iserith
Magic Wordsmith
1. The DM's.Here is a comment and some follow-up questions:
COMMENT
I see a form of action resolution (eg Fail Forward) sometimes called a “tool”.
QUESTIONS
1) Whose “tool” is it? The GMs?
2) If it’s the GMs to invoke (or not) at their discretion, what are the principles they use to inform their discretion?
3) Is the player made aware of when the “tool” comes “online” in an instance of action resolution? If they aren’t explicitly aware, is it inferable from first principles?
4) What say does the player have in this - when it comes online (if any)?
2. Whether the use of the approach will be fun for everyone and help create an exciting, memorable story by playing.
3. I generally make clear the DC and the stakes of prior to the roll.
4. A player gets to describe what he or she wants to do. To the extent a given task historically results in an ability check with stakes that include progress combined with a setback upon failure, a player could frame what they do in those terms. But it's ultimately up to the DM. (One would hope that the DM is reasonably consistent when the fictional circumstances are substantially similar so the player can make informed decisions.)