Crowbar

“Hang on a minute, Alrik, let me do it. I knew this little crowbar would come in handy.”
-Dal “Crowbar” Ergel, thief from Tjolmar, 1022 FB

Not everyone knows how to open a door with a lockpick, which is why, for most people who need to gain access to something sturdy, a crowbar is the tool of choice. Most crowbars are made from sturdy iron. Longer versions of this tool are sometimes referred to as pry-bars.

Crowbars are not as popular among burglars as people believe because they leave scratch marks on door frames. Still, most scoundrels know how to use them. Ironically, city guards also often use them for similar purposes—namely, to open locked doors. Workers use them in quarries, and they prove valuable for customs officers who want to peer into the crates of uncooperative merchants. It is easy to see why treasure hunters use them to open old treasure chests.

“Only dull-witted criminals would use a crowbar like that. It’s not very subtle.”

— Carolan Calavanti, Vinsaltan vagabond

Item	Weight	Structure Points	Cost	Complexity
Crowbar	5 stn / 11 lbs	70 SP	26 S	primitive
Pry-bar	6 stn / 13 lbs	100 SP	38 S	primitive

Rules

Crowbar: Strength receives a +1 bonus for Feat of Strength (Pushing & Bending or Lifting) when using a crowbar to lift a weight or break open a door, window, or similar object.

Pry-bar: Strength receives a +1 bonus for Feat of Strength (Pushing & Bending or Lifting) on both STR partial checks when using a pry-bar to lift a weight or break open a door, window, or similar object.

Crowbars and pry-bars can be improvised weapons (see pages 138-139).