Door breaching damage?

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PalladiumBrony
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Door breaching damage?

Unread post by PalladiumBrony »

I've seen various things that might be useful when working out (non-explosive) door breaching, but there's a couple of points I wonder if anyone could possibly clarify please?

  • When trying to breach a locked door, even if you're striking the door in the middle-ish, is it correct to resolve the attack against the SDC of the lock/bolt, rather than the substance of the door itself?
  • I know how much damage a kick attack can do, but what about a shoulder barge (police and such will often try and break down a door by slamming their shoulder into it)?
  • Are there any stats anywhere for hand-held battering rams? I've seen homebrew stuff on this website for siege-sized battering rams on wheels, but what about the smalller ones (Such as the single-man ones police might use, or the medieval horror trope a la Beauty And the Beast, where a bunch of lads chop down a tree and use that to batter a door down? I'm thinking in terms of damage, how many actions a single swing might use up, and the minimum combined Str. value to use one - I like the idea from another thread on this site, that certain siege machines requires a combined Str. value in excess of, say, 50 to use, and wonder if the same might apply to rams, or if you can just say "if they can pick it up between them, they can use it", and even how much a tree trunk might weigh.
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kiralon
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Re: Door breaching damage?

Unread post by kiralon »

I break a door down into a 2x3 grid and assign sdc to each grid square based on the material, so the door can be hacked through using axes and things that are aiming to beak through the door itself.
Otherwise when kicking a door in it isn't so much the lock that takes damage as the strike plate and the door frame, as the tongue of metal from the lock that goes into the strike plate and door frame rarely break, So a player can kick a door in by breaking the striker plate and frame, or deforming the door enough that the lock tongue can just slide out.

My players have found that its often easier to go through a wall then a reinforced door, as there is damage resistance to be overcome if using materials softer than the door (shoulder or foot) and harder materials will do more damage to the door itself, except batering rams.

Remember doors back then were solid wood, not the flimsy things we have today, so kicking in a door isn't easy, especially if the door was designed to stop people. Axing the door in, or battering ramming it would work, kicking it in not so much. (My standard dungeon doors are iron bound oak with iron studs so good luck.

Also if coming from the right direction the door hinges are an easier target. if you want the actual numbers I use ill grab em when I get home.
PalladiumBrony
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Re: Door breaching damage?

Unread post by PalladiumBrony »

kiralon wrote:if you want the actual numbers I use ill grab em when I get home.


Hey, thanks, this is all great stuff, I'd love to hear the kind of stuff you've got numbers-wise
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Stone Gargoyle
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Re: Door breaching damage?

Unread post by Stone Gargoyle »

kiralon wrote:I break a door down into a 2x3 grid and assign sdc to each grid square based on the material, so the door can be hacked through using axes and things that are aiming to beak through the door itself.
Otherwise when kicking a door in it isn't so much the lock that takes damage as the strike plate and the door frame, as the tongue of metal from the lock that goes into the strike plate and door frame rarely break, So a player can kick a door in by breaking the striker plate and frame, or deforming the door enough that the lock tongue can just slide out.

My players have found that its often easier to go through a wall then a reinforced door, as there is damage resistance to be overcome if using materials softer than the door (shoulder or foot) and harder materials will do more damage to the door itself, except battering rams.

Remember doors back then were solid wood, not the flimsy things we have today, so kicking in a door isn't easy, especially if the door was designed to stop people. Axing the door in, or battering ramming it would work, kicking it in not so much. (My standard dungeon doors are iron bound oak with iron studs so good luck.

Also if coming from the right direction the door hinges are an easier target. if you want the actual numbers I use ill grab em when I get home.
Well, stone walls are also typical in medieval settings, so going through a wall might not be easier.
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kiralon
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Re: Door breaching damage?

Unread post by kiralon »

yeah, chrome crashed during the type up and I couldn't be bothered typing it out again straight away.

Basically the Battering ram and aimed blunt force are more likely to break the door jam before the door, axes break the door before the door jam.
Breaking the section of door where there are hinges and lock will allow entry
Breaking the door jam will do the same
but all just depending on the sdc of the material. Some locks are just wooden sliders, some are metal.

Even when there are stone walls the doors tend to have the magic/wards and extra reinforcement, so if you can move 20ft to the left and cast stone to clay or the like you are in and no wards have gone off. Same if wooden walls.

But I have had players who went through the walls of a dungeon because the doors were too dangerous. (The tough guy with the key was river of lava'd, so no key)

I also had a player try to knock the hinges off a door and fail, because he could see them and couldn't damage them, and then go into a beserker frenzy when he couldn't push the door open after destroying the lock. he smashed that door to pieces and then realised that he could never push the door open as it opened inwards. (and he kept saying I push the door open)
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