That sounds like it should be a bug. Doesn't that make the Unlock spell rather pointless if mages can blow apart locked doors and containers without point-investment or equipment penalty?
Maybe a dev could answer that, but I'm not getting the impression that magic being able to open doors and such is a bug.
You seem to think that having multiple solutions to opening a door is an error, when it seems more likely to be a design choice for roleplaying purposes.
I realize a big part of the game is about having options, but there seems to be a balance issue here.
- Using lockpicks to open a locked door or container requires an investment in the Lockpick skill and having lockpicks on hand (which is a financial cost).
- Using weapons to bash open a locked door or container requires sacrificing durability on your weapons, which requires either a financial payout from an NPC to repair it, or an investment in the Repair skill. Doing this often enough makes the weapon worthless, so essentially you're throwing money at the problem as well.
- Using random damage-based spells (or a summons) to open a locked door costs you nothing. It doesn't cost you real time since this happens out of combat, there is no mana resource that has to be regained, etc. That doesn't seem out of balance to you? Why invest points into Lockpicking and money into lockpicks when all anyone has to do is buy a level 1 offensive spell and be set for the remainder of the game?
I'm not against magic opening locked containers or doors, but I thought that's what the Unlock spell was for. My thinking is that if you use magic to open a container (fireball a locked chest, for instance) then the contents hidden within should be destroyed. Sure, you "opened" it, but without the proper spell you lack the finesse necessary to do it right. That wouldn't help doors, however.
