Objects

When characters need to saw through ropes, shatter a window, or smash a vampire's coffin, the only hard and fast rule is this: given enough time and the right tools, characters can destroy any destructible object. Use common sense when determining a character's success at damaging an object.

For the purpose of these rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone — not a building or a vehicle composed of many other objects.

Statistics for Objects

When time is a factor, you can assign an Armor Class and hit points to a destructible object. You can also give it immunities, resistances, and vulnerabilities to specific types of damage.

Armor Class

An object's AC measures how difficult it is to deal damage to it (objects can't dodge). Suggested AC values by substance:

Hit Points

Suggested hit points for fragile and resilient objects that are Large or smaller:

Huge and Gargantuan Objects

Normal weapons are of little use against many Huge and Gargantuan objects. You can track their hit points if you like, or simply decide how long the object can withstand whatever force acts against it. If you track hit points, divide the object into Large or smaller sections and track each section separately.

Objects and Damage Types

Objects are immune to poison and psychic damage. Some damage types are more effective against particular substances — for example, bludgeoning damage works well for smashing things but not for cutting through rope.

Damage Threshold

Big objects such as castle walls often have extra resilience represented by a damage threshold.

An object with a damage threshold has immunity to all damage unless a single attack or effect deals damage equal to or greater than that threshold, in which case it takes damage as normal.

Interacting with Objects

A character's interaction with objects in an environment is often simple to resolve in the game. The player tells the GM that their character is doing something, such as moving a lever, and the GM describes what, if anything, happens.

For example, a character might decide to pull a lever, which might, in turn, raise a portcullis, cause a room to flood with water, or open a secret door in a nearby wall. If the lever is rusted in position, though, a character might need to force it. In such a situation, the GM might call for a Strength check to see whether the character can wrench the lever into place.

The GM sets the DC for any object interaction checks based on the difficulty of the task.

Characters can also damage objects with their weapons and spells. Objects are immune to poison and psychic damage, but otherwise they can be affected by physical and magical attacks much like creatures can.

The GM determines an object's AC and hit points, and might decide that certain objects have resistance or immunity to certain kinds of attacks. (It's hard to cut a rope with a club, for example.)

Objects always fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws, and they are immune to effects that require other saves. When an object drops to 0 hit points, it breaks.

A character can also attempt a Strength check to break an object. The GM sets the DC for any such check.