Attack an Object
Sometimes a character needs to attack or break an object
Strike an Object
| Table: Size and Defense of Objects | |
|---|---|
| Size (Example) | Defense |
| Colossal (jetliner) | –3 |
| Gargantuan (army tank) | 1 |
| Huge (typical car) | 3 |
| Large (big door) | 4 |
| Medium-size (dirt bike) | 5 |
| Small (chair) | 6 |
| Tiny (laptop computer) | 7 |
| Diminutive (paperback book) | 9 |
| Fine (pencil) | 13 |
Objects are easier to hit than characters because they usually don’t move, but many are tough enough to shrug off some damage from each blow.
Object Defense and Bonuses to Attack: Objects are harder or easier to hit depending on their size and whether they are immobile or being held, carried, or worn by opponents. The base Defense of objects is shown on Table: Size and Defense of Objects.
If a character uses a full-round action to make an attack against an inanimate, immobile object, the character gets an automatic hit with a melee weapon, or a +5 bonus on his or her attack roll with a ranged weapon.
An object being held, carried, or worn has a Defense equal to the above figure + 5 + the opponent’s Dexterity modifier + the opponent’s class bonus to Defense. Striking a held, carried, or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity from the character who holds it. (If a character has the Sunder feat, he or she doesn’t incur an attack of opportunity for making the attempt.)
Hardness: Each object has hardness—a number that represents how well it resists damage. Whenever an object takes damage, subtract its hardness from the damage. Only damage in excess of its hardness is deducted from the object’s hit points (see Table: Substance Hardness and Hit Points and Table: Object Hardness and Hit Points).
Hit Points: An object’s hit point total depends on what it is made of or how big it is (see Table Substance Hardness and Hit Points and Table Object Hardness and Hit Points).
| Table: Substance Hardness and Hit Points | ||
|---|---|---|
| Substance | Hardness | Hit Points |
| Paper | 0 | 2/inch of thickness |
| Rope | 0 | 2/inch of thickness |
| Plastic, soft | 0 | 3/inch of thickness |
| Glass | 1 | 1/inch of thickness |
| Ceramic | 1 | 2/inch of thickness |
| Ice | 0 | 3/inch of thickness |
| Plastic, hard | 2 | 5/inch of thickness |
| Wood | 5 | 10/inch of thickness |
| Aluminum | 6 | 10/inch of thickness |
| Concrete | 8 | 15/inch of thickness |
| Steel | 10 | 30/inch of thickness |
| Table: Object Hardness and Hit Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Object | Hardness | Hit Points | Break DC |
| Lock | |||
| Cheap | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Average | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| High quality | 5 | 10 | 20 |
| High security | 10 | 120 | 35 |
| Ultrahigh security | 20 | 150 | 40 |
| Manufactured objects1 | |||
| Fine | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Diminutive | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Tiny | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Small | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Medium-size | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| Large | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Huge | 8 | 10 | 20 |
| Gargantuan | 8 | 20 | 30 |
| Colossal | 10 | 30 | 50 |
| Miscellanious | |||
| Firearm, Medium-size | 5 | 7 | 17 |
| Rope | 0 | 2 | 23 |
| Simple wooden door | 5 | 10 | 13 |
| Strong wooden door | 5 | 20 | 23 |
| Steel door | 10 | 120 | 35 |
| Cinderblock wall | 8 | 90 | 35 |
| Chain | 10 | 5 | 26 |
| Handcuffs | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| Metal bars | 10 | 15 | 30 |
|
1Figures for manufactured objects are minimum values. The GM may adjust these upward to account for objects with more strength and durability. | |||
Energy Attacks: Acid and sonic/concussive attacks deal normal damage to most objects. Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage by 2 before applying the hardness. Cold attacks deal one-quarter damage to most objects; divide the damage by 4 before applying the hardness.
Ineffective Weapons: The GM may determine that certain weapons just can’t deal damage effectively to certain objects.
Immunities: Objects are immune to nonlethal damage and to critical hits.
Saving Throws: Unattended objects never make saving throws. They are considered to have failed their saving throws. An object attended by a character (being grasped, touched, or worn) receives a saving throw just as if the character herself were making the saving throw.
Breaking Objects
When a character tries to break something with sudden force rather than by dealing damage, use a Strength check to see whether he or she succeeds. The DC depends more on the construction of the object than on the material.
If an object has lost half or more of its hit points, the DC to break it decreases by 2.
Repairing Objects
Repairing damage to an object takes a full hour of work and appropriate tools. (Without the tools, a character takes a –4 penalty on his or her Repair check.) At the end of the hour, make a Repair check (DC 20). Success restores 2d6 hit points. If damage remains, the character may continue to make repairs for as many hours as it takes to restore all the object’s hit points.