Strength check to break Adamantine manacles?

[gallagher]

i guess the title could have been less specific. does anyone know the strength check necessary to break adamantine manacles? i plan on having a super-strong frenzied berserker in an upcoming campaign, and this is a means of keeping him at least partially controlled.

i just would like to know because i will try and break free, and with a couple of squishy teammates, this could make for a particularly interesting party if i from time to time break free and hulk smash the bejeezus out of everything.

also, i think you could picture if i start to frenzy because i sneezed too hard or something, broke free, and started terrorizing a village.

[ZeroNumerous]

I think the basic assumption is: You don't.

Personally I'd houserule it as double the DC for steel, but there isn't a given DC for adamantine manacles that I know of.

[Sinfire Titan]

Adamantine Manacles are stated out in Dungeonscape. The Break DC is 50 some-odd.

[Kaiyanwang]

Adamantine Manacles are stated out in Dungeonscape. The Break DC is 50 some-odd.

52. 15 HP, 20 Hardness.

[gallagher]

52. 15 HP, 20 Hardness.

on a related note, can an adamantine weapon ignore the hardness because it is 20, or must it be less than 20?

[Sinfire Titan]

on a related note, can an adamantine weapon ignore the hardness because it is 20, or must it be less than 20?

Less than, but Real Life says otherwise. AKA: Ask your DM, but RAW says <.

[Godskook]

Less than, but Real Life says otherwise. AKA: Ask your DM, but RAW says <.

There's a real life analog to Adamantine?

[Sinfire Titan]

There's a real life analog to Adamantine?

I'm talking about Moh's Hardness Scale. If a material is used against itself, it always damages both pieces. If a lesser material is used against a superior material, the lesser will generally dust itself (though enough abuse will eventually erode the superior material).

[Enguhl]

I'm talking about Moh's Hardness Scale. If a material is used against itself, it always damages both pieces. If a lesser material is used against a superior material, the lesser will generally dust itself (though enough abuse will eventually erode the superior material).

It wouldn't ignore it still, just like hitting steel with steel, you still have to hit it hard enough to damage it past hardness.

[Sinfire Titan]

It wouldn't ignore it still, just like hitting steel with steel, you still have to hit it hard enough to damage it past hardness.

Right, but it is easier to use Steel to break Steel than it is to use Copper to break Steel.

[jokey665]

Right, but it is easier to use Steel to break Steel than it is to use Copper to break Steel.

But steel doesn't automatically go through copper with virtually no resistance, which is what adamantine does to everything that isn't adamantine.

[Thurbane]

But steel doesn't automatically go through copper with virtually no resistance, which is what adamantine does to everything that isn't adamantine.
...except that we are talking about adamantine on adamantine, which is kind of Sinfire's point about the hardness scale.

[Lord Vukodlak]

But in D&D steal on steal weapons don't ignore each others hardness. So unless we start giving all weapons such properties why should adamantine ignore the hardness of adamantine.

[PhoenixRivers]

Adamantine doesn't ignore the hardness of highly magical steel either.

[Thurbane]

But in D&D steal on steal weapons don't ignore each others hardness. So unless we start giving all weapons such properties why should adamantine ignore the hardness of adamantine.
I think in some odd way we are agreeing with each other? Either that or I misread the intent of Sinfire's post.

[Tackyhillbillu]

The lesson of all this?

You want Manacles? Build em out of Riverine.

And then laugh when they try to break them.

[Superglucose]

No the lesson of this is, "Wait... he broke out of his manacles by hitting them with an adamantium weapon? Who the hell gave our prisoners adamantium weapons?!?!"

[krossbow]

No the lesson of this is, "Wait... he broke out of his manacles by hitting them with an adamantium weapon? Who the hell gave our prisoners adamantium weapons?!?!"

But how else is he to protect himself from being shivved by other prisoners?

[Ormur]

Funny, Book of Exalted Deeds has admantine antimagic manacles with a break DC of 40 at the cost of 132.000 gp and the 3.0 Arms and Equipment Guide has antimagic manacles that cost the same out of an unspecified material without a listed break DC.