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I was looking into the immovable rod (as an option for pinning someone), and there were no specifics for if it could break or how to do it.

The immovable rod has a weight limit of 8,000 pounds before it deactivates and falls to the ground, or it can be moved up to 10 feet after succeeding on a DC 30 Strength Check.

Are there ways to break the immovable rod?

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    \$\begingroup\$ What do you mean by pinning someone and how do you plan on using the rod? \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Nov 21, 2018 at 21:10
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    \$\begingroup\$ Welcome to rpg.se! Please take a look at the tour, it's a useful introduction to the site. \$\endgroup\$
    – goodguy5
    Nov 21, 2018 at 21:20
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    \$\begingroup\$ Related: Can a magical net be destroyed? \$\endgroup\$
    – Sdjz
    Nov 21, 2018 at 21:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ Just for some real life consideration: a (high grade) 6" steel bolt is rated for 3 to 4 tons, which is pretty much your 8000 pound limit. Your rod would have a considerably larger diameter than a bolt, but it would likely not be made of steel. Assuming the two cancel each other out, that would mean that your immovability would deactivate before the rod physically breaks. \$\endgroup\$
    – Flater
    Nov 22, 2018 at 8:16
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Flater It's made of iron, per the description of the item. \$\endgroup\$
    – user47897
    Mar 12, 2019 at 17:15

2 Answers 2

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Magic items can be destroyed unless specified otherwise

The rules for magic items do not say that they can't be destroyed. In fact, they specify under the Magic Item Resilience heading:

Most magic items, other than potions and scrolls, have resistance to all damage.

This implies that they at least can be damaged. Now, how much damage would need to be dealt to destroy the rod will be up to the GM. One source he/she could draw on is the Object Hit Points rules in the Dungeon Master's Guide.

Antimagic

If the goal is to destroy a magic item, an antimagic field will remove the damage resistance as:

Within the sphere, ... magic items become mundane

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    \$\begingroup\$ Might as well add the link to the question we have on this issue while at it (I edited it in, feel free to revert) \$\endgroup\$
    – Sdjz
    Nov 21, 2018 at 21:46
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    \$\begingroup\$ I don't think the damage needed is up to the GM. The IR specifies it's an iron rod. Iron means it has an AC of 19. A rod is 2-3 feet long and 1 inch thick, which puts it in the small category. small objects have 1d6 HP if fragile and 3D6 HP if resilient, though I don't know what the rules on those are. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nzall
    Nov 22, 2018 at 12:29
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Nzall The reason I said it's up to the GM is because the object HP rules are entirely optional for use: "you can assign an Armor Class and hit points to a destructible object" (emphasis mine). Furthermore, as you state, whether or not the rod takes 3d6 or 1d6 damage is up to GM discretion. \$\endgroup\$
    – David Coffron
    Nov 22, 2018 at 17:20
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When it comes to Magic Items in 5th Edition D&D, there's generally only two categories of items that matter with respect to their fragility:

  • Most Magic Items have "resistance to damage" (DMG Chapter 7: Treasure, "Magic Items"), and like all objects, have hit points (determined by the DM)
  • Artifact-quality Magic Items are nearly unbreakable, and have special conditions for destroying them (think The One Ring from LotR, needing to be thrown into the caldera where it was made)

An Immovable Rod counts as a non-artifact magical item, so it obeys those first rules, in that it has hit points and damage resistance. In addition to deactivating upon bearing a load greater than 8000 pounds, the rod could straight-up break if it takes too much damage—how much exactly would be determined by your DM.

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