How would this be adjudicated? The DC's for breaking down doors and the like are clearly listed, but what about when a character needs to lift a gate or push a boulder off a ledge? Are there rules for this that I've overlooked? If not, how would one resolve this?
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Try here ----> PRD: Carry Capacity Rules
Specifically the parts about lifting and dragging...
Cheers
I can't answer thre question regarding RAW, but for house ruling, I'd probably apply some form of the "push" rule from the Champions/Heroes game system, which allowed a temporary boost to a character's strength, in exchange for which the character took damage. Mind you, in that system, healing wasn't as common as in D&D or Pathfinder, so I'm not sure it could be done straight across the board, without unbalancing things.
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If it's beyond his maximum weight, he cannot move the item without getting some kind of leverage to reduce the effective weight to within his capabilities. Determine how much easier the pulley or lever or whatever they come up with makes the task, and either count his Str score as that many points higher, or the consider the weight of the object that many pounds lower.
A few points:
- Pushing isn't lifting.
- Aid Another.
- If you're all pulling a rope, or everyone is pushing against a large enough door, then everyone's STR check could be added up to arrive at the total group effort.
- Some things you just can't move. Try breaking those instead.
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If the object weighs more than he can lift off the ground (for a portcullis) or drag (for a boulder), it seems reasonable that he could make a Strength check to shift it a short distance for the duration of the action only (and during any readied actions that other characters take in response to his action), but I don't see any defined DC for such a check.
I might treat this a bit like Use Magic Device to emulate an ability score, but with a lower DC because he can never apply skill ranks or feats to it, using the result of his Strength check as his effective Strength score to determine the weight he can move. That would give a maximum effective Strength (for a roll of 20) for various actual Strength scores:
- STR 3 -> maximum STR check 15
- STR 10 -> maximum STR check 20
- STR 18 -> maximum STR check 24. From here on, characters or creatures get diminishing returns, until a creature of STR 30 can't increase its effective Strength above its real Strength. That actually could be a feature, considering that unusually strong humanoids, or larger creatures in general, should be that much closer to the limits of material performance of their muscles and skeletons.
Guidance and similar magical assistance could increase the character's Strength check above these limits.
Adjustments to weight limits due to size and body form apply normally. If the weight limit for the character's effective Strength is enough to lift or drag the object, he can do so as described earlier.
The GM probably should pre-calculate the Strength score required for Medium and Small characters, maybe for the party's mounts as well if the situation allows players to use them. edit: Actually, it should be possible to make this a table.
If multiple characters can apply their Strength to the task, they simply add their weight limits (real and/or emulated) together - in this case, individual effort becomes much more effective than aiding one character.
Thanks, everyone!
How would this be adjudicated? The DC's for breaking down doors and the like are clearly listed, but what about when a character needs to lift a gate or push a boulder off a ledge? Are there rules for this that I've overlooked? If not, how would one resolve this?
Those are pretty clearly Strength checks, in my book. Especially the "Bend Bars/Lift Gates" one.