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Need last-minute advice on tracking time in non-combat when characters are running against the clock...
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<blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 7095490" data-attributes="member: 6796661"><p>Tomorrow I'll be running an adventure where the players will be taking poison damage the longer they spend in a dungeon. They need to find their way out before succumbing to poison damage and exhaustion. </p><p></p><p>They take damage every hour and have to make a Con save or suffer exhaustion every hour. </p><p></p><p>I'm using a time wheel to check off time in 10' increments. </p><p></p><p>Movement is not going to be very useful for taking time. The dungeon is not so large that if they could just run through it that it would take long to do. But there are locked doors, traps, puzzles to solve, and combat. </p><p></p><p>For combat, determining time takes care of itself. Number of rounds the combat took times 6 seconds. </p><p></p><p>But how to you determine how long the party is taking to figure out a puzzle? Or to search a room? Check for traps? Etc.?</p><p></p><p>I've seen the following posted elsewhere:</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">10 min to search room</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">5 min to disarm trap/pick lock if proficient otherwise 10</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">10 min if too much disagreement or discussion</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">200 ft. movement (slow) per 10 minutes </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">These are fairly easy to implement but I don't like how they have not connection to the difficulty of the lock, the size and contents of the room, or the complexity of the trap.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Instead, I wiould like to base the time on the DC rating. DC ratings are already given for the traps, secret doors, etc. For other things, DMing 5e has already made me comfortable in determining a DC pretty much on the fly. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Do I'm thinking, for EACH attempt:</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Pick lock / Disarm Trap: 30 seconds for each DC level if proficient in theives tools. Otherwise 1 minute per DC level.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Search Room</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">This is more tricky. Because perception and investigation is involved. And, are you looking for secret doors, or just rifling through things to find valuable items. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Secret doors will have a DC and, when needed, I'll give a room a DC for how hard it is to thoroughly toss it</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">I would say 30 seconds per DC as a general rule. If the players are trying to be discrete and hide the fact that they were there, I would double it to 1 minute per DC</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">This keeps it easy for me to remember, it is either 30 s or 1 m per DC. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">As for "too much disagreement or discussion", I don't like to punish my players for playing how they want. Put in this instance, to create a sense of urgency, I'm thinking of using a 1 minute hour glass. If the hourglass runs out before they tell me what their characters are doing, I double the normal amount of time. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Any thoughts are tips would be appreciated.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MNblockhead, post: 7095490, member: 6796661"] Tomorrow I'll be running an adventure where the players will be taking poison damage the longer they spend in a dungeon. They need to find their way out before succumbing to poison damage and exhaustion. They take damage every hour and have to make a Con save or suffer exhaustion every hour. I'm using a time wheel to check off time in 10' increments. Movement is not going to be very useful for taking time. The dungeon is not so large that if they could just run through it that it would take long to do. But there are locked doors, traps, puzzles to solve, and combat. For combat, determining time takes care of itself. Number of rounds the combat took times 6 seconds. But how to you determine how long the party is taking to figure out a puzzle? Or to search a room? Check for traps? Etc.? I've seen the following posted elsewhere: [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]10 min to search room[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]5 min to disarm trap/pick lock if proficient otherwise 10[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]10 min if too much disagreement or discussion[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]200 ft. movement (slow) per 10 minutes These are fairly easy to implement but I don't like how they have not connection to the difficulty of the lock, the size and contents of the room, or the complexity of the trap. Instead, I wiould like to base the time on the DC rating. DC ratings are already given for the traps, secret doors, etc. For other things, DMing 5e has already made me comfortable in determining a DC pretty much on the fly. Do I'm thinking, for EACH attempt: Pick lock / Disarm Trap: 30 seconds for each DC level if proficient in theives tools. Otherwise 1 minute per DC level. Search Room This is more tricky. Because perception and investigation is involved. And, are you looking for secret doors, or just rifling through things to find valuable items. Secret doors will have a DC and, when needed, I'll give a room a DC for how hard it is to thoroughly toss it I would say 30 seconds per DC as a general rule. If the players are trying to be discrete and hide the fact that they were there, I would double it to 1 minute per DC This keeps it easy for me to remember, it is either 30 s or 1 m per DC. As for "too much disagreement or discussion", I don't like to punish my players for playing how they want. Put in this instance, to create a sense of urgency, I'm thinking of using a 1 minute hour glass. If the hourglass runs out before they tell me what their characters are doing, I double the normal amount of time. Any thoughts are tips would be appreciated. [/FONT][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
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