Hieroman & Archonia: did y’all update your spells for the new day? I haven’t updated the status chart to reflect your full complement of spells for today.

I don't think it really needs to be this hard.

Grab a dagger/knife/sword/anything with a point, and press it in between the boards that make up the chest.  Dig out a hole in the wooden lid of the chest to have a look at what's inside.  It doesn't have to be about bashing a hole in the side of the chest, just whittle out the wooden lid.  It might take ten minutes, maybe longer but does it matter?  I don't think strength is a consideration other than how long it might take.

All of that sounds nice, but doesn't the DM decide? I mean, no matter what the method, if we try to open the chest without the key, it's gonna require a minor strength test...
This message was last edited by the player at 17:54, Yesterday.

Putting the question of that pesky DM aside, an outsider might ask: If pc's could always pry open chests with some makeshift prybar or other, why bother with locks in the first place?

Excellent point! (And no peskiness was meant to be implied. LOL.)

To save pretty and useful chests - rather than ruin a perfectly good container. No?

And to give thieves something useful to do that benefits the party…
This message was last edited by the player at 18:04, Yesterday.

Well, one reason for messing with the locks is so the aforementioned thieves can also examine chests for potential traps, which will almost certainly be sprung using the brute force method.

Second, the construction of the chest can be a factor. In this case, it appears that the chest can be forced open (I suspect because without its contents, the party can’t proceed further). But in other instances, when chests/coffers/containers are enchanted or made of sturdier materials, bashing them open may not be an option. Or, it may be one that prompts a brain mangling number of damage rolls.

Third, particularly in a dungeon environment, opening a lock with lockpicks is a quiet activity. Demolishing a chest isn’t and it may attract unwanted attention to the source of the ruckus.

It is no different than asking why bother with locking wooden doors if you can chop through them with an axe?
Both should be possible, but expediency is an issue.

Besides those reasons Cassandra gave, prying open chests might damage fragile things inside since it would be a matter of force.
Prying it open would also set off any reasonable traps that are on the chest that might be otherwise avoided if the lock is picked.
But perhaps one of the biggest reasons is that most chests encountered will be in hostile terrain or environs, someplace you do not always want to spend a lot of time dilly-dallying in. Prying open or chopping open a chest is noisier and takes longer than using a key, so wandering monsters might come by to investigate.

Edit- I see Rasxif and I had many of the same thoughts, although I think he put it better.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:19, Yesterday.

Ok, now that we've all piled on Hieroman, hopefully Brant or Ornwin can move things forward in the game thread.

Unless y'all would prefer to hang out here? Maybe break out a game of Twister? I'm happy to fix drinks. Hieroman- what's your poison? I make a mean Alabama Slammer!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:35, Yesterday.

In addition to all the good points mentioned, a weapon is a weapon, it's not a wood working tool.  The weapon might be damaged, bent, blunted etc.  I think most role players (other than those present here currently) don't think any further than if the lock can't be picked, that's it you're stuffed.

I'm increasingly of the opinion that someone should just push the stupid chest off whatever is holding it up there and be done with it.  So what if we lose a potion, big deal we won't miss what we don't have and most desirable magic items are sturdy enough to survive a fall.

Once again we managed to post at the same time. LOL.

I’m in favor of Brant or Ornwin trying a STR roll to open the chest. The rope of climbing is hard to fall from, gravity is reversed once up there, I’ve already set off and disarmed the trap AND subsequently cast a Find Traps spell, which confirmed that there are no additional traps. We’ve made a tremendous amount of noise and no one has come in and, frankly, if they do, that would solve all our problems and open all the doors we need.

So. Swing, chip, pry away. Open the damn chest. If stuff falls, catch it if we can.

Piled on Hieroman? I thought we were piling on the DM!

Maybe use an ordinary rope to loop the chest to the rope of climbing, and ease it down from above?

Hieroman and Cassandra both make good points, and I am fine with either, but would prefer Cassandra's method.
Losing a potion is something we can afford, but if the chest contains a crystal arm we have to add to a statue three chapters into the module, I'd rather it not get broken from a fall.

But, yes, we are dangerously close to overthinking this. I would prefer we not spend 12 days on it like we did on planning with the bugbears.

It's taken us 6 days to get this far with the stupid chest.  I'll be amused if it has nothing of any value inside.  This occasionally happens, and it reminds me of the time in my very first TT game doing Keep on the Borderlands.  The party was too scared to open a door when the die roll indicated that the thief had missed his find traps, pick lock and hear noise roll on a door.  After 30+ minutes of heated discussion someone finally tried the door.  It wasn't locked, it wasn't trapped and there was nothing behind the door.  It's a lesson that has stuck with me.

I am playing B2 on RPoL right now. Our small party of sad characters barely survived the first encounter (with a pack of wolves), so it was decided that we should turn around and go back to the Keep to "regroup."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:40, Yesterday.

I chose to abstract the party's diabolical method of forced entry (TBD) as a minor strength test. Obviously, there are some reasons for having locks on chests despite these diabolical methods, but that was not the spirit in which the question was asked.

I certainly like the prospect of freeing the chest from its gravity prison with four meaty things positioned conveniently below.

Or you could net the chest in its current position and then secure it to the rope of climbing.

Or you could bag the chest with the Stomach Lining of Holding.

Brant wants to do the chest like a piñata.

Are we affected by the reverse gravity? When Cass went up there was she standing on our ceiling?

She was.

Brant, you can make a minor test of strength.

Indeed. I was! Quite exhilarating being upside down.

Brant, can you save the “whack” until after we lower it. Better yet, can you put it in your bag of holding, bring it down, and then force it open without breaking the glass statuette. Archonia’s advice is sound. And the DMs suggestion of using the bag is much simpler than my well-conceived rope trick. And better to do your STR test on the ground than on the ceiling - notwithstanding the reverse gravity…

But Brant is the incarnation of entropy.

Indeed he is. And we often need that one person willing to open the potentially trapped and locked door with nothing of value behind it.

Hopefully he can now bring it down in the Bag of Holding to give all the fighters a try.

Okay, I almost died laughing at the unexpected way Cass's in-game post ended. >_<

🤣 Figured it was ok to post IC in narrative (since it wasn’t spoken out loud). Only Brant would roll a 6 - after Cass rolled a 1 on the trap saving throw…

Ha- I think we can handle a little joking over the die roller results. It's not like any of us can control it, after all!

Oh, in terms of the Tegal Guests thread:
Archonia is 4th level with 17hp.

She uses the dagger +1 for melee combat, and normal daggers for ranged combat

She has the following spells memorized:
Sleepx3, Invisibility x1, Stinking Cloud x1

--
For the watch order, I proposed this:
(Bartholomew and Ornwin agreed, but I think there was no other feedback, so I assume silence means consent.)

1st shift Bercy & Cass
2nd shift Ornwin & Rasxif
3rd shift Brant & Archonia
4th shift Bart & Hieroman

Shifts of 2 1/2 hours each.


---
Marching order- we have not discussed this yet.
How about this?

Single File
Ornwin (D, F, smallest, IV)
Brant (H, F, no IV, with torch, as needed)
Bartholemew (H, P, no IV)
Hieroman (1/2E, Dr, IV)
Archonia (H, female spell caster, no IV, with torch, as needed)
Cassandra (H, female spell caster, no IV, with torch, as needed)
Rasxif (G, F/spell caster, IV)
Bercy (H, P, no IV, with torch, as needed, rearguard)

Keeping Bart third let's his aura cover those ahead and some who follow.
Bercy in the rear covers the ones who might not be in Bart's aura, and also guards the spellcasters from a rear attack.


Double File
Ornwin --- Brant
Bart --- Hieroman
Cass --- Archonia
----- Rasxif -----
----- Bercy -----


Thoughts or suggestions?