Chests
Chests are most adventurers’ favourite feature of a dungeon. They represent a hard earned reward after days exploring new terrain and overcoming challenging foes. They also come in handy for storing all the shiny coin, gems and items brought back to town.
Volume
While they can be constructed in any shape or size, the overall volume that a chest can hold determines the base weight & cost.
| Size | Volume | Weight | Cost | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | ½ cubic ft. | 10 lb. | 1 gp | x 0.5 |
| Small | 2 cubic ft. | 25 lb. | 2 gp | x 0.75 |
| Medium | 4 cubic ft. | 50 lb. | 5 gp | x 1 |
| Large | 6 cubic ft. | 100 lb. | 10 gp | x 1.5 |
| Huge | 8 cubic ft. | 250 lb. | 25 gp | x 2 |
| Gargantuan | 16 cubic ft. | 500 lb. | 50 gp | x 4 |
| Colossal | 32 cubic ft. | 1000 lb. | 100 gp | x 6 |
Construction
Most chests are usually made of sturdy wood, but sometimes the exotic material of the chest itself is a part of the treasure!
| Material | Weight | Cost | Damage Threshold | Hit Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adamantine | x 2 | +1,000 gp/lb. | 20 | 60 |
| Bone | x 1 | x 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Darkwood | x 0.5 | x100 | 5 | 15 |
| Dragonhide | x 1 | x 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Glass | x 0.5 | x 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Mithral | x 1 | +500 gp/lb. | 15 | 45 |
| Steel | x 2 | x 5 | 10 | 40 |
| Steel-bound | x 1.5 | x 2 | 5 | 20 |
| Stone | x 3 | x 2 | 8 | 25 |
| Wood | x 1 | x 1 | 5 | 15 |
Smashing open a chest can damage or even destroy any delicate contents. Adventurers can try to break the lock or hinges instead. This results in less damage to the contents, but is more difficult. The AC to damage only the hinges is (DT + 10), while the DC to break the lock with tools is (DT x 2).
Locks
Much of the time, a chest is used to secure valuables. As such, they tend to be locked.
| Lock | DC | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trivial | 5 | So easy that an adventurer can almost always succeed. | 2 gp |
| Easy | 10 | Can be opened by someone with a bit of training. | 10 gp |
| Moderate | 15 | Requires competence or a degree of luck to accomplish. | 15 gp |
| Hard | 20 | Even with training and skill requires some luck to pull it off. | 30 gp |
| Very Hard | 25 | Only achievable by talented individuals. | 50 gp |
| Formidable | 30 | Only achievable by very talented and highly trained individuals. | 100 gp |
| Impossible | 35 | Requres a supernatural level of skill to open. | 200 gp |
In Combat
Clever combatants can use a nearby chest to their advantage.
Jump Up: Creatures can jump (DC 12 Acrobatics) or spend three squares of movement to get on top of a chest.
High Ground: Creatures standing on a chest have the high ground. They gain a +1 bonus on melee attacks made against creatures standing on lower ground).
Cover: Creatures prone behind a chest have ¾ cover, which provides a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws.