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<blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 9632136" data-attributes="member: 467">Ostensibly, even the &quot;failed to pick the lock with a paperclip&quot; has knock on effects. Otherwise, why are you rolling? Either it is impossible, or it is inevitable. You roll when there are consequences for success and failure.Let's look at opening the safe from a couple different perspectives.First, the PCs have broken into the house where the safe is and are trying to get it open before a roving guard finds them. In this instance, the PCs get ONE roll before the guard arrives. if they succeed, the safe is open and they can pilfer its contents and get out before the guard arrives. if they fail, the safe does not open and they took too long. Now what?Alternatively, the PCs lifted the safe during transit and they have it at their HQ. They have all the time in the world to open it, and lots of tools at their disposal. You could just let them open it without a roll, and that would be fine. But you could also use the roll as a sliding scale of how well or poorly it went and with what consequences. If the safecracker rolls really poorly, maybe they ended up having to blow it open and the old lady upstairs definitely heard that. or, if they roll really well, they not only get it open but leave it in pristine condition. Maybe they &quot;put it back&quot; before anyone is the wiser.In other words, if we are going to bother rolling for stuff, there should be meaningful consequences. Nothing is more tedious that the party trying 5 different ways to get the door (or safe) open before a roll finally randomly succeeds.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Reynard, post: 9632136, member: 467"] Ostensibly, even the "failed to pick the lock with a paperclip" has knock on effects. Otherwise, why are you rolling? Either it is impossible, or it is inevitable. You roll when there are consequences for success and failure. Let's look at opening the safe from a couple different perspectives. First, the PCs have broken into the house where the safe is and are trying to get it open before a roving guard finds them. In this instance, the PCs get ONE roll before the guard arrives. if they succeed, the safe is open and they can pilfer its contents and get out before the guard arrives. if they fail, the safe does not open and they took too long. Now what? Alternatively, the PCs lifted the safe during transit and they have it at their HQ. They have all the time in the world to open it, and lots of tools at their disposal. You could just let them open it without a roll, and that would be fine. But you could also use the roll as a sliding scale of how well or poorly it went and with what consequences. If the safecracker rolls really poorly, maybe they ended up having to blow it open and the old lady upstairs definitely heard that. or, if they roll really well, they not only get it open but leave it in pristine condition. Maybe they "put it back" before anyone is the wiser. In other words, if we are going to bother rolling for stuff, there should be meaningful consequences. Nothing is more tedious that the party trying 5 different ways to get the door (or safe) open before a roll finally randomly succeeds. [/QUOTE]

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