Is Open Locks skill really needed in IWD2?

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Hello everyone.
This is my first post (or rather, query) on Boards o' Magick. It's been a month or two, since I've started playing IWD2. I'm currently in the first part of chapter 4. I don't have a high level rogue in my party, just a Tiefling Rogue 1/ Wizard X. I've come across many locks in the game, and I could bash all of them in with my raging half-orc barbarian ( 22 + 4 strength), save the ones that need a specific key. What I am wondering is : As I proceed further, do the locks become progressively difficult to bash? I mean, is it only through the exclusive use of Open Locks skill that they can be opened? I don't mind the traps that I might set off by bashing the locks, simply because they aren't lethal. Also, if the answers to both the above questions are "No", is it worth putting points in the Open Locks skill ( provided you have a muscular half-orc barbarian) ?

 

To answer your question, I don't think there are any locks that will make the game unwinnable that cannot be bashed or opened with keys, however there are a few with good treasure that you will not be able to open this way.
There is also the 2nd level sorcerer/wizard spell "knock" that can be used as a substitute to open those locks however. There are none that cannot be bashed, opened with a key, or opened with knock.

Frankly, I'm shocked that it is not available as a domain spell for clerics of Mask, even if they had to give clerics of Mask extra choices for the domain spell. Heck, Find Traps, Knock, and Invisibility are just so appropriate that I've been toying with the idea of modding the game to make them 2nd level domain spell choices for Mask. I just haven't gotten around to learning how to use WeiDU to make it easy to install for others.

 

I guessed the same. I would rather have a tough frontliner than a pure rogue, so I need to resort to the substitutes of open locks skill.

By the way, Mask is the lord of Shadows and Trickery. He never had the "traps" domain under him ( so I don't think he can grant power to detect traps and open locks). Someone dealing with traps would rather be a cleric of Baravar Cloakshadow (the gnomish god of traps and wards).

 

If you can not unlock that skill by placing one point into it, you can not disable traps.

 

Mask is the god of thieves though and back in 2e his specialty priests were given the ability to find traps (among other thief abilities such as open locks and climb walls). I am not 100% sure if they got the spell though as they may not have had the correct sphere of influence.