DM die rolls: out in the open or behind the screen?

[Shallown]

I like to roll in the open so when A monster needs a 5 to hit the players, like thier characters, realize how dangerous the opponent is. I use it to build exitement during combat. My last combat was teetering back and forthas to who was winning to the very last round and with players saying. "He needs a 20 to hit me becuase of my 35 AC" and I roll a 20 it makes them realize they can't take anything for granted. I also confirmed with a crit on that one. The player seeing the roll was worth more then me just saying he hit.

I let players make rolls for anything that is logical and just adjust the DC for the skill used. When I need to roll secretly for search and Spot/listen I just do it in my cupped hand. But even then I usually let them roll in the open they are failr good about keeping in character even when they roll a 1 knowing something is there to be spotted. Also when they roll 20 and end up with some huge number they make jokes about being able to hear a man's heart at 100 feet. Not realistic but sometimes funny.

Later

 

[Sixchan]

Combat rolls are done out in the open, but everything that isn't to hits and damage are all behind the screen. This give the advantage of surprise most of the time, and the ability to rub it in the players' faces when the monster crits (hey, they do it to me).

 

[dcollins]

In general, I roll behind the screen (using a screen anyway to hide maps & notes, all my stuff sits there, so it's easiest to just roll it right there).

However, I roll in the open for very important results -- to-hit rolls of killer spells, damage for a big fall, saving throws for critical spells thrown at a villain, etc. It really gets players' attention -- they know it's a key moment, and there won't be any fudging on the results. Cheers or gasps frequently result from a single die roll.

 

[bloodymage]

All rolls behind the screen except...the Death Die.

 

[the Jester]

Both, depending on my mood.

It varies depending on dramatic needs- if making the pcs wonder how big the monster's damage bonus is makes for a better game, I will; if it doesn't make a difference (which is usually the case, since either they'll know soon enough or they'll kill their enemy in a round or two) I'll roll in the open. Lately I've tended to open rolls, but there will always be things I roll behind the screen. Some things (search checks, sense motive checks, etc.) should always be secret.

 

[jdavis]

It depends on where we are playing, one friends living room is big enough that nobody can see anybody else's dice at all, at my house we are all basically sitting around a coffee table. I prefer to keep some roles behind the screen depending on the circumstances. I also make a lot of fake roles (I role the dice and look at them for a minute and then go back to the discription, the dice didn't mean anything but it keeps people guessing about what's up) and sometimes I call for roles out of the blue. (you want to make woods seem creepy and haunted, call for a listen check and tell them thay didn't hear anything regardless of what they rolled, a few minutes later call for a spot check, and say "you don't see anything but....." it will get them jumping, a couple of fake roles add all sorts of suspense).

 

[haiiro]

As a long-time behind the screen roller, I'm pretty surprised that more DMs mix open and hidden rolls than either of the other categories. I think that's a cool and useful bit of information.

 

[maddman75]

I like to roll in the open so when A monster needs a 5 to hit the players, like thier characters, realize how dangerous the opponent is. I use it to build exitement during combat. My last combat was teetering back and forthas to who was winning to the very last round and with players saying. "He needs a 20 to hit me becuase of my 35 AC" and I roll a 20 it makes them realize they can't take anything for granted. I also confirmed with a crit on that one. The player seeing the roll was worth more then me just saying he hit.

I let players make rolls for anything that is logical and just adjust the DC for the skill used. When I need to roll secretly for search and Spot/listen I just do it in my cupped hand. But even then I usually let them roll in the open they are failr good about keeping in character even when they roll a 1 knowing something is there to be spotted. Also when they roll 20 and end up with some huge number they make jokes about being able to hear a man's heart at 100 feet. Not realistic but sometimes funny.

Later

LOL - I'm with you there. Nothing more satisfying than rolling a 3, grinning at the player, and saying "hit."

In the open. And we use the instakill rule. My players like it tense. And I let them roll the spot checks and such. They are actually better RPing the low rolls. Like a player who rolls a 4 on a spot check will say something like "Hey - this door has a knob on it!"

 

[EarthsShadow]

both

I do both also. I do all combat rolls in front of the players...heck, I will even tell them what my attack bonus will be, saying something like, "This green big bad monster is going to attack with its double claws, both rolls get a +6 to attack." Then I roll in front of them. I do this because I don't fudge for or against them, and they trust me because of this. [Since I use the optional defense rolls in my games, it makes for a more dramatic combat, and whenever a player attacks one of my creatures, I will make my defense roll in front of them, saying what my defense bonus is]. But I never tell them how or why the bonus is what it is.

I will make few rolls in front of them, since as a player I was on the end of a DM that rolled everything behind the screen and I just don't trust a DM that rolls everything behind the screen, especially in combat. It's too easy to fall into the trap of fudging dice and coming up with results the opposite of the way they would be, and personally I would rather play a character that legitimately dies than have one that lives because the DM doesn't want to have a death on his/her list. I tell my players this, and they like the fact I am up front with them.

But, I do make some rolls behind the screen, the same as most DM's I suppose. Saves, Initiative rolls, and some skills like Bluff and Search, unless they are making opposed rolls against something else, then I will tell them to roll and not tell them why.

But DM's that always have to roll behind the screen, I don't trust them, to easy to cheat and fudge and I don't like that at all. But that's me and just an opinion.

 

[Paradoxish]

Attack rolls are almost always in front of my players. I just don't feel right about hiding that particular aspect of the game from them since their characters hang in the balance.

Almost all other roles are behind my screen - this includes NPC skill rolls, certain PC skill rolls that I'd like to be hidden (like a search or spot check), and initiative for NPCs in combat. I feel that it should be pretty obvious to the players how well their opponents are doing in combat, but everything else is much less apparent.