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Players Self-Assigning Rolls
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<blockquote data-quote="Sunseeker" data-source="post: 7300673"><p>So, maybe, for the record, here is the most complete write-up of my position (which by by no means representative of people on any particular side).</p><p></p><p>I ask players to wait for me to ask for a roll. This is mostly a matter of respect. It lets me finish setting the scene, describing the area, or finishing whatever dialog an NPC is saying. </p><p>Players are free to respond to the scene in the method of their choosing. "I search the altar for traps." "I cast Detect Magic on the altar." "I use my trap-finding skill." "I would like to use my knowledge of ABX to XYZ." etc... If their action requires a roll, I may call for one. Keep in mind that on my side of the DM screen, I have little cards with all the players base stats and skills on them, so I know what they are good at and what they are not good at. This gives me an idea of how hard any given DC will be for them, which means that since I do not count nat 20's on skill checks as auto-successes (nor nat 1's as auto-fails), there is a chance that someone could fail simply because they lack the ability to get a high enough check. (this is incredibly rare, as I almost never have a check higher than 25)</p><p></p><p>I sometimes call for rolls when success or failure is automatic. This serves a simple purpose of aiding in my narration and giving the players a measure of how difficult a task is. If a person rolls well on a check to find an object and success is automatic, they located the object via skills and quick thinking and a little luck. If the rolled poorly, they searched every nook and cranny and it was in the "last place" they looked, or perhaps they stumbled upon it out of sheer coincidence. In the case of failure, it's simply to show that a certain approach is not workable. Perhaps the bard wants to seduce the princess. The princess is of nobility, the bard is not, the princess is simply uninterested. The bard rolls well (19) most women would be swooing, but the princess remains uninterested, but perhaps she knows a serving maid the bard would like to meet.</p><p></p><p>These rolls are just "narration rolls", they help guide the language I use in resolution and help guide the players towards a more likely path of success. </p><p></p><p>The exact method or phrasing of their response is unimportant to the check itsself. Poorly worded responses are not punished nor are highly vocabulous responses rewarded. If for example I described a closet full of coats, and a player said "I search the closet." I always assume in favor the players. "The closet" includes the physical object of the closet and the coats within and any other element of the closet (the rod, the doors, the space between the closet and the wall, etc...) If a player were to be more specific, such as "I search just the coats." I take them at their word, but if there is something relevant about the closet, I will generally have them notice it anyway because I have no desire to grind the game down with "I search the top drawer." *roll* "I search the 2nd drawer." *roll* etc...</p><p></p><p>I generally try to combine as many rolls as possible. </p><p></p><p>If I need clarification on what a player is doing, I will ask for it. Sometimes it matters. Sometimes I'm confused. We're all human.</p><p></p><p>I utterly <strong>demand</strong> that players know what they are good at, what they are not good at, and what their characters can and cannot do.</p><p></p><p>I'm pretty laid back. Aside from asking players to be respectful of when it is or isn't their turn, waiting for other players to finish before starting off on their own thing and generally minding their manners, I <em>really</em> don't care how people play.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sunseeker, post: 7300673"] So, maybe, for the record, here is the most complete write-up of my position (which by by no means representative of people on any particular side). I ask players to wait for me to ask for a roll. This is mostly a matter of respect. It lets me finish setting the scene, describing the area, or finishing whatever dialog an NPC is saying. Players are free to respond to the scene in the method of their choosing. "I search the altar for traps." "I cast Detect Magic on the altar." "I use my trap-finding skill." "I would like to use my knowledge of ABX to XYZ." etc... If their action requires a roll, I may call for one. Keep in mind that on my side of the DM screen, I have little cards with all the players base stats and skills on them, so I know what they are good at and what they are not good at. This gives me an idea of how hard any given DC will be for them, which means that since I do not count nat 20's on skill checks as auto-successes (nor nat 1's as auto-fails), there is a chance that someone could fail simply because they lack the ability to get a high enough check. (this is incredibly rare, as I almost never have a check higher than 25) I sometimes call for rolls when success or failure is automatic. This serves a simple purpose of aiding in my narration and giving the players a measure of how difficult a task is. If a person rolls well on a check to find an object and success is automatic, they located the object via skills and quick thinking and a little luck. If the rolled poorly, they searched every nook and cranny and it was in the "last place" they looked, or perhaps they stumbled upon it out of sheer coincidence. In the case of failure, it's simply to show that a certain approach is not workable. Perhaps the bard wants to seduce the princess. The princess is of nobility, the bard is not, the princess is simply uninterested. The bard rolls well (19) most women would be swooing, but the princess remains uninterested, but perhaps she knows a serving maid the bard would like to meet. These rolls are just "narration rolls", they help guide the language I use in resolution and help guide the players towards a more likely path of success. The exact method or phrasing of their response is unimportant to the check itsself. Poorly worded responses are not punished nor are highly vocabulous responses rewarded. If for example I described a closet full of coats, and a player said "I search the closet." I always assume in favor the players. "The closet" includes the physical object of the closet and the coats within and any other element of the closet (the rod, the doors, the space between the closet and the wall, etc...) If a player were to be more specific, such as "I search just the coats." I take them at their word, but if there is something relevant about the closet, I will generally have them notice it anyway because I have no desire to grind the game down with "I search the top drawer." *roll* "I search the 2nd drawer." *roll* etc... I generally try to combine as many rolls as possible. If I need clarification on what a player is doing, I will ask for it. Sometimes it matters. Sometimes I'm confused. We're all human. I utterly [B]demand[/B] that players know what they are good at, what they are not good at, and what their characters can and cannot do. I'm pretty laid back. Aside from asking players to be respectful of when it is or isn't their turn, waiting for other players to finish before starting off on their own thing and generally minding their manners, I [I]really[/I] don't care how people play. [/QUOTE]
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