D&D 5E Stealth Checks - How do you handle them?
Satyrn
First Post
I knew it! You three are in cahoots!
Satyrn
First Post
I let the player know they've made too much noise by placing an exclamation mark over the guard token.
I think they're actually [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION]'s sock puppets
No one agrees that much unless it's with themself...
AaronOfBarbaria
Adventurer
Ah, but when we do disagree, it can be to a significant degree - like how only one of the two of us has had good experiences with 4th edition.I think they're actually [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION]'s sock puppets
I do not call for a roll until it matters (i.e. they could be spotted), so they can't change their mind. If someone is attempting to hide but are noticed, I only let the character know if the spotter reacts (sometimes they won't, but usually they will). Stealth in combat is rolled right away, so I can tell which NPCs/monsters can see the character without having to take an action, but the player has no idea if they succeeded or failed.
Li Shenron
Legend
We just do what 99% of the gaming groups have always done: players roll their dice in the open, DM rolls her dice behind the screen.
So the player sees her Stealth check result, and gets an idea about how good the attempt was, but cannot know for sure because the opposite check result (or passive score) is hidden from the players.
If you think about it, it's pretty natural: you can get the feeling on how much you managed to be quiet or not (did you sneeze? did you drop a vase from the table? did you step on a trumpet?) but you cannot be sure if someone noticed it.
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
Don't call for a roll until it matters. It doesn't matter what your players get on the dice at that point, they can't get a do over.
That applies for basically everything, which makes the 5e version of passive checks pointless for most of their stated purposes.
That applies for basically everything, which makes the 5e version of passive checks pointless for most of their stated purposes.
This, like most "hilarity ensues" rpg stories seems to rely on the DM not telling the PCs relevant information that should have been blatantly obvious.
In the game I DM, we use roll20 and I do secret DM rolls for stealth, perception, and searching for traps (where passive doesn't apply) It's all macro'd up to the players sheets.
In the game I play in, our DM asks us to roll. We always roll - whether there is someone there or not. We like rolling, because we're playing a game where dice rolling is part of the game, and it's fun coming up with silly stuff when you roll low, even if no monsters are around.
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In the game I play in, our DM asks us to roll. We always roll - whether there is someone there or not. We like rolling, because we're playing a game where dice rolling is part of the game, and it's fun coming up with silly stuff when you roll low, even if no monsters are around.
Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app
Flamestrike
Legend
(Two bored guards looking over a field at middday while leaning on pikes)
'Hey Frank. Whats up with that naked dragonborn wreathed in shadow sprinting over here across that field?'
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