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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AuraSeer" data-source="post: 3027328" data-attributes="member: 1331">I don't understand why this is considered a problem. There are two perfectly valid ways to bust the door down, depending on where you aim. Which is better depends on your abilities and the construction of the door, and how much of a hurry you're in.Doing damage means chopping a hole through the middle. The first blow puts a dent or crack. Then you get a small hole, the size of your weapon or foot or whatever. Later blows just enlarge the hole. You will probably spend a round or two doing enough damage, but you'll almost always end up getting through the door.Beating the break DC means taking the whole door out. You put your back into it for one solid blow, hoping to overcome the strength of the latch or the hinges. You might get through immediately, but you also might have to take a couple of tries.The first way is usually best for wooden doors, because the wood is usually weaker than the metal fittings. It's especially useful if the door is barred or barricaded, because you can chop  a small hole and then reach through to remove the obstacle. The second way is best for doors whose substance is particularly tough, or particularly hard on your weapons. When the cops raid a drug dealer's house, they don't try to chop the door down, because that would take too long. They need to get in fast before the people inside can react. So they use two strong men with a masterwork ram, make one roll to overcome the break DC, and hopefully get the door open during the surprise round. Unfortunately, if they screw up (roll poorly), the first attempt may fail. If they really screw up, or if they've underestimated the strength of the door, this may take longer than chopping it down would have.Contrast that with firefighters, who also need to get through a door, but don't need to worry about surprise. They needn't risk extra delay just for the chance of getting through on the first blow. So they break out the axes, make full attacks, and get through the door on round two every time-- no faster, but no slower.</blockquote>

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