Bashing doors

[Deussu]

We've all seen movies where the large iron doors are pounded multiple times by a powerful friend/foe before it is torn away. However in current D&D/PRPG the door is either untouched (or looks like it) or is there no longer.

My proposed idea is the following:

"To break down a door you need to make a Strength check against the door's DC (see chart for the suitable DC.) If the check is successful, the door is bashed open.
If the check fails by 4 or less, the door is slightly weakened, and the effects of attempts of bashing are obvious. The DC of the door's break DC is permanently decreased by 2."

Comments are welcome.

[Rezdave]

Deussu wrote:

If the check fails by 4 or less, the door is slightly weakened

Too much math. Your way may be more cinematic and "realistic", but this is D&D, after all, where "realism" is an afterthought. I really don't need more math and time spent breaking down doors. Either you can do it (eventually) or you can't, and the cinematic description should just be left to the DM.

To me, this is like trying to figure out where hits actually land on an opponent's body and how to equate HP to "real damage" and disabling opponents who take progressively more damage and so forth. Fact is, the HP system isn't made for it. Either someone is up and fighting with 1+ hp or they are down. Why should doors and orcs be different in this regard?

If you really want to, though, I'd lower the DC of bashing a door, and have that DC be like the AC of a target, where success applies damage. DC +5 could be double damage and DC+10 an instant shatter.

FWIW,

Rez

[Deussu]

It's very little math to be honest. Many skills already hold the same mechanic of "if you fail by 4 or less", such as Climb. And as I know realism takes out playability, this gives a better chance for the barbarian to break down the doors even if he gets close to the DC. It's a minor issue, but I'd certainly would like the half-orc barbarian a bigger chance at breaking down a door.

A problem might erupt with take 20 and multiple assists, as getting to 26 would already result in weakening a DC 30 door. It might be good to change the original proposal to "if you fail by 2 or less".

[Archade]

I propose one small change to make things more cinematic:

If a door, chest, manacles, or other object becomes subject to the broken condition, the DC to burst the item goes down by 2.

There!

[Deussu]

Archade wrote:

I propose one small change to make things more cinematic:

If a door, chest, manacles, or other object becomes subject to the broken condition, the DC to burst the item goes down by 2.

There!

That might work swell.