock. If the fighter has some skeleton keys, okay, they pick the lock and it takes an hour. If time is a factor, then the rogue makes the check to see if it can be done quietly and quickly. If not, the fighter can at least open it quickly, if not quietly.And, of course, there is the occasional special lock that was hidden, complex, needs two keys turned at once, &c. Those are rare, and a specific to keep out the common rabble and give the PC thief a chance to shine. It also takes more than one check, and not always a Tinkering check.</blockquote>

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