New Skill: Demolition

[Garryl]

Demolition skill

When using this skill in your game, replace any Strength checks to break an object or to break loose from a restraint (such as from a web or entangle spell, from a net, and so forth) with Demolition checks.

Basically, this skill collects all of those Strength checks to break things, or to break out of them.

The following classes treat Demolition as a class skill:

• Barbarian
• Cleric (Destruction Domain only)
• Fighter
• Monk
• Rogue
• Psychic Warrior
• Totemist
• Swordsage
• Warblade
• ... and so on and so forth.

Demolition (Str)
Demolition is the art of breaking things. More than just brute force, this skill involves understanding the construction and strengths of various objects and materials and how best to apply that force to their weak points.

Task	Demolition DC
Break an item	Object's Demolition DC
Break open a door	Door's Demolition DC
Burst through a wall	Wall's Demolition DC
Break free from restraint	Restraint's Demolition DC

Object Demolition DC Scroll 8 Potion vial 12 Wand 16 Cognizance crystal 16 Small chest 17 Dorje 18 Power stone 20 Treasure chest 23 Staff 24 Psicrown (silk) 24 Magic ring 25 Rod 27 Psicrown (metal) 28

Restraint Demolition DC Tanglefoot bag 17 Rope, hempen 23 Rope, silk 24 Chain 26 Manacles 26 Manacles, masterwork 28 Monstrous spider's web 14 + 1/2 HD + Con mod Entangle spell 20 Freezing sphere spell 25 Snare spell 23 Web spell 20

Door or Portal Typical Thickness Demolition DC Simple wooden door 1 in. 13 Good wooden door 1.5 in. 18 Strong wooden door 2 in. 23 Bend iron bars 1 in. 24 Wood-barred door -- 25 Wooden portcullis 3 in. 25 Iron grate 1 in. 27 Stone door 4 in. 28 Iron door 2 in. 28 Iron portcullis 2 in. 28 Iron-barred door -- 30 Condition Typical Thickness DC Adjustment1 Hold portal -- +5 Arcane lock -- +10 Psionic lock -- +10 1. If multiple apply, use the larger number.

Walls Typical Thickness Demolition DC Masonry 1 ft. 35 Reinforced Masonry 1 ft. 45 Hewn Stone 3 ft. 50 Unworked Stone 5 ft. 65 Iron 6 in. 30 Paper Paper-thin 1 Wood 6 in. 20 Wall of ice 1 in./level 15 + level Wall of iron 1 in./4 levels 25 + 2/in. Wall of stone 1 in./4 levels 20 + 2/in. Wall of ectoplasm 1 in./4 levels 15 + 2/in. Condition Typical Thickness DC Adjustment Magically treated -- +20

Check
The DC of the check depends on what you are trying to do.

Break an Item
When a character tries to break something with sudden force rather than by dealing damage, use a Demolition check (rather than an attack roll and damage roll, as with the sunder special attack) to see whether he or she succeeds. The DC depends more on the construction of the item than on the material.

If an item has lost half or more of its hit points, the DC to break it drops by 2.

Break Open a Door
Breaking open a door works just like breaking an item.

Larger and smaller creatures get size bonuses and size penalties on Demolition checks to break open doors as follows: Fine -16, Diminutive -12, Tiny -8, Small -4, Large +4, Huge +8, Gargantuan +12, Colossal +16.

The DC to break open a wooden door that is locked and not merely stuck and not locked is 2 higher than normal.

When characters try to bash down a barred door, it’s the quality of the bar that matters, not the material the door is made of. Characters can attack the door and destroy it instead, leaving the bar hanging in the now-open doorway.

The break DC for a hinge is the same as for breaking down the door.

A crowbar or portable ram improves a character’s chance of breaking open a door. A crowbar grants a +2 circumstance bonus on Demolition checks made for such purposes. A portable ram gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Demolition checks made to break open a door and it allows a second person to help you without having to roll, increasing your bonus by 2.

Break Free From Restraint
You can use the Demolition skill to break free from a restraint holding you. Typically, this ruins the restraint in question, making it unusable without repair.

Typically, breaking free from a restraint is a standard action. More complex or magically animated ones, such as entangle and web spells, take longer.

Breaking free from a net, an entangle or snare spell, or the ice frozen by a freezing sphere spell is a full-round action.

Breaking free from a web spell takes 1 round.

Action
Varies. Most uses of Demolition are a standard action. Escaping certain restraints takes longer.

Try Again
Yes.

Synergy

• If you have 5 or more ranks in Demolition, you gain a +2 bonus on Disable Device checks made to disable things other than traps.
• If you have at least 5 ranks in a Craft skill you gain a +2 bonus on Demolition checks made to break items that can be made with that skill.
• If you have at least 5 ranks in Disable Device you gain a +2 bonus on Demolition checks made to break open doors.
• If you have at least 5 ranks in Escape Artist you gain a +2 bonus on Demolition checks made to break free from restraints.
• If you have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (architecture and engineering) you gain a +2 bonus on Demolition checks made to burst through walls.
• If you have at least 5 ranks in Use Rope you gain a +2 bonus on Demolition checks made to break free from restraints.

Change Log

(click to show/hide)

21/6/2017: Reposted to Min Max Forum storm shelter.
9/3/2016: Included snare spell. Changed the synergy to Disable Device.
8/3/2016: First posted.

[Stratovarius]

So, while I think this is a clean implementation, what does it actually add to the classes in question? In most cases (low skill point meathead types), it appears to actively detract from them by taking away something they could already do and moving it into an area that requires additional investment just to get back to their previous abilities.

[Garryl]

So, while I think this is a clean implementation, what does it actually add to the classes in question? In most cases (low skill point meathead types), it appears to actively detract from them by taking away something they could already do and moving it into an area that requires additional investment just to get back to their previous abilities.

It's usable untrained and the DCs are the same. If you spend exactly 0 skill points on Demolition you're in the exact same boat as you would be without this.

[Stratovarius]

It's usable untrained.

You might want to mention this in the skill somewhere.

[Garryl]

It's usable untrained.

You might want to mention this in the skill somewhere.

Why? Usable untrained is the default. Trained only skills are the ones that require mentioning.

Trained Only
If this notation is included in the skill name line, you must have at least 1 rank in the skill to use it. If it is omitted, the skill can be used untrained (with a rank of 0). If any special notes apply to trained or untrained use, they are covered in the Untrained section (see below).

[Stratovarius]

It's usable untrained.

You might want to mention this in the skill somewhere.

Why? Usable untrained is the default. Trained only skills are the ones that require mentioning.

Trained Only
If this notation is included in the skill name line, you must have at least 1 rank in the skill to use it. If it is omitted, the skill can be used untrained (with a rank of 0). If any special notes apply to trained or untrained use, they are covered in the Untrained section (see below).

For the exact same reason you tell me to add "in range" into maneuvers with a range - because it clarifies matters that are unmentioned.

[RobbyPants]

I agree that being able to use this untrained is a nice advantage for non-casters. Also, for better or for worse, monsters will be able to use this, as well. Obviously, any published monster will have precisely zero ranks, but they might have synergy. It could make it easier for DMs to make monsters to wiggle out of caster's traps. Of course, it also makes spells that have these checks obvious losers compared to ones that don't.

Synergy

• If you have 5 or more ranks in Demolition, you gain a +2 bonus on Disable Device checks made disable door mechanisms and hinges.

I'd suggest changing it to apply to any Disable Device check that isn't against a magical trap, so long as you aren't trying to bypass the device while keeping it working.

[Garryl]

I agree that being able to use this untrained is a nice advantage for non-casters. Also, for better or for worse, monsters will be able to use this, as well. Obviously, any published monster will have precisely zero ranks, but they might have synergy. It could make it easier for DMs to make monsters to wiggle out of caster's traps. Of course, it also makes spells that have these checks obvious losers compared to ones that don't.

It's still a standard action or worse to break free (usually worse), and it's nothing you couldn't do with a Strength check before. You could escape restraints (including the magical ones, Web and Entangle) with a skill before, but nobody ever bothers with Escape Artist so I doubt it'll be an issue. Heck, Escape Artist lets you escape grapples, too. Plus, Web and Entangle still require a Reflex save every round to not get caught up again, requiring you to spend yet another turn trying to break free if you fail. I'd hardly call them "obvious losers", no more so than Black Tentacles (one of the two 4th-level BFC kings alongside Solid Fog) is, with its escape mechanism costing only a standard action (or a full-round action for multiple tries) and going against a number that scales automatically with BAB (grapple check). Seriously, Entangle and Web are stupidly good, even if you automatically succeed on your escape attempt.