D&D 5E (2014) Can you retry a failed skill check? How long?

[aco175]

I wonder if anything has changed over the last 11 years for anyone?

I seem to go with more of a penalty for failure now. Miss the open lock check be 1-4, then maybe you make a loud noise that alerts the monsters and they gain surprise, but you can try again or just open it more likely. Miss finding a trap, it goes off if you step on it or open the chest or whatever. Some things like hiding are obvious, but most are now on a sliding scale.

 

[Reynard]

I am a "you get one try for the party" GM. To roll again,the PCs have to change the circumstances.

 

[mellored]

IMO, no risk, no reward, with more retry's being more and more risky.

Otherwise why roll?

 

[James Gasik]

So this has come up in the last few 5E games I've played.

A Rogue tries to pick a lock, or a fighter tries to climb a wet wall. They fail. Then they immediately ask "Can I try again?" and most DM's are like "umm I don't know..." "Sure"

Is it in the rules anywhere? Or is it up to the DM?


What about each additional try takes a cumulative -2 penalty or -5 to the attempt?


How about this? The first attempt takes an "Action".
To try again takes 1 minute.
To try after that takes 5 minutes.
To try after that takes an hour.
To try after that takes 5 hours.

My question then is what about Thief Rogues, who can use Thieves' Tools as a bonus action?

 

[James Gasik]

The problem I have with "one and one" is it doesn't make any sense. My front door warps a bit with the weather. This means sometimes I try to open it, and it sticks, forcing me to try a few times. Imagine if I lived in a "one and done" world! I'd be calling a locksmith every time I tried to open my door and failed!

As to the "why roll" question, you shouldn't be rolling in the first place unless there's actually a reason to do so, ie, no consequence for failure. I recently ran an adventure by Kobold Press where you're on a doom clock, and an early challenge is a locked door- the consequence for failure is precious time.

But of course, if your party has a Thief, well, they could try to open a door twice in a single round!

Given how easy it is to get advantage for checks, the only reason I bother with most checks (DC 15 or less) is because my players like to roll dice. With how swingy the d20 is, it's pretty easy to end up with checks your party really can't hit with any degree of reliability unless they have expertise and/or reliable (or other bonuses, like Guidance, Bards, Second Wind in 5e+, what have you).

Cast an Arcane Lock on a door, up the DC to open it by 10- now normal parties have little choice but take an axe to it (in regular 5e that is, 5e+ has the door impossible to open by non-magical means- take that, Martials!).

 

[MNblockhead]

This thread hasn’t been posted in for 11 years until now.

Someone should be allowed to re-roll his perception check.

 

[MNblockhead]

One thing I like about Warhammer, which I think I might try to home brew into my game is the Extended Test. Basically you have to get X success levels in order to succeed. So, say you need 5 success level to open a more complex lock. If your skill is 50 and you roll 100, awesome, you open it in one round. But if you roll a 60, you would have one success level and have to roll again the next round. If you roll under a 50, no success levels that round. Can you meet your success levels before the guards come around?

How would that work in 5e? First, I'm assuming that this is a test that is possible to succeed in and also not something that a failure would result in something happening that would not allow for a retry (e.g. a test to grab the edge of a tilting rope bridge to avoid falling from it). It could be as simple as you keep rolling each round until you meet or exceed the DC. That works when there are stakes. Otherwise, let them "take 10" and succeed if they have the skill to make it possible to succeed and no time pressure.

Another option is to set the DC lower but require multiple successes.

 

[aco175]

My question then is what about Thief Rogues, who can use Thieves' Tools as a bonus action?

I have never had a thief try twice in one round using their bonus action. They mostly like to attack and try to open a door or lock. Out of combat, I tend to rule they cannot use their bonus action/ cunning action.

I have not really tried the 2024 rules with getting advantage opening locks using tools and proficiency.

 

[Reynard]

The problem I have with "one and one" is it doesn't make any sense. My front door warps a bit with the weather. This means sometimes I try to open it, and it sticks, forcing me to try a few times. Imagine if I lived in a "one and done" world! I'd be calling a locksmith every time I tried to open my door and failed!

You having to wiggle and push it a couple times IS one check.

 

[Tessarael]

I like the old 3E style approach in this regard. If you are not under duress and there are not dangerous consequences of note, you can "take 10", so the outcome of your roll is 10. If you have lots of time, and no consequences for failure, then you can "take 20", so the outcome of your roll is 20, but the cost is that you take 20x the time to do the action very carefully. In the case of say picking a lock, taking 20 may not be permissible if the lock could jam, or if your lockpicks could break. Up to the DM, if you can take 10 or 20 in a given situation.

In general, I would be inclined to be lenient and allow characters to retry if they fail, but there could be consequences of intermediate failures.