This material is Open Game Content, and
is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
CARRYING, MOVEMENT, & EXPLORATION
Encumbrance
rules determine how much a character’s armor and equipment slow him or her
down. Encumbrance comes in two parts: encumbrance by armor and encumbrance by
total weight.
Encumbrance
by Armor:
A character’s armor defines his or her maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, armor
check penalty, speed, and running speed. Unless your character is weak or
carrying a lot of gear, that’s all you need to know. The extra gear your
character carries won’t slow him or her down any more than the armor already
does.
If your
character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, however, then you’ll need to
calculate encumbrance by weight. Doing so is most important when your character
is trying to carry some heavy object.
Weight: If you want to determine
whether your character’s gear is heavy enough to slow him or her down more than
the armor already does, total the weight of all the character’s items,
including armor, weapons, and gear. Compare this total to the character’s
Strength on Table: Carrying Capacity. Depending on how the weight compares to
the character’s carrying capacity, he or she may be carrying a light, medium,
or heavy load. Like armor, a character’s load affects his or her maximum
Dexterity bonus to AC, carries a check penalty (which works like an armor check
penalty), reduces the character’s speed, and affects how fast the character can
run, as shown on Table: Carrying Loads. A medium or heavy load counts as medium
or heavy armor for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by
armor. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character.
If
your character is wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from load)
for each category. Do not stack the penalties.
Lifting
and Dragging:
A character can lift as much as his or her maximum load over his or her head.
A
character can lift as much as double his or her maximum load off the ground,
but he or she can only stagger around with it. While overloaded in this way,
the character loses any Dexterity bonus to AC and can move only 5 feet per
round (as a full-round action).
A character can generally push or drag along the ground as much as five times his or her maximum load. Favorable conditions can double these numbers, and bad circumstances can reduce them to one-half or less.
Bigger
and Smaller Creatures: The figures on Table: Carrying Capacity are for Medium
bipedal creatures. A larger bipedal creature can carry more weight depending on
its size category, as follows: Large x2, Huge x4, Gargantuan x8, Colossal x16.
A smaller creature can carry less weight depending on its size category, as
follows: Small x3/4, Tiny x1/2, Diminutive x1/4, Fine x1/8.
Quadrupeds
can carry heavier loads than characters can. Instead of the multipliers given
above, multiply the value corresponding to the creature’s Strength score from
Table: Carrying Capacity by the appropriate modifier, as follows: Fine x1/4,
Diminutive x1/2, Tiny x3/4, Small x1, Medium x1-1/2, Large x3, Huge x6,
Gargantuan x12, Colossal x24.
Tremendous
Strength:
For Strength scores not shown on Table: Carrying Capacity, find the Strength
score between 20 and 29 that has the same number in the “ones” digit as the
creature’s Strength score does and multiply the numbers in that for by 4 for
every ten points the creature’s strength is above the score for that row.
Table: Carrying Capacity
|
|||
Strength Score |
Light Load |
Medium Load |
Heavy Load |
1 |
3 lb. or less |
4–6 lb. |
7–10 lb. |
2 |
6 lb. or less |
7–13 lb. |
14–20 lb. |
3 |
10 lb. or less |
11–20 lb. |
21–30 lb. |
4 |
13 lb. or less |
14–26 lb. |
27–40 lb. |
5 |
16 lb. or less |
17–33 lb. |
34–50 lb. |
6 |
20 lb. or less |
21–40 lb. |
41–60 lb. |
7 |
23 lb. or less |
24–46 lb. |
47–70 lb. |
8 |
26 lb. or less |
27–53 lb. |
54–80 lb. |
9 |
30 lb. or less |
31–60 lb. |
61–90 lb. |
10 |
33 lb. or less |
34–66 lb. |
67–100 lb. |
11 |
38 lb. or less |
39–76 lb. |
77–115 lb. |
12 |
43 lb. or less |
44–86 lb. |
87–130 lb. |
13 |
50 lb. or less |
51–100 lb. |
101–150 lb. |
14 |
58 lb. or less |
59–116 lb. |
117–175 lb. |
15 |
66 lb. or less |
67–133 lb. |
134–200 lb. |
16 |
76 lb. or less |
77–153 lb. |
154–230 lb. |
17 |
86 lb. or less |
87–173 lb. |
174–260 lb. |
18 |
100 lb. or less |
101–200 lb. |
201–300 lb. |
19 |
116 lb. or less |
117–233 lb. |
234–350 lb. |
20 |
133 lb. or less |
134–266 lb. |
267–400 lb. |
21 |
153 lb. or less |
154–306 lb. |
307–460 lb. |
22 |
173 lb. or less |
174–346 lb. |
347–520 lb. |
23 |
200 lb. or less |
201–400 lb. |
401–600 lb. |
24 |
233 lb. or less |
234–466 lb. |
467–700 lb. |
25 |
266 lb. or less |
267–533 lb. |
534–800 lb. |
26 |
306 lb. or less |
307–613 lb. |
614–920 lb. |
27 |
346 lb. or less |
347–693 lb. |
694–1,040 lb. |
28 |
400 lb. or less |
401–800 lb. |
801–1,200 lb. |
29 |
466 lb. or less |
467–933 lb. |
934–1,400 lb. |
+10 |
x4 |
x4 |
x4 |
Table:
Carrying Loads |
|||||
|
|
|
–—— Speed —–— |
||
Load |
Max Dex |
Check Penalty |
(30 ft.) |
(20 ft.) |
Run |
Medium |
+3 |
–3 |
20 ft. |
15 ft. |
x4 |
Heavy |
+1 |
–6 |
20 ft. |
15 ft. |
x3 |
Armor and Encumbrance for Other Base
Speeds
The table below provides reduced
speed figures for all base speeds from 20 feet to 100 feet (in 10-foot
increments).
Base Speed
|
Reduced Speed
|
Base Speed
|
Reduced Speed
|
20 ft. |
15 ft. |
70 ft. |
50 ft. |
30 ft. |
20 ft. |
80 ft. |
55 ft. |
40 ft. |
30 ft. |
90 ft. |
60 ft. |
50 ft. |
35 ft. |
100 ft. |
70 ft. |
60 ft. |
40 ft. |
|
|
MOVEMENT
There
are three movement scales, as follows.
• Tactical, for combat,
measured in feet (or squares) per round.
• Local, for exploring an
area, measured in feet per minute.
• Overland, for getting from
place to place, measured in miles per hour or miles per day.
Modes
of Movement:
While moving at the different movement scales, creatures generally walk,
hustle, or run.
Walk:
A walk
represents unhurried but purposeful movement at 3 miles per hour for an
unencumbered human.
Hustle:
A hustle
is a jog at about 6 miles per hour for an unencumbered human. A character
moving his or her speed twice in a single round, or moving that speed in the
same round that he or she performs a standard action or another move action is
hustling when he or she moves.
Run
(x3): Moving
three times speed is a running pace for a character in heavy armor. It
represents about 9 miles per hour for a human in full plate.
Run
(x4): Moving
four times speed is a running pace for a character in light, medium, or no
armor. It represents about 12 miles per hour for an unencumbered human, or 8
miles per hour for a human in chainmail.
TACTICAL MOVEMENT
Use tactical
movement for combat. Characters generally don’t walk during combat—they hustle
or run. A character who moves his or her speed and takes some action is
hustling for about half the round and doing something else the other half.
Hampered
Movement:
Difficult terrain, obstacles, or poor visibility can hamper movement. When
movement is hampered, each square moved into usually counts as two squares,
effectively reducing the distance that a character can cover in a move.
If
more than one condition applies, multiply together all additional costs that
apply. (This is a specific exception to the normal rule for doubling)
In
some situations, your movement may be so hampered that you don’t have
sufficient speed even to move 5 feet (1 square). In such a case, you may use a
full-round action to move 5 feet (1 square) in any direction, even diagonally.
Even though this looks like a 5-foot step, it’s not, and thus it provokes
attacks of opportunity normally. (You can’t take advantage of this rule to move
through impassable terrain or to move when all movement is prohibited to you.)
You
can’t run or charge through any square that would hamper your movement.
LOCAL MOVEMENT
Characters
exploring an area use local movement, measured in feet per minute.
Walk: A character can walk
without a problem on the local scale.
Hustle:
A
character can hustle without a problem on the local scale. See Overland
Movement, below, for movement measured in miles per hour.
Run: A character with a
Constitution score of 9 or higher can run for a minute without a problem.
Generally, a character can run for a minute or two before having to rest for a
minute
OVERLAND MOVEMENT
Characters
covering long distances cross-country use overland movement. Overland movement
is measured in miles per hour or miles per day. A day represents 8 hours of
actual travel time. For rowed watercraft, a day represents 10 hours of rowing.
For a sailing ship, it represents 24 hours.
Walk: A character can walk 8
hours in a day of travel without a problem. Walking for longer than that can
wear him or her out (see Forced March, below).
Hustle: A character can hustle
for 1 hour without a problem. Hustling for a second hour in between sleep
cycles deals 1 point of nonlethal damage, and each additional hour deals twice
the damage taken during the previous hour of hustling. A character who takes
any nonlethal damage from hustling becomes fatigued.
A
fatigued character can’t run or charge and takes a penalty of –2 to Strength
and Dexterity. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the fatigue.
Run: A character can’t run for
an extended period of time.
Attempts
to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle.
Terrain: The terrain through which
a character travels affects how much distance he or she can cover in an hour or
a day (see Table: Terrain and Overland Movement). A highway is a straight,
major, paved road. A road is typically a dirt track. A trail is like a road,
except that it allows only single-file travel and does not benefit a party
traveling with vehicles. Trackless terrain is a wild area with no paths.
Forced
March: In
a day of normal walking, a character walks for 8 hours. The rest of the
daylight time is spent making and breaking camp, resting, and eating.
A
character can walk for more than 8 hours in a day by making a forced march. For
each hour of marching beyond 8 hours, a Constitution check (DC 10, +2 per extra
hour) is required. If the check fails, the character takes 1d6 points of
nonlethal damage. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from a forced
march becomes fatigued. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the
fatigue. It’s possible for a character to march into unconsciousness by pushing
himself too hard.
Mounted
Movement:
A mount bearing a rider can move at a hustle. The damage it takes when doing
so, however, is lethal damage, not nonlethal damage. The creature can also be
ridden in a forced march, but its Constitution checks automatically fail, and,
again, the damage it takes is lethal damage. Mounts also become fatigued when they
take any damage from hustling or forced marches.
See
Table: Mounts and Vehicles for mounted speeds and speeds for vehicles pulled by
draft animals.
Waterborne
Movement: See Table:
Mounts and Vehicles for speeds for water vehicles.
Table:
Movement and Distance |
||||
|
——————— Speed ——–———— |
|||
|
15 feet |
20 feet |
30 feet |
40 feet |
One
Round (Tactical)1 |
|
|
|
|
Walk |
15 ft. |
20 ft. |
30 ft. |
40 ft. |
Hustle |
30 ft. |
40 ft. |
60 ft. |
80 ft. |
Run
(x3) |
45 ft. |
60 ft. |
90 ft. |
120 ft. |
Run
(x4) |
60 ft. |
80 ft. |
120 ft. |
160 ft. |
One
Minute (Local) |
|
|
|
|
Walk |
150 ft. |
200 ft. |
300 ft. |
400 ft. |
Hustle |
300 ft. |
400 ft. |
600 ft. |
800 ft. |
Run
(x3) |
450 ft. |
600 ft. |
900 ft. |
1,200 ft. |
Run
(x4) |
600 ft. |
800 ft. |
1,200 ft. |
1,600 ft. |
One
Hour (Overland) |
|
|
|
|
Walk |
1-1/2 miles |
2 miles |
3 miles |
4 miles |
Hustle |
3 miles |
4 miles |
6 miles |
8 miles |
Run |
— |
— |
— |
— |
One
Day (Overland) |
|
|
|
|
Walk |
12 miles |
16 miles |
24 miles |
32 miles |
Hustle |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Run |
— |
— |
— |
— |
1
Tactical movement is often measured in squares on the battle grid (1 square =
5 feet) rather than feet. |
Table:
Hampered Movement |
|
Condition |
Additional Movement Cost |
Difficult
terrain |
x2 |
Obstacle1 |
x2 |
Poor
visibility |
x2 |
Impassable |
— |
1
May require a skill check |
Table: Terrain and Overland
Movement
|
|||
Terrain
|
Highway |
Road or Trail |
Trackless |
Desert,
sandy |
x1 |
x1/2 |
x1/2 |
Forest |
x1 |
x1 |
x1/2 |
Hills |
x1 |
x3/4 |
x1/2 |
Jungle |
x1 |
x3/4 |
x1/4 |
Moor |
x1 |
x1 |
x3/4 |
Mountains |
x3/4 |
x3/4 |
x1/2 |
Plains |
x1 |
x1 |
x3/4 |
Swamp |
x1 |
x3/4 |
x1/2 |
Tundra,
frozen |
x1 |
x3/4 |
x3/4 |
Table:
Mounts and Vehicles |
||
Mount/Vehicle |
Per
Hour |
Per
Day |
Mount
(carrying load) |
|
|
Light horse or light warhorse |
6
miles |
48
miles |
Light horse (151–450 lb.)1 |
4
miles |
32
miles |
Light warhorse (231–690 lb.)1 |
4
miles |
32
miles |
Heavy horse or heavy warhorse |
5
miles |
40
miles |
Heavy horse (201–600 lb.)1 |
3-1/2
miles |
28
miles |
Heavy warhorse (301–900 lb.)1 |
3-1/2
miles |
28
miles |
Pony or warpony |
4
miles |
32
miles |
Pony (76–225 lb.)1 |
3
miles |
24
miles |
Warpony (101–300 lb.)1 |
3
miles |
24
miles |
Donkey or mule |
3
miles |
24
miles |
Donkey (51–150 lb.)1 |
2
miles |
16
miles |
Mule (231–690 lb.)1 |
2
miles |
16
miles |
Dog, riding |
4
miles |
32
miles |
Dog, riding (101–300 lb.)1 |
3
miles |
24
miles |
Cart
or wagon |
2
miles |
16
miles |
Ship |
|
|
Raft or barge (poled or towed)2 |
1/2
mile |
5
miles |
Keelboat (rowed)2 |
1
mile |
10
miles |
Rowboat (rowed)2 |
1-1/2
miles |
15
miles |
Sailing ship (sailed) |
2
miles |
48
miles |
Warship (sailed and rowed) |
2-1/2
miles |
60
miles |
Longship (sailed and rowed) |
3
miles |
72
miles |
Galley (rowed and sailed) |
4
miles |
96
miles |
1
Quadrupeds, such as horses, can carry heavier loads than characters can. See
Carrying Capacity, above, for more information. |
||
2
Rafts, barges, keelboats, and rowboats are used on lakes and rivers. If
going downstream, add the speed of the current (typically 3 miles per hour)
to the speed of the vehicle. In addition to 10 hours of being rowed, the
vehicle can also float an additional 14 hours, if someone can guide it, so
add an additional 42 miles to the daily distance traveled. These vehicles
can’t be rowed against any significant current, but they can be pulled
upstream by draft animals on the shores. |
MOVING IN THREE DIMENSIONS
Tactical Aerial Movement
Once movement becomes
three-dimensional and involves turning in midair and maintaining a minimum
velocity to stay aloft, it gets more complicated. Most flying creatures have to
slow down at least a little to make a turn, and many are limited to fairly wide
turns and must maintain a minimum forward speed. Each flying creature has a
maneuverability, as shown on Table: Maneuverability. The entries on the table
are defined below.
Minimum Forward Speed: If a flying creature fails
to maintain its minimum forward speed, it must land at the end of its movement.
If it is too high above the ground to land, it falls straight down, descending
150 feet in the first round of falling. If this distance brings it to the
ground, it takes falling damage. If the fall doesn’t bring the creature to the
ground, it must spend its next turn recovering from the stall. It must succeed
on a DC 20 Reflex save to recover. Otherwise it falls another 300 feet. If it
hits the ground, it takes falling damage. Otherwise, it has another chance to
recover on its next turn.
Hover: The ability to stay in one place
while airborne.
Move Backward: The ability to move
backward without turning around.
Reverse: A creature with good maneuverability
uses up 5 feet of its speed to start flying backward.
Turn: How much the creature can turn after
covering the stated distance.
Turn in Place: A creature with good or
average maneuverability can use some of its speed to turn in place.
Maximum Turn: How much the creature can
turn in any one space.
Up Angle: The angle at which the
creature can climb.
Up Speed: How fast the creature can
climb.
Down Angle: The angle at which the
creature can descend.
Down Speed: A flying creature can fly
down at twice its normal flying speed.
Between Down and Up: An average, poor, or
clumsy flier must fly level for a minimum distance after descending and before
climbing. Any flier can begin descending after a climb without an intervening
distance of level flight.
Table:
Maneuverability
|
|||||
|
Maneuverability |
||||
|
Perfect |
Good |
Average |
Poor |
Clumsy |
Minimum forward speed |
None |
None |
Half |
Half |
Half |
Hover |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Move backward |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Reverse |
Free |
–5 ft. |
No |
No |
No |
Turn |
Any |
90º/5 ft. |
45º/5 ft. |
45º/5 ft. |
45º/10 ft. |
Turn in place |
Any |
+90º/–5 ft. |
+45º/–5 ft. |
No |
No |
Maximum turn |
Any |
Any |
90º |
45º |
45º |
Up angle |
Any |
Any |
60º |
45º |
45º |
Up speed |
Full |
Half |
Half |
Half |
Half |
Down angle |
Any |
Any |
Any |
45º |
45º |
Down speed |
Double |
Double |
Double |
Double |
Double |
Between down and up |
0 |
0 |
5 ft. |
10 ft. |
20 ft. |
EVASION AND PURSUIT
In round-by-round movement, simply
counting off squares, it’s impossible for a slow character to get away from a
determined fast character without mitigating circumstances. Likewise, it’s no
problem for a fast character to get away from a slower one.
When the speeds of the two concerned
characters are equal, there’s a simple way to resolve a chase: If one creature
is pursuing another, both are moving at the same speed, and the chase continues
for at least a few rounds, have them make opposed Dexterity checks to see who
is the faster over those rounds. If the creature being chased wins, it escapes.
If the pursuer wins, it catches the fleeing creature.
Sometimes a chase occurs overland and
could last all day, with the two sides only occasionally getting glimpses of
each other at a distance. In the case of a long chase, an opposed Constitution
check made by all parties determines which can keep pace the longest. If the
creature being chased rolls the highest, it gets away. If not, the chaser runs
down its prey, outlasting it with stamina.
MOVING AROUND IN SQUARES
In general, when the characters
aren’t engaged in round-by-round combat, they should be able to move anywhere
and in any manner that you can imagine real people could. A 5-foot square, for
instance, can hold several characters; they just can’t all fight effectively in
that small space. The rules for movement are important for combat, but outside
combat they can impose unnecessary hindrances on character activities.
EXPLORATION
VISION AND LIGHT
Dwarves
and half-orcs have darkvision, but everyone else needs light to see by. See
Table: Light Sources and Illumination for the radius that a light source
illuminates and how long it lasts.
In
an area of bright light, all characters can see clearly. A creature can’t hide
in an area of bright light unless it is invisible or has cover.
In
an area of shadowy illumination, a character can see dimly. Creatures within
this area have concealment relative to that character. A creature in an area of
shadowy illumination can make a Hide check to conceal itself.
In
areas of darkness, creatures without darkvision are effectively blinded. In
addition to the obvious effects, a blinded creature has a 50% miss chance in
combat (all opponents have total concealment), loses any Dexterity bonus to AC,
takes a –2 penalty to AC, moves at half speed, and takes a –4 penalty on Search
checks and most Strength and Dexterity-based skill checks.
Characters
with low-light vision (elves, gnomes, and half-elves) can see objects twice as
far away as the given radius. Double the effective radius of bright light and
of shadowy illumination for such characters.
Characters
with darkvision (dwarves and half-orcs) can see lit areas normally as well as
dark areas within 60 feet. A creature can’t hide within 60 feet of a character
with darkvision unless it is invisible or has cover.
Table: Light Sources and
Illumination
|
|||
Object |
Bright |
Shadowy |
Duration |
Candle |
n/a1 |
5
ft. |
1
hr. |
Everburning
torch |
20
ft. |
40
ft. |
Permanent |
Lamp,
common |
15
ft. |
30
ft. |
6
hr./pint |
Lantern,
bullseye2 |
60-ft.
cone |
120-ft.
cone |
6
hr./pint |
Lantern,
hooded |
30
ft. |
60
ft. |
6
hr./pint |
Sunrod |
30
ft. |
60
ft. |
6
hr. |
Torch |
20
ft. |
40
ft. |
1
hr. |
Spell |
Bright |
Shadowy |
Duration |
Continual
flame |
20
ft. |
40
ft. |
Permanent |
Dancing
lights (torches) |
20
ft. (each) |
40
ft. (each) |
1
min. |
Daylight |
60
ft. |
120
ft. |
30
min. |
Light |
20
ft. |
40
ft. |
10
min. |
1
A candle does not provide bright illumination, only shadowy illumination. |
|||
2
A bullseye lantern illuminates a cone, not a radius. |
BREAKING AND
ENTERING
When
attempting to break an object, you have two choices: smash it with a weapon or
break it with sheer strength.
Smashing
a weapon or shield with a slashing or bludgeoning weapon is accomplished by the
sunder special attack. Smashing an object is a lot like sundering a weapon or
shield, except that your attack roll is opposed by the object’s AC. Generally,
you can smash an object only with a bludgeoning or slashing weapon.
Armor
Class:
Objects are easier to hit than creatures because they usually don’t move, but
many are tough enough to shrug off some damage from each blow. An object’s
Armor Class is equal to 10 + its size modifier + its Dexterity modifier. An
inanimate object has not only a Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty to AC), but also an
additional –2 penalty to its AC. Furthermore, if you take a full-round action
to line up a shot, you get an automatic hit with a melee weapon and a +5 bonus
on attack rolls with a ranged weapon.
Hardness: Each object has
hardness—a number that represents how well it resists damage. Whenever an
object takes damage, subtract its hardness from the damage. Only damage in
excess of its hardness is deducted from the object’s hit points (see Table:
Common Armor, Weapon, and Shield Hardness and Hit Points; Table: Substance
Hardness and Hit Points; and Table: Object Hardness and Hit Points).
Hit
Points:
An object’s hit point total depends on what it is made of and how big it is
(see Table: Common Armor, Weapon, and Shield Hardness and Hit Points; Table:
Substance Hardness and Hit Points; and Table: Object Hardness and Hit Points).
When an object’s hit points reach 0, it’s ruined.
Very
large objects have separate hit point totals for different sections.
Energy
Attacks: Acid
and sonic attacks deal damage to most objects just as they do to creatures;
roll damage and apply it normally after a successful hit. Electricity and fire
attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 2 before
applying the hardness. Cold attacks deal one-quarter damage to most objects;
divide the damage dealt by 4 before applying the hardness.
Ranged
Weapon Damage: Objects
take half damage from ranged weapons (unless the weapon is a siege engine or
something similar). Divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the object’s
hardness.
Ineffective
Weapons: Certain
weapons just can’t effectively deal damage to certain objects.
Immunities: Objects are immune to
nonlethal damage and to critical hits.
Even
animated objects, which are otherwise considered creatures, have these
immunities because they are constructs.
Magic
Armor, Shields, and Weapons: Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to the hardness of armor,
a weapon, or a shield and +10 to the item’s hit points.
Vulnerability
to Certain Attacks: Certain attacks are especially successful against some
objects. In such cases, attacks deal double their normal damage and may ignore
the object’s hardness.
Damaged
Objects: A
damaged object remains fully functional until the item’s hit points are reduced
to 0, at which point it is destroyed.
Damaged (but not
destroyed) objects can be repaired with the Craft skill.
Saving
Throws: Nonmagical,
unattended items never make saving throws. They are considered to have failed
their saving throws, so they always are affected by spells. An item attended by
a character (being grasped, touched, or worn) makes saving throws as the
character (that is, using the character’s saving throw bonus).
Magic
items always get saving throws. A magic item’s Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save
bonuses are equal to 2 + one-half its caster level. An attended magic item
either makes saving throws as its owner or uses its own saving throw bonus,
whichever is better.
Animated
Objects: Animated
objects count as creatures for purposes of determining their Armor Class (do
not treat them as inanimate objects).
When
a character tries to break something with sudden force rather than by dealing
damage, use a Strength 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.
Larger
and smaller creatures get size bonuses and size penalties on Strength checks to
break open doors as follows: Fine –16, Diminutive –12, Tiny –8, Small –4, Large
+4, Huge +8, Gargantuan +12, Colossal +16.
A
crowbar or portable ram improves a character’s chance of breaking open a door.
Table:
Common Armor, Weapon, and Shield Hardness and Hit Points |
||
Weapon
or Shield |
Hardness |
HP1 |
Light
blade |
10 |
2 |
One-handed
blade |
10 |
5 |
Two-handed
blade |
10 |
10 |
Light
metal-hafted weapon |
10 |
10 |
One-handed
metal-hafted weapon |
10 |
20 |
Light
hafted weapon |
5 |
2 |
One-handed
hafted weapon |
5 |
5 |
Two-handed
hafted weapon |
5 |
10 |
Projectile
weapon |
5 |
5 |
Armor |
special2 |
armor bonus x 5 |
Buckler |
10 |
5 |
Light
wooden shield |
5 |
7 |
Heavy
wooden shield |
5 |
15 |
Light
steel shield |
10 |
10 |
Heavy
steel shield |
10 |
20 |
Tower
shield |
5 |
20 |
1
The hp value given is for Medium armor, weapons, and shields. Divide
by 2 for each size category of the item smaller than Medium, or multiply it
by 2 for each size category larger than Medium. |
||
2
Varies by material; see Table: Substance Hardness and Hit Points. |
Table:
Substance Hardness and Hit Points |
||
Substance |
Hardness |
Hit
Points |
Paper
or cloth |
0 |
2/inch
of thickness |
Rope |
0 |
2/inch
of thickness |
Glass |
1 |
1/inch
of thickness |
Ice |
0 |
3/inch
of thickness |
Leather
or hide |
2 |
5/inch
of thickness |
Wood |
5 |
10/inch
of thickness |
Stone |
8 |
15/inch
of thickness |
Iron
or steel |
10 |
30/inch
of thickness |
Mithral |
15 |
30/inch
of thickness |
Adamantine |
20 |
40/inch
of thickness |
Table:
Size and Armor Class of Objects |
|
Size |
AC Modifier |
Colossal |
–8 |
Gargantuan |
–4 |
Huge |
–2 |
Large |
–1 |
Medium |
+0 |
Small |
+1 |
Tiny |
+2 |
Diminutive |
+4 |
Fine |
+8 |
Table:
Object Hardness and Hit Points |
|||
Object |
Hardness |
Hit Points |
Break DC |
Rope
(1 inch diam.) |
0 |
2 |
23 |
Simple
wooden door |
5 |
10 |
13 |
Small
chest |
5 |
1 |
17 |
Good
wooden door |
5 |
15 |
18 |
Treasure
chest |
5 |
15 |
23 |
Strong
wooden door |
5 |
20 |
23 |
Masonry
wall (1 ft. thick) |
8 |
90 |
35 |
Hewn
stone (3 ft. thick) |
8 |
540 |
50 |
Chain |
10 |
5 |
26 |
Manacles |
10 |
10 |
26 |
Masterwork
manacles |
10 |
10 |
28 |
Iron
door (2 in. thick) |
10 |
60 |
28 |
Table:
DCs to Break or Burst Items |
|
Strength
Check to: |
DC |
Break
down simple door |
13 |
Break
down good door |
18 |
Break
down strong door |
23 |
Burst
rope bonds |
23 |
Bend
iron bars |
24 |
Break
down barred door |
25 |
Burst
chain bonds |
26 |
Break
down iron door |
28 |
Condition |
DC Adjustment1 |
Hold
portal |
+5 |
Arcane
lock |
+10 |
1
If both apply, use the larger number. |