[3.5] Using the Hide skill to "hide" your tent. Avoided Assassin... Legitimate?

[Ashtagon]

Actually this is one time that'd be good to take 20.

I'd say it probably takes ten minutes to set up one or two-man tent. So if the rogue has three hours to spare, sure he can take 20 on his check to set up his tent in a hidden manner.

Remember boys and girls, take 20 takes 20 times longer.

 

[Stormonu]

It was certainly a good idea to hide the tent, but did he think to hide any other part of the encampment? Such as the campfire or tracks? If the so-called guide has any descent wilderness skills, following tracks might have led him to the tent, and a campfire might have granted a cicumstance bonus.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

It was certainly a good idea to hide the tent, but did he think to hide any other part of the encampment? Such as the campfire or tracks? If the so-called guide has any descent wilderness skills, following tracks might have led him to the tent, and a campfire might have granted a cicumstance bonus.

If the so called guide had decent wilderness skills then he could have taken 20 on the roll.... That he couldn't hit 25 when taking 20 means he had no ranks and/or a rather low Wisdom.

Sounds like he was just the wrong man for the job. Though adding in the modifier for a Large tent would have likely put it in reach...

The Auld Grump

 

[Hautamaki]

If the assassin was in the PC's party with the specific intent of assassinating them in their sleep, how did he not notice the PC disappearing into the woods for an extended period of time to hide his tent?

 

[Orius]

I'd allow Hide to camouflage objects, and apply an appropriate size penalty depending on the object. A regular tent should count as Large, while something like a larger pavilion might be Huge. So yeah, no problem there.

 

[Keith Robinson]

Personally, I'd have used Survival to make this check, as it seems a more appropriate skill check (to me), but otherwise trying to hide something seems a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

 

[Norcross]

I'd say it probably takes ten minutes to set up one or two-man tent. So if the rogue has three hours to spare, sure he can take 20 on his check to set up his tent in a hidden manner.

Remember boys and girls, take 20 takes 20 times longer.

It also takes 20x the resources, and I think that "being found by an assassin" could count as a penalty for failure.
I wouldn't allow a "Take 20" on a Hide check, unless perhaps they had a helper watching them to let them know when it was just right.

 

[billd91]

I think it's a reasonable use for the Hide skill (modifying for size), but I wouldn't allow the character to take 20. If they spent extra time hiding it as best they could, I'd give them a circumstance bonus to reflect that, not allow them to take 20.

 

[wingsandsword]

I'd agree, definitely allow it, with size penalty (treating a 2-person tent at Large so a -4 on the check), as essentially you are camouflaging the tent.

My first inclination would have been to allow the Take 20, but not after re-reading the rule closely. I think an assassin following you would count as "threats or distractions", and there are definite "penalties for failure".

I'd say have someone Aid Another to get the +2. If they have any class abilities (Inspire Competence), spells (Divine Insight), or psionic shards which can give skill bonuses, it would definitely be the time to use them though.