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<blockquote data-quote="timbannock" data-source="post: 4618090" data-attributes="member: 17913">Maybe a good middle-ground would be to do both: ask how they are searching, how they are interacting with the environment.&nbsp; If their roleplayed actions do not bring anything up, have them then make the Search check to see if they caught some detail that the Player might not have noticed.Search is difficult because there's such a huge disconnect between what senses are engaged by the character and what the DM describes.&nbsp; Even a very descriptive DM might not get across all the sensory input that a person would truly experience during dungeon exploration, and all those little details that would have in real life get lost unless there is that direct experience.Also, in empty rooms that you just want to move past (it's getting late in the session, there's other things to do that more exciting), you could just skip the description and go with the Search roll.&nbsp; As long as you don't default to this too often (how many empty rooms are there in your dungeons?!), everyone is more engaged and they still get to use their characters' abilities.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="timbannock, post: 4618090, member: 17913"] Maybe a good middle-ground would be to do both: ask how they are searching, how they are interacting with the environment. If their roleplayed actions do not bring anything up, have them then make the Search check to see if they caught some detail that the Player might not have noticed. Search is difficult because there's such a huge disconnect between what senses are engaged by the character and what the DM describes. Even a very descriptive DM might not get across all the sensory input that a person would truly experience during dungeon exploration, and all those little details that would have in real life get lost unless there is that direct experience. Also, in empty rooms that you just want to move past (it's getting late in the session, there's other things to do that more exciting), you could just skip the description and go with the Search roll. As long as you don't default to this too often (how many empty rooms are there in your dungeons?!), everyone is more engaged and they still get to use their characters' abilities. [/QUOTE]

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