Sidenote but I would like to see the str checks moved down or less items broken. Unfortunately most of the nicest stuff is breakable.
In that case, I want AC and AB of spawns lowered where they are easier to defeat as a non-frontline class. Sometimes my non-full-ab-progression-character has trouble defeating some of the harder enemies by himself, and I don't want to party up with tanks or hitters, I want to be able to solo the whole dungeon so I can get both the chests AND the xp.
With that in mind, I would say that the reason things like this exist are so that you can team up with (in this case) rogues to get what you want. This is not just about rogues, but since that is the recurring topic i'll indulge you. Rogues have a lot of their power in skill points. It's why they get so many, and why so many skills are available to them. By allowing other classes to get the same result (picking locks) without any of the skill points or items other than a crowbar and the high STR you already had, you are taking that away from them. I'm glad items break on fail, it provides a much needed drawback to brute force. I think parties should have to bring along a lock picker and trap handler to get higher end loot. I mean, as a rogue, I have to bring a whole team of other people to kill things in the higher level areas and get xp. It's basic teamwork.
I personally like that some factions are given certain gear in able to be better at something. It's not WAY better, just a little better. I know plenty of people that can hit the highest DC locks without the Vardo gear. Just like plenty of clerics are going to do just fine without the top-end religious items.
If I want to even get to chests in a dungeon, I need a team. You do not.
I'm saying with the overabundance and availability of lockpicking, high str characters are shoehorned into losing points in battle skills(discipline/antagonize/etc) in favor of lockpicking since the str check is so incredibly worthless on anything but doors. And that's only because doors don't hold fragile items. The give-and-take of opting for the str check would be great, if the deck wasn't so ridiculously stacked against using it. You're playing russian roulette with five bullets. You always get a roll, but either you break everything or you get nothing...because you broke everything.
Why don't we apply the break chance to lockpicking as well? That way characters(Read:Nearly everyone) who opted to use their abundance of skillpoints instead of spending statistics in strength have a balanced playing field?
I mean the flow of progression is tipped in your favor.
Rogue: Ninjaloot->Become statistically/monetarily stronger->actively work in a party, or invisibly follow one around on the hide/sneak multiplane
Warrior: Party up->become statistically stronger->Party up
We should not be rewarding skill dumping more than teamwork.