I don't like PF2's implementation of lockpicking which uses multiple rolls with no in-world effect of each roll. So I thought of an alternative that somehow replicates the effect of those many rolls: That difficult locks take expotentially more time and have high risk of critical failure.
Lockpicking only takes 1 Thievery roll. More complex locks that take multiple rolls should just be many separate locks. This way, there is actually a way for characters in the world to see if a complex lock is partially unlocked: 2 out of 3 locks are open.
Locks don’t dictate the amount of rolls they need to be overcome but instead a timeframe. Higher quality locks might also require a minimum Thievery proficiency. The DCs to pick different qualities of locks doesn’t change.
The timeframes and minimum proficiencies for different lock qualities are:
- - Poor lock: 2 actions
- - Simple lock: 4 rounds
- - Average lock: 6 minutes
- - Good lock: 1 hour, needs expert
- - Superior lock: 8 hours, needs master
Your proficiency in Thievery reduces the amount of time you need to pick locks as follows:
- - Expert: timeframes as if lock was 1 category simpler
- - Master: timeframes as if lock was 2 categories simpler
- - Legendary: timeframes as if lock was 3 categories simpler
When you try to unlock a lock you spend an amount one timeframe depending on the lock and your proficiency working. After that, make a Thievery roll.
Critical Success: You either unlock the lock directly or spend one timeframe again immediately (starting before the end of your next turn in encounter mode) to unlock and leave no trace of your tampering.
Success: You found a way to unlock the lock. Spend two timeframes again immediately (starting before the end of your next turn in encounter mode) to unlock the lock.
Failure:: If the timeframe you spent unlocking was longer than 1 minute you break your tools.
Critical Failure: You break your tools.
- - Quick Unlock: The duration of timeframes for lockpicking is halfed (1 action instead of 2 actions, 2 rounds instead of 4, ...)
First spending some time working and then making a roll (and maybe spend more time) mirrors the mechanic of crafting and so might feel familiar.
Difficult locks already break your tools on a failure to replicate the high crit fail chance of multiple diffucult rolls. The needed proficiency removes the chance of low level thieves unlocking a level 17 superior lock. It is used for traps so that's nothing new. Having unnoticed tempering cost time makes for a decision point in combat.
The timeframes are chosen so that the for the 2-action version, a critical success can unlock with 2 actions while a success takes 3 rounds, approximating the default procedure.
A crit. Success on a 4-rounds lock means unlocking it within a fight, success needing way over a minute. A crit. Success on a 6-minute lock unlocks it withing a 10 minute slot, while a success needs two 10 minute slots.
Higher timeframes are actually not used because needed proficiencies reduce the timeframes. They are noted to show the theoretical progression so that a GM can some special locks take longer to unlock.
Quick Unlock lets success on a 6-minute lock take a 10 minute activity (3x3 minutes), success on a 4-action lock take under a minute or success on a 2-action lock take one round.
What do you think?
Looks pretty good, not sure how well the "work for many rounds without rolling" bit will stand up in a real encounter. What happens if halfway through my timeframe I stop long enough to thwack an attacker? Can I pick up where I left off, or do I need to start from scratch?
Looks pretty good, not sure how well the "work for many rounds without rolling" bit will stand up in a real encounter. What happens if halfway through my timeframe I stop long enough to thwack an attacker? Can I pick up where I left off, or do I need to start from scratch?
I asked myself that question too.
Simple answer: You have to start over. If you work in battle and want to whack someone, you have to start again. If you work for 2 minutes and then a guard comes along and you have to hide - start again. That's the easiest ruling but may be a bit frustrating for the lockpicking character.
A bit longer answer:
This is where that system needs work. :) For the 2 shortest timeframes, I could require a number of seperate actions, those could be spent with pauses but then it will take longer (like the 2 Reload actions of a heavy XBow). For the longer timeframes, pauses will just make it take longer.
With this ruling, the extra required duration after the roll also wouldn't have to start immediately. But there should still be sensible restrictions (not a year later, no other lockpicking started).
Also I have thought about an additional roll required after the first of the two extra timeframes after a normal success. ...I'll have to try it out first.
So if I pick two locks, but don't get the third in the time frame because I get distracted or something, those two just snap shut? As if every set of locks has an internal timer? Seems kinda wonky to say it's a set of multiple locks that resets if you stop using it. Unless that's looking at it the wrong way?
So if I pick two locks, but don't get the third in the time frame because I get distracted or something, those two just snap shut? As if every set of locks has an internal timer? Seems kinda wonky to say it's a set of multiple locks that resets if you stop using it. Unless that's looking at it the wrong way?
The rules as presented here appear to only address individual complex locks that require multiple successes, not multiple seperate locks - a single lock absolutely snaps back into place if you stop holding the picks in place before you have finished unlocking it.
So if I pick two locks, but don't get the third in the time frame because I get distracted or something, those two just snap shut? As if every set of locks has an internal timer? Seems kinda wonky to say it's a set of multiple locks that resets if you stop using it. Unless that's looking at it the wrong way?The rules as presented here appear to only address individual complex locks that require multiple successes, not multiple seperate locks - a single lock absolutely snaps back into place if you stop holding the picks in place before you have finished unlocking it.
Yeah, these rules are only for one lock. Multiple locks are seperate entities.
I think Tender Tendrils read one of the sentences in the "Goal" section wrong. There it talks about multiple locks. To clarify: In the current CRB rules, you can have a complex lock that needs 6 lockpicking successes. If you succeed at 5 of them and walk away, this complex lock will only need 1 further success to open - but this is not noticable from the outside. So I propose ditching those kind of complex locks and instead just have multiple simple locks, so that you can see if the complex lock is partially unlocked.
For those interested, I worked on this houserule a bit.
- changed the timeframe durations
- changed the needed timeframes depending on success
- added the choice to speed up work with a second roll, for dramatic situations
It can be found here: https://1drv.ms/w/s!Asfm1ZN3ZX_thEzu_SscikDYTJzC
Heh. My original houserule changes were far too complex. I took inspiration from the Repair activity and made a new, far simpler houserule for lockpicking and device disabling:
Changes to the Pick A Lock activity
This action allows you to open a lock. The DC of the check is determined by the complexity and construction of the lock you are attempting to pick.
You need to make progress to succeed. The progress target value is equal to the DC. If your progress is equal or greater than the progress target value, you open the lock.
Critical Success You add 10 to your progress, plus an additional 2 per proficiency rank you have in Thievery (a total of 12 if you’re trained, 14 if you’re an expert, 16 if you’re a master, or 18 if you’re legendary).
Success You add 5 to your progress, plus an additional 2 per proficiency rank you have in Thievery (a total of 7 if you’re trained, 9 if you’re an expert, 11 if you’re a master, or 13 if you’re legendary).
Critical Failure You lose 1d8 progress and either break your lockpicks.
If you succeed or critically succeed on a check, you can forgo your next 3 checks on the same lock and automatically add 2 per proficiency rank you have in Thievery to the progress.
If you get distracted or are otherwise unable to progress for more than a minute you lose all progress.
The consequences are slower progress on low proficiencies and faster at higher. And more reward for rolls at lower proficiencies and more reward for steady progress at higher ones.