As a DM, skills I should roll 4 PCs

[Plane Sailing]

They encounter a character, the character tells them a lie. I roll a Bluff check behind my DM screen. The two meta-gaming PCs see that I just did that and they don't trust anything the NPC says, even though what they say isn't outrageous at all

Ah, I see what you are getting at now!

OK, how is this for a quick and easy solution? Allow the NPC's to 'take 10' on all those checks. If they are bluffing, assume their bluff check result is 10+skill bonus and if anyone says 'I sense motive' you can roll for the PC, but they have no idea whether they are being paranoid or if the NPC was actually lying.

I often assume that guards are 'taking 10' on their spot and listen checks when on guard, just to simplify the whole process of handling PC checks against NPCs

 

[Krafen]

Ah, I see what you are getting at now!

OK, how is this for a quick and easy solution? Allow the NPC's to 'take 10' on all those checks. If they are bluffing, assume their bluff check result is 10+skill bonus and if anyone says 'I sense motive' you can roll for the PC, but they have no idea whether they are being paranoid or if the NPC was actually lying.

I often assume that guards are 'taking 10' on their spot and listen checks when on guard, just to simplify the whole process of handling PC checks against NPCs

Good idea. Another option is to roll your dice now and then for no particular reason. This tends to make players nervous, which is good. Also, they are less likely to be able to guess what you are rolling for. Finally, if your players are metagaming like you described, call them on it. Ask them something like "why is your character suddenly so distrustful?"

 

[Phlebas]

Personally I'm not a big fan of rolling any secret dice after an unfortunate incident with a hold person, darkness and NPC drow assassin killed someones favourite character without them rolling a dice.... and the six months of whinging that followed from the player.

OK, how is this for a quick and easy solution? Allow the NPC's to 'take 10' on all those checks. If they are bluffing, assume their bluff check result is 10+skill bonus and if anyone says 'I sense motive' you can roll for the PC, but they have no idea whether they are being paranoid or if the NPC was actually lying.

I use a similar logic of take 10 for both PC's and NPC's to speed things up, but if the player is deliberately suspicuous / hunting around / paying careful attention then i let him / her roll in plain sight regardless of wether there's anything to roll against (its actually quite fun to watch the rogues face when she announces a spot of 35 and I tell them about the speck of dust on the hem of her dress and she realises they've wasted a good roll.....) after a while they get bored of rolling every time and try to focus which speeds things up for everyone.

If you want the variety that dice rolls can bring use Misdirection - make the sense motive check and then announce to a player they notice a portrait on the wall. players assume its a spot check and carry on as before.... you can also ask the players to make the d20 rolls and use the same logic to announce something completely unrelated if its not high enough.

 

[Alpha Polaris]

Personally I'm not a big fan of rolling any secret dice after an unfortunate incident with a hold person, darkness and NPC drow assassin killed someones favourite character without them rolling a dice.... and the six months of whinging that followed from the player.

Hey, what is he whining about ? He at least got to roll -- and fail, obviously -- a Will save

 

[Sunfist]

They encounter a character, the character tells them a lie. I roll a Bluff check behind my DM screen. The two meta-gaming PCs see that I just did that and they don't trust anything the NPC says, even though what they say isn't outrageous at all ( A weak and frail looking NPC who looks rich hires them to do research for her and when asked why she couldn't do it herself she says she can't because she is not physically fit, but is also busy with other research). But because the PC saw me make a roll they don't trust her even though they fail their sense motives (I roll them) and it is a valid reason.

Typically, I handle that situation like this: I don't roll bluff until one of my players wants to Sense Motive. At that time, they roll Sense Motive and I roll Bluff. And, I always roll Bluff, regardless of whether or not the character is Bluffing. (Obviously, if he isn't bluffing, I just ignore the role.)

I've also used the technique of rolling ahead of time and noting the results. For example, in one campaign I ran with a different magic system, mages could prepare a spell to be cast without moving or chanting if they rolled really good Spellcasting checks. Anyway, before each session, I'd roll several Spellcasting rolls, so that if a mage ever started doing that around the PCs, the Players wouldn't instantly know just because I started rolling dice.

 

[MarkB]

I've also used the technique of rolling ahead of time and noting the results. For example, in one campaign I ran with a different magic system, mages could prepare a spell to be cast without moving or chanting if they rolled really good Spellcasting checks. Anyway, before each session, I'd roll several Spellcasting rolls, so that if a mage ever started doing that around the PCs, the Players wouldn't instantly know just because I started rolling dice.

One thing one of my DMs does is to use an Excel spreadsheet to generate a few hundred d20 rolls before each session - one set for each player, and a couple for the DM. Then he can simply tick off each 'roll' as it's used, and players need never know when he's making a check.

 

[Nail]

I typically:

#1) Roll dice behind the screen for no reason,
#2) Roll dice behind the screen for a good reason,
#3) Use "take 10" on some Sense Motive checks,
#4) Ask the PCs to make their own Listen and Spot checks (hey, it's fun for the players to see these rolls!)

 

[Sunfist]

One thing one of my DMs does is to use an Excel spreadsheet to generate a few hundred d20 rolls before each session - one set for each player, and a couple for the DM. Then he can simply tick off each 'roll' as it's used, and players need never know when he's making a check.

I admire your DM's use of Excel in this endevor!

I typically:

#1) Roll dice behind the screen for no reason,
#2) Roll dice behind the screen for a good reason,
#3) Use "take 10" on some Sense Motive checks,
#4) Ask the PCs to make their own Listen and Spot checks (hey, it's fun for the players to see these rolls!)

I love #1!

Sometimes I like to semi-joke, "As you approach the door you hear..." *roll* "...absolutely nothing. Sounds safe."

 

[IanB]

I agree that random rolls for no reason will keep players on their toes, I like doing that as well.

I also tend to make PCs make their own spot/listen checks in situations where they couldn't reasonably metagame when they failed - primarily this is for deciding 'who gets a surprise round' type situations.