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<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 8001550" data-attributes="member: 97077"><p>The adjudication process laid out in the rules of the game says there's no roll if the task is trivially easy or impossible. Anything in between there might have a check, but only if there's a meaningful consequence for failure. These are the guidelines by which we're tasked with judging what the players describe their characters doing. It's up to the DM decide what is trivially easy or impossible and what constitutes a meaningful consequence for failure in context. But if they don't say they're searching through the drawers, then the task of finding the key is impossible (no roll). If they say they open the drawers and rifle through the clothes, then the task of finding the key is trivially easy (no roll). If they say they toss the room in general including searching the drawers, but provide no further specificity, then I may ask for an ability check.</p><p></p><p>Same deal with a trap door hidden under a rug. If you're searching the walls for whatever reason, you aren't going to find the trap door in the floor (no roll). If you're searching the walls and floor for whatever reason, maybe I ask you to roll an ability check. If you say you move the rug aside to see what's underneath, bam, there's the trap door (no roll).</p><p></p><p>A little engagement with the environment pays dividends for the player and the opportunity for success without relying on a d20 incentivizes them to pay attention and interact with the world.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="iserith, post: 8001550, member: 97077"] The adjudication process laid out in the rules of the game says there's no roll if the task is trivially easy or impossible. Anything in between there might have a check, but only if there's a meaningful consequence for failure. These are the guidelines by which we're tasked with judging what the players describe their characters doing. It's up to the DM decide what is trivially easy or impossible and what constitutes a meaningful consequence for failure in context. But if they don't say they're searching through the drawers, then the task of finding the key is impossible (no roll). If they say they open the drawers and rifle through the clothes, then the task of finding the key is trivially easy (no roll). If they say they toss the room in general including searching the drawers, but provide no further specificity, then I may ask for an ability check. Same deal with a trap door hidden under a rug. If you're searching the walls for whatever reason, you aren't going to find the trap door in the floor (no roll). If you're searching the walls and floor for whatever reason, maybe I ask you to roll an ability check. If you say you move the rug aside to see what's underneath, bam, there's the trap door (no roll). A little engagement with the environment pays dividends for the player and the opportunity for success without relying on a d20 incentivizes them to pay attention and interact with the world. [/QUOTE]
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