D&D 5E Monster infomation in combat - free action ?

[BoldItalic]

If you let some players decide, they grab a MM and start reading the specs saying "But my character knows all this from being a librarian", ruining it for all other players...

Almost all players know what to do with trolls, but unless they are common to the area the character is from, lore about them isn't readily known IMHO.

Naturally, players will discover soon enough how to really damage them and after the first hit start to ask what can be done about the regen...
BUT: The next time they encounter a troll, they know immediately what to do!

Sure, but it doesn't matter how much knowledge the player transmits to the character if it's wrong anyway. I want them to think this monster is a troll and be wrong-footed. That's the point. That's what makes it a challenge for the players. How many rounds will it take for the players to figure out the unique properties of this new monster?

 

[Valador]

Unless it's something common or something they've fought before, I don't name any creatures to the characters but will provide a detailed physical description and perhaps show them an image of what they're fighting. I will describe things that the characters may notice and then leave it to them to figure out what may or may not work against a creature based on the hints I give them.

I do also factor in character background, history, profession, previous encounters, etc. to better tip off certain people.

I generally do not roll for monster info.

 

[ProphetSword]

When players encounter monsters in my campaign for the first time, they learn as they go. For example, if the wizard hits a monster with a lightning spell he might ask if it seemed to damage the monster. If it did, I will let him know. If the monster resisted or is immune, I just tell them that it wasn't as effective as the wizard might have hoped. They only get this info if they ask, and that doesn't always happen, and depending on the monster, they might not get an accurate gauge.

No roll is required. They figure it out by doing...just like the time the wizard lit up a row of Shambling Mounds with lightning and healed them all...

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Free, of course. If I'm walking in the woods and see a feral dog running at me, I don't need 6 seconds to know that I should climb a tree as quick as I can.

 

[BoldItalic]

Free, of course. If I'm walking in the woods and see a feral dog running at me, I don't need 6 seconds to know that I should climb a tree as quick as I can.

Hmm. Places convenient, easy-to-climb tree. Places stealthed leopard in tree. Informs feral dog which tree its buddy the leopard is hiding in. Waits for passing human. *rubs hands*

 

[Dausuul]

Hi all !

When the heroes enter a combat and want to know information about the enemies (keywords, strengths, weaknesses etc) do they have to do the skill-roll as an action or is this a free action ?

I'd suggest something like this:

• The DC to know information about a common creature is 10.
• If a creature is rare or reclusive, the DC is 13.
• If a creature is very rare or unique, the DC is 16.
• You can attempt a "snap identification" for free, or you can use your action to study the creature and compare it to what you've read or heard. Snap identification increases the DC by 5.
• You get one attempt at snap identification, and one attempt to study the creature.
• The DM rolls your check in secret. If you fail the roll by 5 or more, you get wrong information.

 

[JonnyP71]

If it's anything even remotely obscure, then I only let someone check if they are actually proficient in the skill. If the cleric doesn't know what that undead thing is, then the rogue and fighter certainly do not.

This, if my Int 20 Wizard with Sage background, a backstory written around spend years in study of a learned master, and +lots in Arcana and History doesn't know what a beastie is, then the dumber characters don't get to roll.

It works.

 

[delericho]

So - how do other DMs handle this ?

Just as there's no action associated with using your eyes to see the approaching orcs, there's no action associated with using your brain to realise that they are, indeed, orcs.

That said...

It's entirely up to the DM, since there's nothing in the book about allowing a skill check to determine such traits in the first place.

Yeah, I don't use lore rolls to access monster stats in 5e. Players are free to ask what their characters know about the beastie in question, and I'll reveal the appropriate information. And if they know more and decide their characters do too, then they can use that information - subject to the caveat that I expect them to play in good faith. (Which, amongst other things, means no Googling the creature at the table and declaring that their character knows that!)

 

[iserith]

One of my pet peeves is players asking a lot of questions of the DM during play, so when it comes to this sort of thing, I consider players asking questions about the monsters to be a failure of description on my part. I endeavor to describe the monster, telegraph its traits, and establish the basics of what the characters know right away in as pithy and evocative manner as possible. If players want to have their characters try to recall more esoteric or specific lore or make deductions based on what they see, they can establish that when they describe what they want to do and I'll figure it out from there based on the situation. "What do I know about orcs?" is likely to be met with "Beats me, what do you know?" or "What does your character do to get an answer to the question you just asked me?"

 

[Anthean72]

I'd suggest something like this:

• The DC to know information about a common creature is 10.
• If a creature is rare or reclusive, the DC is 13.
• If a creature is very rare or unique, the DC is 16.
• You can attempt a "snap identification" for free, or you can use your action to study the creature and compare it to what you've read or heard. Snap identification increases the DC by 5.
• You get one attempt at snap identification, and one attempt to study the creature.
• The DM rolls your check in secret. If you fail the roll by 5 or more, you get wrong information.

Interresting, thanks ! Sounds more reasonable than the 5pt gaps like in D&D 4E, as people dont get that many skill points over time.
And it provides a solution for my "action"-Problem.