Dungeon Master's Guide

CATACOMBS
•
D OORS
Dungeon doorways might be set within plain arches
and lintels. They might be festooned with carvings of
gargoyles or leering faces or engraved with sigils that
reveal clues as to what lies beyond.
Stuck Doors. Dungeon doors often become stuck
when not used frequently. Opening a stuck door requires
a successful Strength check. Chapter 8, "Running the
Game," provides guidelines for setting the DC.
Locked Doors. Characters who don't have the key
ro a locked door can pick the lock with a successful
Dexterity check (doing so requires thieves' tools and
proficiency in their use). They can also force the door
with a successful Strength check, smash the door to
pieces by dealing enough damage to it, or use a knock
spell or similar magic. Chapter 8 provides guidelines
for setting the DCs and assigning statistics to doors and
other objects.
Barred Doors. A barred door is similar to a locked
door, except that there's no lock to pick, and the door
can be opened normally from the barred side by using
an action to lift the bar from its braces.
SECRET DOORS
A secret door is crafted to blend into the wall that
surrounds it. Sometimes faint cracks in the wall or scuff
marks on the floor betray the secret door's presence.
Detecting a Secret Door. Use the characters'
passive Wisdom (Perception) scores to determine
whether anyone in the party notices a secret door
without actively searching for it. Characters can also
find a secret door by actively searching the location
where the door is hidden and succeeding on a Wisdom
CHAPTER 5 j ADVENTURE ENVfRONMENTS