Open door as part of a move

[robberbaron]

Another option would be to take a leaf from star wars saga edition and making opening a door a swift action... thus you could move to door, swift action to open it, and then move beyond the door.

Don't think this would work if opening the door required more than pushing a button.
Fine for Sci-Fi but turning a handle and swinging a door open takes longer than 'no time'.

 

[Li Shenron]

Honestly I think this is a terrible complication for such small benefit... :\

If you want to be more realistic, I think that probably >90% of the typical doors in D&D (which are probably more bulky, heavy and imperfectly crafted/positioned than doors in our RL houses) would take more than a move action to open, particularly when they open towards you.

If the players are just looking towards a way to "gain a free move action" - but it's a bit silly isn't it? - at least try to keep it simple: maybe just say that for some doors (light enough, opening in the same direction as your movement) it's a free action, and that's it.

 

[eamon]

Don't think this would work if opening the door required more than pushing a button.
Fine for Sci-Fi but turning a handle and swinging a door open takes longer than 'no time'.

I agree. Just make doors that are only leaned shut a swift action and anything more than that a move action. I mean, a door with a smoothly working handle still needs a handle depress, and then you need to pull/push the door open. You'll need to slow down to do that. That means you shouldn't be able to do it "on the run". What you should definitely not be able to do is walk, open, walk. That's too much.

 

[Kurashu]

I usually get the biggest, brawnest, dumbest character we have and say "Hey, Thog, bash door." And Thog bashes through the door. The only way it could be better is if he was actually a Half-Orc Fighter 2/Barbarian X with an Int of 6.

 

[XCorvis]

Honestly I think this is a terrible complication for such small benefit... :\

If you want to be more realistic, I think that probably >90% of the typical doors in D&D (which are probably more bulky, heavy and imperfectly crafted/positioned than doors in our RL houses) would take more than a move action to open, particularly when they open towards you.

If the players are just looking towards a way to "gain a free move action" - but it's a bit silly isn't it? - at least try to keep it simple: maybe just say that for some doors (light enough, opening in the same direction as your movement) it's a free action, and that's it.

I don't want it to be realistic. I want it to be fun.

The question was asked after a session in a manor house where pretty much all the doors were closed. The party was split up and moving in tactical time from room to room, and they just found it annoying more than anything else. Move up to a door, open it, stand there like a moron. I don't think they're fishing for extra actions, I think it would just make things a little nicer on everyone. In my opinion, it's an odd artifact of the system that no one has bothered to fix (until SAGA, anyway).

 

[Li Shenron]

I don't want it to be realistic. I want it to be fun.

Ok! But keep in mind that introducing a detailed rule with lots of variations for something trivial like opening a door is usually fun the first 2 sessions, and then it easily spoils the fun. Been there done that...

The question was asked after a session in a manor house where pretty much all the doors were closed. The party was split up and moving in tactical time from room to room, and they just found it annoying more than anything else. Move up to a door, open it, stand there like a moron. I don't think they're fishing for extra actions, I think it would just make things a little nicer on everyone. In my opinion, it's an odd artifact of the system that no one has bothered to fix (until SAGA, anyway).

Well honestly I don't see why you really need to use actions at all. You're not yet in combat right? So just let them open the door, and if a hostile creature is behind the door, then roll for initiative and start keep track of actions only from that point on.

(And if the door is so bulky that the monsters behind can prepare itself for battle, then it's when you use a surprise round.)

 

[eamon]

Ok! But keep in mind that introducing a detailed rule with lots of variations for something trivial like opening a door is usually fun the first 2 sessions, and then it easily spoils the fun. Been there done that...

Same here ;-)

Well honestly I don't see why you really need to use actions at all. You're not yet in combat right? So just let them open the door, and if a hostile creature is behind the door, then roll for initiative and start keep track of actions only from that point on.

(And if the door is so bulky that the monsters behind can prepare itself for battle, then it's when you use a surprise round.)

Exactly. And if you really want to be counting rounds the whole time... well... some things just are annoying, and opening tons of doors when an opponent could be behind each corner is nerve-wracking. But that's not a reason to rule it any differently in-game. If you need to, avoid the bookkeeping by not counting in rounds, don't just change the number of rounds for something so perfectly reasonable.

If your players really don't want to see reason on this one, make sure that it happens to them that a bunch of opponents suddenly storm into the room and take advantage of their surprise without needing to spend an action opening a door at least once. You might as well not have doors at all if you can just walk through them.