Doors & Barriers
Barriers create tension: time lost, noise made, resources burned. Every attempt costs 1 Turn.
Stuck Doors
Stuck doors are the dungeon fighting back. They exist to cost time, make noise, and force decisions.
A stuck door requires a STR check (DC 12) to force open.
- Fail: The door holds. Time is lost. They can try again.
- Success: The door crashes open — roll the hazard die immediately.
Tools help. A crowbar or pry bar grants Edge. Multiple characters pushing together can grant Edge at your discretion.
Forcing a door is never quiet. Even a failed attempt makes noise.
Locked Doors
Picking a lock requires Thieves’ Tools and a DEX check (DC 12).
- Fail: The lock is jammed. These tools won’t open it — they need another way in or must break it down.
- Success: The lock clicks open quietly.
Pick Locks feat: Characters with this Expert feat open non-magical locks automatically — no check required.
No tools? They’ll have to break down the door instead (see Stuck Doors).
Clever solutions: If players describe removing hinges, pouring acid on the lock, or prying the frame — adjudicate whether it would work. Most doors have hinges on the inside, but not all.
Secret Doors
Targeted search: If players search the right area (“I check the bookcase for hidden latches”), they find the door. No roll needed — reward the clever play.
Room search: If they search the whole room without a specific spot, call for a WIS check (DC 12-16) based on how well-hidden it is. This takes 1 Turn.
Finding a secret door doesn’t mean knowing how to open it. The mechanism itself is the puzzle: hidden levers, pressure plates, rotating panels, counterweights. Solving it may take multiple Turns of experimentation.
Elves and Dwarves: Their ancestry traits (Secret Door Sense, Stone Sense) let you roll a secret check when they pass within 5 ft of hidden features. This is a bonus clue, not a substitute for player engagement.
Noise
Smashing, prying, or forcing anything makes noise. When this happens:
- Creatures nearby hear it and react — enemies in the next room come to investigate
- No one close? Roll the hazard die to see if something further away takes notice
Clever players may mitigate risk — oiling hinges, padding strikes, prying slowly. Reward this with quieter outcomes, but don’t let caution eliminate all tension.
The Pressure
Every barrier costs something:
- Time — Turns spent mean torches burning, the hazard die rolling
- Noise — Forcing things alerts the dungeon
- Resources — Failed attempts still consume the Turn
This is the loop: barriers slow progress, slowing progress burns resources, burning resources raises stakes.