{"id":4385,"date":"2025-09-30T20:45:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T03:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/?p=4385"},"modified":"2025-09-30T21:04:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T04:04:18","slug":"dd-5-5e-rules-door-and-locks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/2025\/09\/dd-5-5e-rules-door-and-locks.html","title":{"rendered":"D&D 5.5e Rules – Doors and Locks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KnowPart of an ongoing series of 5.5e\u00a0 (2024)<\/strong> Rules notes.<\/a> \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This one is mostly written from a 5.5e (2024)<\/strong> perspective,\u00a0 as I needed to clarify all of this for a 5.5e game I was running. Plus, it seems like 5.5e does a bit better job of defining all this stuff, vs. an array of official and unofficial rules around how these things all work. If you’re not sure how it all works in 5e, you could do worse than adopting some of the (backwards-compatible!) 5.5e approaches.<\/p>\n

What if I want to break a door?<\/h1>\n

If a door is barred or locked (always check first!), here’s how you can get through it by brute force. There are two options, one using magic, one using your bodily strength in some fashion.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Use the\u00a0AC \/ HP\u00a0for an Attack or (damaging) Magic<\/strong> action against a Medium door. (In theory, you could also use a physical attack against it, though as a DM I’d probably prefer you try with an axe, rather than with arrows.) And, no, the damage type is not spelled out — you can use Psychic as easily as Bludgeoning damages.<\/li>\n
  • Use the DC for a Utilize<\/strong> action against a Medium door with a STR (Athletics)<\/em> check.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Door Type<\/th>\nAC to attack<\/th>\nHP if attacked*<\/th>\nDC to Break Open with an\u00a0Athletics\u00a0check*<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Glass<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Wood<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Stone<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n40<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Metal<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n72<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    * for larger doors of this type,\u00a0HP\u00a0x2 or x3,\u00a0DC\u00a0+ 5.<\/p>\n

    What if the door is locked?<\/h1>\n

    Time to try and Pick That Lock!<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Simple\u00a0<\/strong>locks take 1 Action to try to pick<\/li>\n
    • Complex\u00a0<\/strong>locks take 1 Minute to try to pick<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The DC against picking is based on the quality of the lock:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Inferior\u00a0<\/strong>lock is DC 10<\/li>\n
      • Good<\/strong>\u00a0lock is DC 15<\/li>\n
      • Superior<\/strong>\u00a0lock is 20.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Locks can only be picked by someone using\u00a0Thieves Tools<\/strong>. The basic roll is a\u00a0DEX (Sleight of Hand<\/strong>)<\/em>\u00a0check against the quality DC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
        Thieves Tools<\/th>\nDEX (Sleight of Hand)<\/em><\/th>\nRoll<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
        Not Proficient<\/span><\/td>\nNot Proficient<\/span><\/td>\nSleight of Hand<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Proficient<\/span><\/td>\nNot Proficient<\/span><\/td>\nSleight of Hand<\/em>\u00a0+ Proficiency Bonus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Not Proficient<\/span><\/td>\nProficient<\/span><\/td>\nSleight of Hand<\/em>\u00a0(PB is baked in)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Proficient<\/span><\/td>\nProficient<\/span><\/td>\nSleight of Hand<\/em>\u00a0at ADVANTAGE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        Note that this follows the 5.5e general rule pattern about\u00a0tools<\/strong> and the skills<\/strong> using them. Note also that under those rules that it is possible to get Expertise (double Proficiency) in a skill, but not<\/em> on a tool set.<\/p>\n

        What about a portcullis?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
        Portcullis Size<\/th>\nDC if Iron<\/th>\nDC if Wood<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
        Medium (8′ tall x 5′ wide)<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Large (10′ tall x 10′ wide)<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Huge (20′ tall x 15′ wide)<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        If you can’t get to the winch, then the\u00a0DC\u00a0is what you need with a Utilize action for a\u00a0STR (Athletics)<\/em>\u00a0check.<\/p>\n

        If you want to destroy the portcullis, use the\u00a0AC\u00a0and\u00a0HP\u00a0of a large Metal or Wooden door (above).<\/p>\n

        Note that targets within 5 feet of a portcullis have 3\/4 cover (+5 AC) from attacks from the other side; if further away, they have Total Cover.<\/p>\n

        Secret Doors!<\/h1>\n

        Difficulty to find:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Barely hidden<\/strong>\u00a0secret doors are DC 10<\/li>\n
        • Standard<\/strong>\u00a0secret doors are DC 15<\/li>\n
        • Well-hidden<\/strong>\u00a0secret doors are DC 20.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          A Search<\/strong> action will let you search a 10-foot square section of wall with a\u00a0WIS (Perception)<\/em>\u00a0check against the door’s DC; success means you spotted the door\u00a0and\u00a0know the means to open it.<\/p>\n

          You can also use an\u00a0INT (Investigation)<\/em> check if the clues are visible (scrapes on the floor where the door has rubbed it, for example) but need to deduced from or understood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Getting from here to there sometimes means going through a thing in-between.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48,78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-onedd","category-dd-5e-rules"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4385"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4389,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4385\/revisions\/4389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}