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On the DM side, all youâve got to do is add 8 to the DC listed in the module (use 23 (a.k.a. 15+8) if thereâs no DC listed).
The rogueâs goal is to put tension on the lockâs cylinder, and then bind the six pins.
Five of the pins, you bind with d6âs. Roll them carefully, one at a time, to find out which pins you bind. Keep track of the rolled numbers. The number you roll is the pin you bind. So if you roll a four, that means the fourth pin is binding. If you roll a three, that means the third pin is binding. If you have five dice, you can leave the rolled dice on the table to represent the bound pin.
If you roll an already rolled number, thatâs bad! The pin slipped! Itâs no longer binding. If you roll that number a third time, itâs binding again. (A fourth time, it slips again, and a fifth time, itâs binding again.)
You can decide to stop rolling early if youâve found youâve bound enough pins. Itâs not an infinite number of dice, itâs at most five dice.
Once youâve rolled your five dice, or decided to stop, youâve got at least one pin left to bind, maybe more if some pins slipped. Roll a d20 and add your normal tool proficiency bonuses as per normal 5e, but also add all the pins youâve managed to bind with d6âs. So if youâve bound the fourth and fifth pins, add nine. Meet or beat the DC to open the lock. If you canât, the last few pins are beyond your ability and you canât open the lock.
Ten or to be specific, 4123/432, is the average sum of the pin outcomes when players can stop early. Nine, or to be specific, 1477/162, or approximately 9.12, is the sum when they canât.
But, itâs a long-tailed curve. If we instead think âWhat are the chance of the lock opening or notâ, itâs better to add eight.
Looking at a variety of lock DCs and modifiers, it stays within 1/20 difference when we add eight.