Lockpicking mini-rant

[Araon]

So, this is less of a criticism on Baldur's Gate 3 as much as just an issue I have with the genre in general that BG doesn't do anything to fix.

Games like these are often filled with locked doors and containers that require lockpicks and an investment in a lockpicking skill to access reliably. It's rarely something that'll lock you our of progressing the game, but certain quests can be harder, and in general exploration you're going to miss out on a lot of loot.

My issue with that is that it generally means that at least one character in your team has to be geared toward dealing with lockpicking. In BG3 that means that one of three things has to be true: you either have to have Astarion with high dex (since he has slight of hand from his background), Have a rogue or bard in your team with high dex, or your avatar has to have a background that grants slight of hand proficiency and high dex.
It's not the worst thing ever, but it does suck to have a limitation like that, especially for repeated playtrhough where maybe I don't want a rogue or astarion in my team, so now I have to have a bard or a dex-based custom avatar if I want to be able to deal with locks.

To me locked chests don't really feel like an option given to a player, like stealth or persuasion solutions to quests, but just a borderline nececity that the game forces on you. Especially when pretty much no other mechanic or system in the game is a stingy with solutions for a situation that is way more common tha nfor example needing to lift something heavy or jumping far/high, etc.

[I Forget Myself]

You can have a wizard or sorceror use the "knock" spell instead, problem solved.

[True Beard]

You could also use the Knock spell with a Wizard. It takes a 2nd level spell slot, but comes in handy for those doors with a 30 DC.

[Peon]

I have Wyll as a ranger because I don't want either a rogue or Astarion. Works fine.

[Quelsec]

you have options:
knock spell
you can smash chests (cotnents of chests ar not destroyed, other containers may be)
or you can ignore the locked ones
Also shadowheart has slight of hand proficiency so....

[Moffin Bovin]

Use the barbarians knock spell. It requires a big hammer.

[Akkarin]

Im running a monk so i just punch em open

[Forblaze]

Originally posted by Chipper Monk:

You could also use the Knock spell with a Wizard. It takes a 2nd level spell slot, but comes in handy for those doors with a 30 DC.

You're never going to have enough castings of knock to replace lockpicking.

[Toblm]

There are few things that can be lockpicked that can't just be smashed.

Also you are overestimating the investment needed. Sure a rogue or bard make quick work of all locks. But most locks are only DC 10, and even DC 20s can be managed with minimal investment in dex or slight of hand prof on most any character. Shadowheart as a Trickery Cleric does plenty fine, particularly once you add Guidence.

"But I wont be able to pass the DC 30s" yes, being able to regularly pass DC 30s are a reward for specing heavily in that direction. They are not meant to be passed casually by any character or party.

[Ommamar]

It has long been a staple of D&D that you need someone who can deal with detecting and disarming traps as well as picking locks. To complain about it in a D&D game makes me wonder what you thought you where getting.

[Cur]

Knock on the hard locks. Break down locked doors when you can. Find Gloves of Dexterity and anyone becomes a lockpicking master.

[Hobocop]

I had Lae'zel with Astral Knowledge on lockpicking duty for a while.

Switched to Karlach with the 18 Dex gloves later.

Slap on the +2 Dex chest for Cat's Grace or Enhance Ability for the same to get Advantage plus Guidance and you're good to go.

[Quillithe]

Originally posted by Hobocop:

I had Lae'zel with Astral Knowledge on lockpicking duty for a while.

Switched to Karlach with the 18 Dex gloves later.

Slap on the +2 Dex chest for Cat's Grace or Enhance Ability for the same to get Advantage plus Guidance and you're good to go.

Or Lae'zel with the 18 dex gloves, you can just swap them on when lockpicking and swap them out.

Also, destroying chests does not destroy any of the contents, so a big axe or a firebolt can also be a perfectly acceptable method of opening chests.

And doors.

Though if you plan on stealthily opening doors in town with an axe I'd suggest a silence spell first.

[Toblm]

Originally posted by Quillithe:

Though if you plan on stealthily opening doors in town with an axe I'd suggest a silence spell first.

Well thats ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ scary.
"Here's Johnny" in dead silence.

[True Beard]

Originally posted by Forblaze:

Originally posted by Chipper Monk:

You could also use the Knock spell with a Wizard. It takes a 2nd level spell slot, but comes in handy for those doors with a 30 DC.

You're never going to have enough castings of knock to replace lockpicking.

You are correct. Hence the reason I suggested it for the higher dice checks.

[Mahuloq]

I have my wizard just lockpick. He fails sometimes but he always gets it eventually with some dex along with shadowheart you should not be having much issue.