Stupid door tricks

[IcyCool]

I've seen that in movies, but I would imagine the rules for doing that in real life would be pretty strict, aren't they?

Daniel

It is used primarily in a raid scenario I believe, not in your average "pursuit of suspect" routine. However, kicking in a door is rarely as effective as you see on TV.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

It is used primarily in a raid scenario I believe, not in your average "pursuit of suspect" routine. However, kicking in a door is rarely as effective as you see on TV.

All main characters in movies and on TV seem to have the kick in the door special ability (no matter whether they are a brute or 90 pound waif). I am always amused that they all get through doors with one good kick. Who makes these doors and why are they still in business!

Olaf the Stout

 

[DarkKestral]

The military DOES use a 'kick in the door' method when doing urban raids. It can take less than 5 seconds on average for a Marine to kick in a door.

 

[javcs]

An 'average Marine' is pretty damned strong for a human, significantly stronger than the vast majority of the human race, plus, they probably recieve some training as to where and how to kick doors to cause the most damage in the least amount of time.

 

[DarkKestral]

Which would put them in roughly equal capacity as that STR 22 Barbarian door-kicking wise. A SEAL is usually rated at level 10 in d20Modern, which is officially 3 levels less in comparative ability than D&D, in many ways, but for the sake of rough equivalency, lets ignore that fact. At best, your Marine is going to be STR 21 or so, and the average Marine is likely to be STR 17-20. If a weaker person could do it with a high likelihood of success (typical is 2-3 tries to bust a door via kicking it) then the stronger, possibly Raging, Barbarian should be able to bust it more easily. Not necessarily terribly much so, but the d20 check should still be a success more than 20% of the time. 40% or so seems far more reasonable. Since this Barb also probably has Rage or magical items boosting his effective Str score (22 seems a bit too low for a level 10 Barb, after ability boosting magics and items) he should be capable of doing this even more reliably. I'd say we're hitting the magical 50% chance zone or thereabouts for rough equivalency in likelihood.

This IS all assuming the doors are equivalently thick and made of the same material.

 

[Someone]

"Heeeeere´s Johnny!"

 

[AuraSeer]

Two rounds is twelve seconds. That's pretty damn quick for chopping through a strong wooden door.

When I think "strong wooden door," I think something like a solid, thick, English oak door. Do you know how long it'd take someone to chop through that? Even a really strong guy with a really big axe? It'd be a hell of a lot longer than twelve seconds, that's for sure.

Yeah, in the real world it takes more rounds, but that's because real people are NPCs with average ability scores.

The OP mentions a 10th-level barbarian with Str 22. That's more than just a really strong guy. This is a person who can survive being stabbed, burnt, poisoned, and shot full of arrows, and still singlehandedly kick the butts of any two dozen normal people. He's basically a superhero. You'd expect him to hack through a door quicker than some random mortal.

And by the rules, you don't even need an axe to do it. Any weapon that can do over 5 points of damage will work. Hell, by the rules, you could eventually destroy a strong wooden door with a rapier. A guy with a rapier and a 14 strength could chop through a strong wooden door in less than five minutes, by the RAW....

Check again, under the Ineffective Weapons heading. "Certain weapons just can’t effectively deal damage to certain objects." The rules don't bother laying out the precise details of what can harm every material, because that would use up a ton of space for little benefit. Instead, they assume your DM is a live human who is capable of making decisions. If your DM rules that it's reasonable for you to chop through wooden planks with an oversized knitting needle, it isn't the fault of the rulebook.

 

[Quartz]

The reason you try and bash open the door rather than bash through it is because your BBEG has put a Prismatic Wall inside it.

 

[Vrecknidj]

Even better, his wizard ally could cast knock on the door first, and if the DM was in a good mood, the first swing the barbarian takes against the door could throw it open, leaving an over-extended barbarian (maybe even without his weapon) standing there gaping at the swinging door.



Dave

 

[Jack Simth]

Really want a fun trick? Cast Invisibility on the door. It can target objects. Then make faces at whatever's on the other side.