The Elf found a secret door.

[Dagger75]

Well it seems the new people that have infested my gaming group brought a new term to the table.

"We Elf the room." This basically the group spends about 15 minutes of game time having the elf look for secret door. Which doesn't really bother me but it got me thinking (always a dangerous thing for me)

In the movies they are always moving torches, pushing in hidden blocks, moving the hand of a statue, ect to open these secret doors.

Now when a group makes a search check do they just find the secret door or do they stumble upon the mechanism to open it?




Edit-Added a missing word, there may be more

 

[Crothian]

Depends were they are looking and what is there.

 

[LostSoul]

What you might do is tell them the elf found a "device". Then, if you feel creative, describe it to them. Maybe there's a candle holder (sconce?) out of place. Maybe the room responds differently when there are shadows in a certain corner. Maybe it's the typical rotating block.

Ask the Players what they do with it, and give the door to them after one or two tries. If you have a player who isn't very social, or perhaps rolled poorly for the night, let his suggestion trigger the door. That will make him (or her) feel better.

 

[Mark]

Now when a group makes a search check do they just find the secret door or do they stumble upon the mechanism to open it?

Sure, why not. I think it would also give one a negative Circumstance bonus against the DC of any trap that might be in the room since they are purposefully propping and poking anything they think might trigger a secret door...or trigger something else...

 

[shilsen]

Now when a group makes a search check do they just find the secret door or do they stumble upon the mechanism to open it?

When you find a secret door you should find the mechanism to open it (unless it's locked). Making that separate to the finding of the door would be mean.

Requiring them to search for traps or miss the mechanism (linked to the door) that prevents any egress from the room and starts filling it with water inhabited by dire electric eels is not mean, however

 

[Jenale]

Normally, if the characters are just searching, they would discover the opening mechanism at the same time they discover the door.

On a few rare occasions, they might know the door is there (say they get to the room just as it's shutting), but not know how to open it (without searching--I know in 2nd ed, this would increase their chances to find the mechanism by 1).

I tend to prefer not to use the dice for this--rather give them enough description that they can see the room in the mind's eye, and let them tell me the specific action (poke fingers in the hollow eyes of the lion statue, pull out/push in every book w/ a particular color on the spine, etc.) Of course, if no one enjoys doing that (as "elf the room" suggests to me), I guess you're stuck with the dice--I just find that less interesting, and fortunately have a group that feels the same way.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Re: Re: The Elf found a secret door.

When you find a secret door you should find the mechanism to open it (unless it's locked). Making that separate to the finding of the door would be mean.

Requiring them to search for traps or miss the mechanism (linked to the door) that prevents any egress from the room and starts filling it with water inhabited by dire electric eels is not mean, however

I agree except that I normally have players scream like little school girls if I ever assume they touched stuff that they did not tell me they touched stuff.

My party has a horrible time finding anything since none of them ever want to put their hands on any objects or walls in a room. It is the worst kind of meta-gaming I see on a regular basis. I do not throw lots of traps into my games but all of them act even at 1st level like they are old pros when it comes to avoiding traps.

So when a party does a search I only tell them they found the door itself. They have to make an additional check and be willing to touch the room before they can generally find the mechanism to open the door.

 

[Drawmack]

My only problem with this is that elf's just notice secret doors they don't have to look for them at all. So elfing the room is just the elf walking around the room and he might notice the door but not the clerverly disguised opening mechanism.

 

[Norfleet]

Re: Re: Re: The Elf found a secret door.

I agree except that I normally have players scream like little school girls if I ever assume they touched stuff that they did not tell me they touched stuff.

And that is exactly why you would "elf" the room. Because elfing the room doesn't require touching anything.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Re: Re: Re: Re: The Elf found a secret door.

And that is exactly why you would "elf" the room. Because elfing the room doesn't require touching anything.

By the rules Elfing the room only finds that there is a secret door. It in no way suggests that they find how the door is operated.