Is this fair? -- your personal opinion

Note: There are two threads, with similar titles, on this subject on the forum right now. Please make sure to note which one you are responding to.

What do you, personally, think/feel about this scenario?

Hypothetical scenario:

You’ve cleared out the dungeon and found the McGuffin you were seeking. Then you come to a room located in the back corner of the dungeon. In the room is only a large lever sticking up out of the floor. You search the room and find a secret door in one wall. You can’t find a way to open the door. The rogue searches the door and lever for traps, and finds none. The monk pulls the lever. He has to make a saving throw – he rolls a 19 on the die, adds in his mods, and fails the save. He turns into a pile of fine dust on the floor.

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Do you think/feel the above scenario is fair?

Quasqueton

I fail to see the need for the second thread.

Personally, i believe it seems extremely unfair for the monk, but I'd still love to hear the rationale behind the scenario. Other.

That's why the equipment list has ROPE!

Fair ball.

You have really split this hair as fine as you can....

werk said:

That's why the equipment list has ROPE!

Fair ball.

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There's no reason to think that pulling the lever with rope will not have the same effect.

ThirdWizard said:

There's no reason to think that pulling the lever with rope will not have the same effect.

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No reason not to think it true, but even most "Killer DMs" would let the rope on the lever trick work (unless they are truly out to get their players or whatever...and most killer DMs just arent that hell-bent on killing the characters...)

Grazzt said:

No reason not to think it true, but even most "Killer DMs" would let the rope on the lever trick work (unless they are truly out to get their players or whatever...and most killer DMs just arent that hell-bent on killing the characters...)

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There are several ways to avoid the dusty monk.

Rope on lever, mage hand or telekinisis on rope.
Summon monster, have him pull lever.
Toss rock at lever.
And my favorite - leave the damn lever alone.

Imo, it is fair, even without a save. And even if it's NOT fair, so what? Not all things in life (or gaming) are fair. Is it fair when your opponent lands on free parking 3 times in a row?

Its fair. No traps were found on the secret door or the lever. That does not mean the trap was not somewher else and the level just activated it.

JRRNeiklot said:

There are several ways to avoid the dusty monk.

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There are no ways to avoid the dusty monk other than walking away.

I can prove that just as easily as you can prove yours.

Not enough information. Whether this would be fair or not for me would have a lot to do with verisimilitude, the expectations of the players towards the game, and the previous actions of the DM. If the DM has warned them that the game would include danger, perhaps way beyond their ability if they stumble upon it, the players had encontered such examples of danger, and there is a good reason why such a trap existed, how it worked, and it had been written up as part of the adventure, it would be much more fair than if the DM had told them it was a standard hack and slash campaign where everything had been a milk run and the DM just threw in a random trap on the spur of the moment to kill a character.

Editted to add: We don't even know if it was a trap or what the lever did. Could be that the lever did open the secret door and the wizard with a held action on the other side cast a silent quickened spell that did in the monk.