Dispel Magical Locks

[mayapuppies]

Hello all,

I was wondering if any of you would like to troubleshoot this build for me? The concept is that magical/enchanted locks cannot be picked by normal means and this ability is designed to get around that:

Sublime Lockpicker: Drain Active Points of Magical or Enchanted Locks 4d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Cumulative (+1/2), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Minute; +1) (120 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), Limited Special Effect Uncommon SFX (-1), Requires A Roll (Skill roll, -1 per 20 Active Points modifier; Must be made each Phase/use; Lockpicking; -3/4), No Range (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Conditional Power (Character May Take No Other Actions; -1/4)

The power was built around KillerShrikes 5E version, but when I transferred it over to 6E I made it a Dispel rather than a Suppress.

[Chris Goodwin]

I would say it depends on how you see the magical locks being built. That would probably work for most builds.

However, you could in 6E build the magical lock as a Change Environment, to provide penalties to a Lockpicking roll. In this case, the ability would provide massive bonuses to a character's Lockpicking roll.

[Derek Hiemforth]

In this case, the ability would provide massive bonuses to a character's Lockpicking roll.

And honestly, that might not be a bad way to approach it anyway. Even for magic locks that don't technically allow someone to unlock them using normal Lockpicking means, you could invoke the Extraordinary Skill Roll rule to allow it. (And a "defeat magical locks" ability could therefore be a big pump to Lockpicking specifically for the purposes of succeeding with the -10 penalty...)

[Ozymandias]

However, you could in 6E build the magical lock as a Change Environment, to provide penalties to a Lockpicking roll. In this case, the ability would provide massive bonuses to a character's Lockpicking roll.

Wouldn't the drain do that? Assuming that the penalties to the Lockpicking Roll are bought as -1 Lockpick Skill Levels, they could be costed as 2 character points, and take the drain from there.

[Escafarc]

I use Lockpicking for both magic and non-magic locks in a Skill vs Skill contest(HERO System Skills page 228)

[mayapuppies]

I design Magic "Locks" as nigh impenetrable barriers that are placed "over" an entrance. Magic items are pretty much non-existent in the campaign world and spells are low powered and difficult to cast, so there are no utility spells such as those needed to unlock a door. An "average" magical lock would look something like this:

Magical Lock: Barrier 20 PD/20 ED/20 Power Defense, 1 BODY (up to 1m long, 2m tall, and 1/2m thick), Persistent (+1/4), Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2), Constant (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (261 Active Points); Always On (-1/2)

They can be tweaked to fit any given build I need, but that would be the fundamentals.

[Killer Shrike]

Yeah, I vaguely recall that effect. As mayapuppies notes, in higher magic settings not all "magical locks" are actual LOCKS. Some were built as entangles, invisible force walls, tk / strength to resist opening, and so forth. There were so many options, the "universal" approach to "disarming" them was an adjustment power.


But, like all things HERO, there are many ways to skin that cat.


Jaram Glaive, my own PC (a "concerned citizen" aka LIAR & THIEF from a GreyHERO campaign someone else ran using my material), has these two effects:

15 2) Detect Traps 12- (Sight Group), Discriminatory, Analyze 0 END
12 3) Dispel Traps 5d6, any Trap power one at a time (+1/4), Cumulative (120 points; +1) (34 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, -3/4), No Range (-1/2), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Requires A Security Systems Skill Roll (Active Point penalty to Skill Roll is -1 per 20 Active Points; -1/4) 3 END


In more recent material from Here There Be Monsters, the Alchemist Karl Bocher has this effect:

3) Solvent of Unlocking : Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 4d6 (standard effect: 12 BODY, 24 STUN) (60 Active Points); 1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4), Only vs Locks, Latches, and Seals (-2), No STR Bonus (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), Restrainable (Only To Activate; -1/4)
Notes: Real Cost: 7 points


If a HKA doesn't make sense against a particular kind of "magical lock", then the effect just doesn't work, but vs most things its sufficient.


Anyway, I'm sure if I looked back over past material I'd find one or three more abilities of this nature. Different approaches have different nuances. Unless you have a campaign wide single definition of what a "MAGICAL LOCK" is, you can't have a campaign wide single definition of what a "MAGICAL LOCK HOSER" is, and have to allow for such nuances. A character can either opt for a less effective general purpose ability that casts a wider net but might fail, or a more focused ability that works vs a more narrow type of effect but has very good chance of success.

[Narf the Mouse]

Dispel (Magic Locks)...