A lockpicker's proposal.

[BalorVale]

Hey there, whilst smithing several hundred helmets raising my smithing skill, I came up with an idea to help make smithing a more "worth it" craft, as herbalism and alchemy have consumables thus making the profit margine endless I thought long and hard and I see we are stepping in the right direction with traps, but I had another idea; Lockpicks. A skilled smith could be equivalent to a locksmith as it was very common in the medieval era for a master of metals to take on the art of locks. I propose this idea;


  Giving the Smither the ability to craft lockpicks up to an effective +10

  Gives more consumables to the Smith in the form of "Skeleton Keys" consumables that work effectivly as thieves tools do.

  Copper would yield +1 Lockpick, Bronze +3, Iron +5, and Steel +8 and finally Steel gilded for +10 as silver being a softer metal can get in those hard to reach places.

  These are of course just suggestions but you get the idea. It would add a bit of flavour and perhaps it can mix with a lockmaking system to lock doors with different DC's of picklock, wouldn't that be interesting?


Comment! I want to see what you think, is it overpowered? Broken? Exploitable? If it's a good idea, let it be known so it can be added!

[HellsPanda]

I would say copper +1, tin+2, bronze +3, iron +4, steel +5, silver +6 tops. And its not very necessary if you dedicate yourself to lockpicking after the first few levels

[APorg]

Thieves tools don't progress +1, +2, +3, etc. in the game, I don't think...

Why would different qualities of tools be made from different metals? I understand that you want some sort of restricting factor to prevent people from flooding the game with +12 thieves tools but that makes no sense. Having metals improve skeleton keys like that comes off as a little Final Fantasy for me.

Really, this should be an entirely different Craft. It's not the same manner of beast as beating out steel helmets, swords or armour. This is more fine skilled labour like clockwork and finer metallurgy.

I suspect the main change this would make would be to make lockpicks more common at lower levels. Higher levels can already buy them if they really need them; or find them while dungeoning. Heck, Ana's found so many +10 thieves tools in Har'Akir she gives them away.

[HellsPanda]

In all honesty I dont think this is a necessary tool at all, Smithing is one of the fastest crafts to advance and its one of the most powerfull ones already.

But if it was to be implimented and have metal afford its quality then no it should never give more than +5 or 6ish

[Mcskinns]

I think it'd be better if....

there were 3 templates, for +1, +3, and +5 variants.  Then the quality of metal used provided a number of charges to the item (thus breaking from the standard lockpick used by nwn).  It would require a new misc item be made with a OnUse property and custom scripts instead of the oine shot items already in game.

Thus I could see...

Simple Lockpick Template (Effective +1) : Copper DC10, Bronze DC15, Iron DC20, Steel DC 25
Standard Lockpick Template (Effective +3) : Copper DC 15, Bronze DC 20, Iron DC25, Steel DC30
Complex Lockpick Template (Effective +5) :  Copper DC 20, Bronze DC 25, Iron DC30, Steel DC35

The effects of the material would provide a greater number of charges along the lines of...
Copper - single use
Bronze - 3 charges
Iron - 5 charges
Steel - 10 charges

The one thing I would not like to see is the templates sold in the smith shops.  They would be better suited to shops like the shady merchant in Tigan's, or some npc in the drain. 

[RedwizardD]

This seems like a worth while idea, also I agree that I'm not sure straight Smiting in the best choice. part of Gilding perhaps?

[Mcskinns]

This seems like a worth while idea, also I agree that I'm not sure strait Smiting in the best choice. part of Gilding perhaps?

Beyond outward appearances, I don't see what the addition of a thin layer of silver/gold would add to the process personally, but do see the merit of providing an expendable resource to the smiths, as right now bullets/tips for ranged weaponry are about the only thing they can expect repeat business on.

[Dumas]

Really, this should be an entirely different Craft. It's not the same manner of beast as beating out steel helmets, swords or armour. This is more fine skilled labour like clockwork and finer metallurgy.

I suspect the main change this would make would be to make lockpicks more common at lower levels. Higher levels can already buy them if they really need them; or find them while dungeoning. Heck, Ana's found so many +10 thieves tools in Har'Akir she gives them away.

I rather agree with this here. While there are a few similar things about the craft, the process of making a fine pick is much more similar to clockmaking, jewelrymaking, etc.... its a very detailed craft, and things need to be absolutely exact. In my opinion, a completely different skill should be added instead.

[Soren / Zarathustra217]

I think it'd be better if....

there were 3 templates, for +1, +3, and +5 variants.  Then the quality of metal used provided a number of charges to the item (thus breaking from the standard lockpick used by nwn).  It would require a new misc item be made with a OnUse property and custom scripts instead of the oine shot items already in game.

Thus I could see...

Simple Lockpick Template (Effective +1) : Copper DC10, Bronze DC15, Iron DC20, Steel DC 25
Standard Lockpick Template (Effective +3) : Copper DC 15, Bronze DC 20, Iron DC25, Steel DC30
Complex Lockpick Template (Effective +5) :  Copper DC 20, Bronze DC 25, Iron DC30, Steel DC35

The effects of the material would provide a greater number of charges along the lines of...
Copper - single use
Bronze - 3 charges
Iron - 5 charges
Steel - 10 charges

The one thing I would not like to see is the templates sold in the smith shops.  They would be better suited to shops like the shady merchant in Tigan's, or some npc in the drain. 

Good ideas there

[Telkar]

Yea very nice. Also makes a lot of sense. 

[BalorVale]

I'm liking the things I'm seeing Sweet guys nice collaberation.

[HellsPanda]

Maybe as part of trap making?

[herkles]

what about having locks being craftable?

[Feronius]

Different materials make lockpicking easier or harder due to.. the materials they are made off?
Some materials bend or break easier than others when fidgeting with a lockpick in a lock.

I'm not sure how crafting locks would work though. Being able to lock doors with it and chests? (Those in your inventory even? if that's possible.)

[Telkar]

I'd think most doors and chests have an inbuilt lock in them and not all would be made for hanging locks. So I don't see how such a thing can be useful.

[Ovidiu_Lacusta]

A very high DC option to represent mastery of the craft is to create Locks that require a certain Key.

ICly, any medieval community would want a register of who has the "near magic" powers of a locksmith? So creates RP!

I also see:

Crafted Shackles!
Chastity Belts!
Torture Implements! (Ie. a tool that causes blood!)
Specific Key Required

[Badelaire]

The ability to spike doors open and shut would be interesting and very in keeping with hasty barricades in old abandoned ramshackles, I really wish I could get into more RP like that. An ability to bar an otherwise unlocked door. A DC check for spiking and a forced entry attempt check would be something like bashing or crowbar usage.

[Bluebomber4evr]

The ability to spike doors open and shut would be interesting and very in keeping with hasty barricades in old abandoned ramshackles, I really wish I could get into more RP like that. An ability to bar an otherwise unlocked door. A DC check for spiking and a forced entry attempt check would be something like bashing or crowbar usage.

The Classic Roleplay Adaptation Project (unfortunately shorted to C.R.A.P.), now absorbed and part of the CEP, had custom inventory items, animations, and scripts for spiking doors open or closed, climbing ropes, using grappling hooks, spiking grappling hooks to climb down pits, and jumping over pit traps among other things.

The scripts would require extensive tinkering, if not flat-out rewriting, to work on this server and cannot be used as-is, however.

[CuddleGutz]

The ability to spike doors open and shut would be interesting and very in keeping with hasty barricades in old abandoned ramshackles

Or like the guys' floors used to do to each other with pennies in the dorms when I was in college.

[Elfric]

Or like the guys' floors used to do to each other with pennies in the dorms when I was in college.

So pennies have a use? Ohhhh sweet.