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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 6755325" data-attributes="member: 6801286">I think random checks are a bad practice, as Iserith once explained far better than I probably can. And I've been guilty of it myself in the past. I no longer do it though. Asking for a check, when there is nothing to check for, is bad. You should only ask for a check, when there is uncertainty. Take for example a cannibal that is sneaking up on the players, who are traveling through the jungle. You could have them roll perception checks. But unless they are specifically looking for the cannibal, or the cannibal just rolls really poorly for his stealth check, you can assume that he goes unnoticed without having to roll for anything. If the cannibal rolls poorly for his stealth, inform the players that they hear the snap of a branch. If they want to know where the sound came from, THEN you ask for a check.Once you start ruling it differently, there is no longer a need to have players roll when there is nothing there. I make sure all my rolls are meaningful. When my players roll a perception check in a dungeon, it might be because of a trap. But it might also be because of something else. Maybe there's an ambush, or some important detail about the wall. Maybe the passage isn't entirely safe, or maybe they recognize a statue in the room. Sometimes such a check reveals harmless clues, or maybe they notice footprints of monsters in the sand.</blockquote>