Pick lock (Draw Steel)
Skills
Definition
Pick Lock covers padlocks, door locks, strongboxes, manacles, and the catches on a noble's jewelry case. It is an Agility skill because it rewards steady hands and touch more than knowledge of how the mechanism was built. It shows up in heists, prison breaks, and dungeon doors that would otherwise be broken down loudly. Getting inside without alerting anyone often matters more than the door itself.
How it works
**Characteristic**: Agility. **Skill group**: Agility skills. **Test**: 2d10 + Agility; 11 or lower is tier 1, 12 to 16 tier 2, 17 or higher tier 3. Training grants a benefit and unlocks attempts untrained heroes cannot make. **How it is used**: Tier 3 opens the lock quickly and quietly. Tier 2 opens it but takes time or leaves marks. Tier 1 fails; on a natural 2 or 3 the Director may rule the pick breaks. **Edges and banes**: Proper picks, good light, and time grant an edge (+2). Improvised tools, darkness, or picking while allies fight nearby imposes a bane (-2).
Tips
**Best for**: Infiltrators and treasure hunters who want doors to stay intact behind them. **Character concepts**: Criminal career burglar, locksmith who knows the trade from both sides, escaped prisoner. **Synergies**: Search for finding the lock's traps first, Sneak for reaching it unseen, Mechanics for the larger devices a lock may be part of.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need thieves' tools?
Tools are what let you attempt it normally. Without them expect a bane, or a complex lock may be impossible.
What about magical locks?
A lock sealed by magic is a Disrupt Magic problem, though you may pick the physical part once the magic is handled.