So, I only skimmed the last five pages so this might have been brought up at some point (I know I hinted at this either in this thread or the other one--I'm not sure which LOL!):
How would you, as DM, and the other players at your table feel, if a PLAYER fudged a die roll?
Suppose your say a save is DC 16, you know the PC gets a+4 bonus, and the player rolls, but only got a 10. They tell you they made it, but a player next to them
saw the roll, and calls them out?
Now what happens? Perhaps that save would keep the PC in the fight, while failing it means death??
Another scenario:
A PC is wearing a chain shirt and has an AC of 17. You make your attack roll and the hit AC 17, announcing to the group that you hit AC 17. You look at the player, who responds, "Whew! Just missed me!" That "miss" keeps the PC in the fight as well, and next round they rally the group to save the day. Does that matter to you as DM?
IMO if you are fudging things as DM, you should be cool with players doing the same. After all, they are doing it to make the game more fun for them.
DMs have choices and agency in the game based on their decisions (about the world, encounters, magic items allowed, etc.) and players have agency in the game by the choices and actions of the PCs.
I just feel like fudging rolls, changing the "script" in an encounter, etc. makes it so those decisions don't carry the same weight anymore. Now, if your group has this discussion before you play and everyone is fine with the DM and/or players fudging things--then no issue; but otherwise? Probably an issue...
As an aside, all this got me thinking: what if players and the DM agreed you could fudge
ONE thing per session or level or something? If everyone agrees to that, it would give them a chance to change the reality of the game, in essence allowing them to write their
own story, for a bigger part than they might otherwise have. I do sort of like that idea...
