D&D 5E Climbing a tower rules 5e

[iserith]

Low wind, average waves, no sharks, no rain. Just point A to B in gear. Breaststroke. No time limit.

What are the stakes? In other words, what happens if the PC succeeds at this task and what happens if the PC fails?

 

[billd91]

What are the stakes? In other words, what happens if the PC succeeds at this task and what happens if the PC fails?

If swimming from France to Britain, they get the joy of climbing the white cliffs of Dover. The other direction, they get cigarette smoke blown in their faces by a Parisian afflicted with ennui.

 

[Nebulous]

The princess will marry him if he arrives.

 

[iserith]

The princess will marry him if he arrives.

So what happens on a failure?

 

[Nebulous]

she marries his brother

 

[Charlaquin]

The princess will marry him if he arrives.

And if he fails?

EDIT: Damn, too late.

 

[iserith]

I still think there's not enough information here to make a call and I'm starting to wonder if part of the issue some folks may have is rushing to an ability check before taking everything into consideration.

 

[Charlaquin]

I still think there's not enough information here to make a call and I'm starting to wonder if part of the issue some folks may have is rushing to an ability check before taking everything into consideration.

We’ve all been so conditioned by 3.Xe to assume that goal = check and to invent the approach and consequences retroactively that many of us can’t even conceive of another way of doing things. It takes some major deprogramming to make someone who has been accustomed to the 3.Xe way of doing things receptive to the 5e way. Especially if they’re accustomed to playing 5e the 3.Xe way.

 

[billd91]

We’ve all been so conditioned by 3.Xe to assume that goal = check and to invent the approach and consequences retroactively that many of us can’t even conceive of another way of doing things. It takes some major deprogramming to make someone who has been accustomed to the 3.Xe way of doing things receptive to the 5e way. Especially if they’re accustomed to playing 5e the 3.Xe way.

In a good many cases - it still is. The game still suggests making checks for forcing open stuck doors, disabling traps, performing a song, forging documents - anything in which the resolution isn't an obvious yes or no under the current circumstances. Is swimming 21 miles through cold, open sea water with armor and a full kit of gear an obvious success or failure? Does it become more or less obvious if the weather is clear and the seas are calm? More or less obvious if it's after dark and the wind is up? How about during a storm? Does it become more or less obvious if you drop your gear and doff your armor?

The major change from 3e to 5e is for the DM to make obvious resolutions without a check. But it leaves a lot more up to individual DM judgment about what's obvious rather than give the DM a bunch of modifiers to apply to the end DC of the check.

 

[Nebulous]

By all means, fill in any information gaps needed. I would like to know what a 5e ruling to swim across the English Channel looks like. I have absolutely no idea at this point.