Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="GMMichael" data-source="post: 6398280" data-attributes="member: 6685730">I'm a huge proponent of going abstract/conceptual with RPG rules.&nbsp; But if you're going to go in this direction with locked doors, you need to take one more step.If the lockpicker has the (meta) ability to determine how difficult the lock is, the bar should be raised or lowered, not just cast aside.&nbsp; So someone in the party tries to pick a lock that was originally set at DC 15, and fails (by rolling poorly).&nbsp; This person is an awesome lockpicker, which implies that the party's secondary lockpicker (bard) is not likely to be able to open the lock, either.&nbsp; By not allowing the bard to try, you're ruling out luck and operator error (by the first guy) as the culprits.&nbsp; There should still be a -chance-, otherwise the bard is seriously regretting his decision to take some lockpicking ranks.So when the thief fails, he still doesn't know the DC of the lock.&nbsp; The GM can bump it up at that time, to handle the meta-issue of the lock becoming highly difficult.&nbsp; But don't penalize the other players for taking similar skills.There's the point that allowing more lockpicking checks makes the game less interesting for the door-bashers.&nbsp; This should be a question of party decisions and circumstances, not rolls.&nbsp; If the party decided to pick the lock in the first place, there must have been a reason that stealth was the preferred method for opening the door.&nbsp; Sure, the barbarian could probably bash the door down, but if that were the best option at the time, he'd already be doing it, instead of letting the lockpickers take a shot.Correction: the penalty for failing a lockpicking check is that you will need a key or a barbarian to get through the door.What exists behind a door shouldn't be a metagame issue.&nbsp; It should be an in-game issue.&nbsp; Doors are made with locks because someone, somewhere, thought that there should be a reason for locking something in (or out).&nbsp; If that door is locked when PCs find it, it's highly possible that the reason for the door being locked is still in effect.&nbsp; Locked doors shouldn't be dropped into a dungeon just to give the thief something to do; they should be there because there's an in-game reason to lock the door.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="GMMichael, post: 6398280, member: 6685730"] I'm a huge proponent of going abstract/conceptual with RPG rules. But if you're going to go in this direction with locked doors, you need to take one more step. If the lockpicker has the (meta) ability to determine how difficult the lock is, the bar should be raised or lowered, not just cast aside. So someone in the party tries to pick a lock that was originally set at DC 15, and fails (by rolling poorly). This person is an awesome lockpicker, which implies that the party's secondary lockpicker (bard) is not likely to be able to open the lock, either. By not allowing the bard to try, you're ruling out luck and operator error (by the first guy) as the culprits. There should still be a -chance-, otherwise the bard is seriously regretting his decision to take some lockpicking ranks. So when the thief fails, he still doesn't know the DC of the lock. The GM can bump it up at that time, to handle the meta-issue of the lock becoming highly difficult. But don't penalize the other players for taking similar skills. There's the point that allowing more lockpicking checks makes the game less interesting for the door-bashers. This should be a question of party decisions and circumstances, not rolls. If the party decided to pick the lock in the first place, there must have been a reason that stealth was the preferred method for opening the door. Sure, the barbarian could probably bash the door down, but if that were the best option at the time, he'd already be doing it, instead of letting the lockpickers take a shot. Correction: the penalty for failing a lockpicking check is that you will need a key or a barbarian to get through the door. What exists behind a door shouldn't be a metagame issue. It should be an in-game issue. Doors are made with locks because someone, somewhere, thought that there should be a reason for locking something in (or out). If that door is locked when PCs find it, it's highly possible that the reason for the door being locked is still in effect. Locked doors shouldn't be dropped into a dungeon just to give the thief something to do; they should be there because there's an in-game reason to lock the door. [/QUOTE]

Verification