coolAlias
Explorer
I don't disagree with any of that. The climbing thing is merely an example of how a shared understanding of the rules facilitates play.Really? Because what I remember is that the DM decides the DC for the climb with the DC being anything from automatic to nearly impossible. After all, what is the wall made of? Broken rock? Smooth ice? Jello?
It's up to the DM to give the players the information they think PC would have before the player makes a decision.
As a player, I can expect to be able to climb no check required OR receive a decent in-game reason that should be apparent to my character why I'm going to need to make a check.
If I want to shimmy down a standard hemp rope and each time I get varying DCs (from none required to whatever the DM feels like) with little to no in-game reasoning why it's so different each time, that's a problem for me.
I'm not implying anyone here is doing it that way, I'm just pointing out that while yes, the rules are only general guidelines, any significant changes to the way the game is played should be discussed with the players beforehand so they know what to expect.