REALLY Difficult Locks

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Anthony

That's not the prototype rule; that's assuming you have contact with a higher tech society where you can simply buy stuff.

Fair enough.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Realistically, high end locks are just unpickable, rather than having a lockpicking penalty, unless lockpicking is assumed to include more intrusive techniques such as using a drill.

Lockpicking does include safecracking, right?, so drills, acids, files, dynamite and C4 are all part of a lockpicker's skillset by TL.

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Lockpicking does include safecracking, right?, so drills, acids, files, dynamite and C4 are all part of a lockpicker's skillset by TL.

All "subtle" methods of breaking into the safe count. Dynamite and C4 would be the domain of Explosives.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by lexington

All "subtle" methods of breaking into the safe count. Dynamite and C4 would be the domain of Explosives.

What about Magnesium powder?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Lockpicking does include safecracking, right?, so drills, acids, files, dynamite and C4 are all part of a lockpicker's skillset by TL.

I have no problem with considering those to be a part of a lockpicker's skill set, but in the end 'open the lock without damaging it' and 'open the lock by leaving a gaping hole where the lock used to be' are different tasks and should have different difficulty modifiers. The first is often functionally impossible; the second is almost always possible.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by lexington

All "subtle" methods of breaking into the safe count. Dynamite and C4 would be the domain of Explosives.

Originally Posted by Anthony

I have no problem with considering those to be a part of a lockpicker's skill set, but in the end 'open the lock without damaging it' and 'open the lock by leaving a gaping hole where the lock used to be' are different tasks and should have different difficulty modifiers. The first is often functionally impossible; the second is almost always possible.

But in GURPS safecracking is a specialization of lockpicking, not explosives, right?

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

But in GURPS safecracking is a specialization of lockpicking, not explosives, right?

Yes, it's mentioned in the skill description that safe cracking is part of Lockpicking but High-Tech makes it clear that you need Explosives to blast open a safe.

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

There was a Pyramid article called Lockwork that had a whole section on safecracking.

Does anyone remember this issue and whether or not its still available?

Nymdok

[Nymdok]

Thanks for the input folks!

Ill do it like this.

Exponential +0 Up to +10.
Linear up to 0 to -15.

Not as mathematically convenient as I might like, but I like the fit better.

For -20 'Prototype or Revolutionary' is almost exactly what TL+1 means anyway, so Ill take the -15 cost and Dub it to x100.

That means, in adjusted dollars, a revolutionary Depository runs about 30mil, or about 3x what ALL of Fort Knox (US Bullion Depository) Cost in adjusted Dollars (560k=>10 mil). A bit high, but serviceable.

The lockpicking question is an interesting one, and Ive been rolling it around in my head for a bit. As of now, I think Im going to cap it at +2 for fine as per the RAW. I, of course, reserve the right tro provide higher ones though magical means or picks of singularly specific use.

Nymdok
p.s. Final Table in Next post

[Nymdok]

Difficulty to Cost Table For Locks

+- is the modifier to skill for the complexity of the lock.

Note that weak locks cannot exceed -5 difficulty.

+-  Cost Multiplier
10   .25
 9   .35
 8   .45
 7   .60
 6   .80
 5   1
 4   1.5
 3   2
 2   2.5
 1   3.5
 0   5 
-1   8
-2   11
-3   14
-4   17
-5   20
-6   23
-7   26
-8   29
-9   32
-10  35
-11  38
-12  41
-13  44
-14  47
-15  50
-20  100

Complexity Comparisons

+10: Diaries, Bathroom Doors and other trivialities.
+5 : High School Padlocks, Kid's Bicycle Chain locks
+0 : Residential, Automobile Doors.
-5 : Fine Locks - Personal/Small Buisness Assets
-10: Very Fine - Corporate Assets (Formula for Coke, KFC, WD-40, Slick 50)
-15: Exceptional - Government Assets (Weapon Designs, Installation Blueprints, High Profile Dossiers, Launch Codes)
-20 : Protoype and New invention locks (Essentially TL+1)

Nymdok