D&D 5E Stealth Checks - How do you handle them?

[Bawylie]

I don't even ask for the check until the outcome of sneaking is in doubt.

You can sneak around all day, but I probably won't need a check until you try specifically to sneak by something undetected, AND your success or failure isn't certain.


-Brad

 

[Gardens & Goblins]

..with just the right amount of nonchalance and panache.

 

[Mercule]

I don't even ask for the check until the outcome of sneaking is in doubt.

You can sneak around all day, but I probably won't need a check until you try specifically to sneak by something undetected, AND your success or failure isn't certain.

I guess I figured this went without saying. If you move silently in the forest and no one is around to hear.....

I also don't roll a bazillion times when the player says "I search the whole room for secret doors". I make a couple of rolls (whether needed or not). Those are the ones that count (if needed).

 

[iserith]

I guess I figured this went without saying. If you move silently in the forest and no one is around to hear.....

I also don't roll a bazillion times when the player says "I search the whole room for secret doors". I make a couple of rolls (whether needed or not). Those are the ones that count (if needed).

It seems to me just another example of going to the mechanics before considering whether mechanics are even needed at that moment. For some, "I sneak..." is immediately followed up by "Okay, make a Stealth check." Or the player says "I want to make a Stealth check" or just makes one. That's skipping a step where the DM decides whether one is needed or if it's the right time to call for it.

The bottom line is "I stealth, therefore I roll" is not a thing. But that's not obvious to everyone and some approaches (as mentioned in the DMG) call for almost every action being a roll of some kind. So I get why some folks come to a point where it doesn't make sense or isn't working well in play and they can't figure out why.

 

[Bawylie]

I guess I figured this went without saying. If you move silently in the forest and no one is around to hear.....

I also don't roll a bazillion times when the player says "I search the whole room for secret doors". I make a couple of rolls (whether needed or not). Those are the ones that count (if needed).

But it doesn't go without saying.

A lot of DMs ask for rolls immediately when a player declares an action. A lot of PLAYERs even say stuff like "I'm gonna do a stealth check" before even describing what the character is doing.

To me, these are examples of running to the system before using your brain. Like putting the cart before the horse.

It sounds to me like the OP has sensed there's something not quite right about the task resolution and can't quite determine what it is. My guess is he's calling for checks way too soon, relying on dice instead of judgment to see what happens next.

You get the same thing with low perception checks. I had a player looking for tracks and he rolled like a 2. I started describing what he found. He interrupted me to say he failed the check. I explained that I'm telling him what he finds. Failing the check doesn't mean his eyes don't work anymore or that nothing is there to be found.

Likewise a low sneak roll doesn't mean "you sneak around, loudly." It just means that in that particular instant where the check becomes necessary, you failed to accomplish your specific goal in that moment. You weren't suddenly not-sneaking; you were discovered.


-Brad

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

In what is very unlikely to be a surprise to anyone, I agree with [MENTION=6776133]Bawylie[/MENTION] and [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION], and handle stealth the same way - no check until there is actually uncertainty for the check to resolve.

 

[Bawylie]

In what is very unlikely to be a surprise to anyone, I agree with [MENTION=6776133]Bawylie[/MENTION] and [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION], and handle stealth the same way - no check until there is actually uncertainty for the check to resolve.

I agree with Aaron agreeing with me. It makes me feel good.


-Brad

 

[Quickleaf]

How does everyone handle stealth checks? Do you let the players know right away that they failed or keep it to yourself until they get found out. Always feels a little weird to say, "You feel like you're not quite moving so quietly as you hoped." Thoughts?

The way you describe this, it sounds like you have (1) player expressing intent and character just barely starts acting, (2) dice roll, (3) character fully and completely acting. For example, your player might say, "OK, approaching the fortress I want to roll Stealth."

That is different from how I run checks.

My player would say "I want to sneak up to the fortress gate."

When my player rolls a die, something happens. Usually immediately. The die roll happens concurrently with the climax of the character's action.

So if a Stealth check is failed – usually meaning it falls below the passive Perception of a monster – then I'd narrate that monsters at the gate noticing the PC.

EDIT: Aaand sounds like I'm joining the chorus of wise GMs.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I don't call for a check until there's an opponent of some sort. Then, we make the opposing rolls and the results usually dictate what happens next, I.e. The guard yells out "who goes there" or what have you. In the event where for whatever reason there is no immediate indication of success or failure, then I let the die roll give the player an idea on how they did; if they rolled low then they know they aren't sneaking all that well, and so on.

 

[Mercule]

But it doesn't go without saying.

Unfortunately, you're probably right.

A lot of DMs ask for rolls immediately when a player declares an action. A lot of PLAYERs even say stuff like "I'm gonna do a stealth check" before even describing what the character is doing.

To me, these are examples of running to the system before using your brain. Like putting the cart before the horse.

The Fate rulebook puts it this way:

* Golden Rule: Decide what you're trying to accomplish first, then consult the rules to help you do it.
* Silver Rule: Never let the rules get in the way of what makes narrative sense.