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<blockquote data-quote="Ibrandul" data-source="post: 8739622" data-attributes="member: 6871736">In my games, not every ability check is &quot;relevant to the progression of the plot.&quot; I'd even go so far as to say that none of them are. There is no predetermined plot. There's just a world to interact with.But I've realized that bringing up knowledge checks was a wrong turn, because (1) I'm starting to suspect most 5e DMs seldom use them; and (2) the structural problem with the new rule doesn't only apply to knowledge checks.Again, it's clear that you run a very different kind of game than I do. You've bumped the DC tables down so that PCs failing on ability checks is much less common, and you don't ever use high DCs. That's OK! The 2014 DMG itself advises &quot;caution&quot; when setting high DCs because success might be impossible for low-level characters even with proficiency and a high stat mod.But the 21–30 DC range is in the system because it's there to be used. The game is supposed to accommodate high-level play, where the difference between what one PC and another can accomplish is much greater than at low levels; and sometimes the task at hand really is harder than just &quot;hard.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ibrandul, post: 8739622, member: 6871736"] In my games, not every ability check is "relevant to the progression of the plot." I'd even go so far as to say that none of them are. There is no predetermined plot. There's just a world to interact with. But I've realized that bringing up knowledge checks was a wrong turn, because (1) I'm starting to suspect most 5e DMs seldom use them; and (2) the structural problem with the new rule doesn't only apply to knowledge checks. Again, it's clear that you run a very different kind of game than I do. You've bumped the DC tables down so that PCs failing on ability checks is much less common, and you don't ever use high DCs. That's OK! The 2014 DMG itself advises "caution" when setting high DCs because success might be impossible for low-level characters even with proficiency and a high stat mod. But the 21–30 DC range is in the system because it's there to be used. The game is supposed to accommodate high-level play, where the difference between what one PC and another can accomplish is much greater than at low levels; and sometimes the task at hand really is harder than just "hard." [/QUOTE]

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