Bend Bars? [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Bend Bars? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Inyotef
01-26-06, 07:47 PM Hi..is there a system for making checks for bend bars in 3.5? I remember in the old days there was a percentage or strength check to try to do this (bend bars/lift gates). How is this handled now? I've got a player who wants to try to break himself out of a cell with steel bars.
Lord Ian Stark
01-26-06, 07:58 PM look at the DC for sundering a type of metal and make a STR check from a modified DC of bending not breaking?
AMac
01-26-06, 08:10 PM I remember while reading 'Return to Undermountain' they had a scenario where bars were bent.

Ah, here it is:

Strength DC 24: This check result allows a PC to bend one of the iron bars. This give PCs trying to move through the bars a +5 bonus on their Escape Artist checks.

Hope that helps a bit!
Evandar_TAybara
01-26-06, 08:43 PM Of course, if whoever made the bars in the first place did even a half decent job, then no one's going to be bending them without the help of a epic potion of bull's strength, rusting grasp spell, destructive raging barbarian friend, frost giant cell mate or something similar.
See page 61 of the DMG (top right corner). The closest thing there is there to a door/window full of bars is the portcullis, for which it says to reference the appropriate door type. This would be iron, I assume, giving a typical "bend bars" a Strength check DC of 28 - well beyond most characters as makes sense - why would anyone ever install bars in their doors/windows if anyone could just bend them out of the way?
But if it's just a simple iron bar you're looking to bend (rather than a specially constructed cell or similar), check out table 9-12 on page 166 of the PHB - it gives some example Strength check DCs for certain tasks, including bending an iron bar (DC24).

Evan.
Sae Cael Oanar
01-26-06, 09:30 PM i dont think the average small town jail cares much whether its a dc 24 or a dc 40. 24 gets the job down for all but the strongest and luckiest commoners
trapspringer
01-26-06, 09:40 PM I agree with 24, because I think that DC refers to bars in doors, but one could argue that it refers to an iron bar, and that the door's reinforcement would bring it up to unbendable.
celtredleg
01-26-06, 10:41 PM Considering the price of things like a thick iron bar, a small toen jail probably cant afford a bend proof cell. Besides, how many people do they norrmaly lock up?? The town drunk isnt going to bend a paperclip, much less an iron bar. A major city, on the other hand....
Fixxxer
01-27-06, 12:41 AM why would anyone ever install bars in their doors/windows if anyone could just bend them out of the way?

Adventurers are not "everyone." PCs are built using a much better stat array than the average NPC, meaning that most of the people that are usually held in a place with bars probably aren't even strong enough to lift their chamberpot, much less bend the bars and escape to freedom (an exageration, but it gets the point accross).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Inyotef 01-26-06, 07:47 PM	Hi..is there a system for making checks for bend bars in 3.5? I remember in the old days there was a percentage or strength check to try to do this (bend bars/lift gates). How is this handled now? I've got a player who wants to try to break himself out of a cell with steel bars.
Lord Ian Stark 01-26-06, 07:58 PM	look at the DC for sundering a type of metal and make a STR check from a modified DC of bending not breaking?
AMac 01-26-06, 08:10 PM	I remember while reading 'Return to Undermountain' they had a scenario where bars were bent. Ah, here it is: Strength DC 24: This check result allows a PC to bend one of the iron bars. This give PCs trying to move through the bars a +5 bonus on their Escape Artist checks. Hope that helps a bit!
Evandar_TAybara 01-26-06, 08:43 PM	Of course, if whoever made the bars in the first place did even a half decent job, then no one's going to be bending them without the help of a epic potion of bull's strength, rusting grasp spell, destructive raging barbarian friend, frost giant cell mate or something similar. See page 61 of the DMG (top right corner). The closest thing there is there to a door/window full of bars is the portcullis, for which it says to reference the appropriate door type. This would be iron, I assume, giving a typical "bend bars" a Strength check DC of 28 - well beyond most characters as makes sense - why would anyone ever install bars in their doors/windows if anyone could just bend them out of the way? But if it's just a simple iron bar you're looking to bend (rather than a specially constructed cell or similar), check out table 9-12 on page 166 of the PHB - it gives some example Strength check DCs for certain tasks, including bending an iron bar (DC24). Evan.
Sae Cael Oanar 01-26-06, 09:30 PM	i dont think the average small town jail cares much whether its a dc 24 or a dc 40. 24 gets the job down for all but the strongest and luckiest commoners
trapspringer 01-26-06, 09:40 PM	I agree with 24, because I think that DC refers to bars in doors, but one could argue that it refers to an iron bar, and that the door's reinforcement would bring it up to unbendable.
celtredleg 01-26-06, 10:41 PM	Considering the price of things like a thick iron bar, a small toen jail probably cant afford a bend proof cell. Besides, how many people do they norrmaly lock up?? The town drunk isnt going to bend a paperclip, much less an iron bar. A major city, on the other hand....
Fixxxer 01-27-06, 12:41 AM	why would anyone ever install bars in their doors/windows if anyone could just bend them out of the way? Adventurers are not "everyone." PCs are built using a much better stat array than the average NPC, meaning that most of the people that are usually held in a place with bars probably aren't even strong enough to lift their chamberpot, much less bend the bars and escape to freedom (an exageration, but it gets the point accross).