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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 7800374" data-attributes="member: 16814">Picking a lock is reasonably specific -- I know what your character is doing, where they must be located, and can adjudicate this well.Checking for traps, on the other hand, doesn't tell me where you're standing, what you're doing (are you hitting the floor with a 10' pole or gingerly testing with your foot?), or anything I'd be comfortable assuming.  I'll need a tad more information to adjudicate.And, since I don't think it's been said lately:1.  I'm going to assume your character is skilled and competent and on the lookout for danger.  Giving me an approach isn't a way to trip you up, but rather to let you establish what your character is doing rather than have me assume anything.2.  If your approach is at all reasonable, it'll be worked with.  You don't have to know how traps work, just give me a reasonable action -- tell me what your character is doing -- and I'll work with that.  So, that in mind, if you "check for traps" I'll have questions on what that looks like. If you say, 'Okay, I'm going to move cautiously down the hall, stepping carefully and checking for pressure plates while inspecting the hallway carefully for signs of traps," I can work with that.  If there's a trap (and usually, something will indicate this), and it's a pressure plate, you find it, no roll, because you called that out.  If it's a deadfall on a tripwire, though, I'll ask for a WIS check to see if you notice it in time -- because I assume you're competent and your approach leaves that as uncertain (in my book) with a definite consequence of failure.</blockquote>

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