DM's: How much cheating do you have to do?

[El Mahdi]

I agree with the idea that there is no such thing as cheating for the DM. I'd call it "Creative Adaptation on the Fly", or "Transient Narrative Modification".

But to be serious, I never roll in the open. Not to detract from others fun and enjoyment of the lethality of random results, I've just never enjoyed it and neither do my players. I've found my imagination is much better at creating drama and memorable narration than strictly using random dice rolls. I'm much better able to establish a certain level of tension, and maintain it, when I tweak the results, and I can raise or lower that level of tension depending on the feel I want for a given situation or encounter.

 

[OchreJelly]

I roll everything in the open as of 4E. In the past I would cheat either to extend encounters beyond the 1-2 round NPC masacres or to assist PCs when it swings the other way. So far I think the math really works in 4E. I’m much more confident in building tough or easy encounters now rather than the CR system from the past.

 

[LostSoul]

Never.

 

[S'mon]

I don't - if I roll the dice I abide by the result. In my tabletop games all rolls are in the open.

I will often resolve actions without use of dice; usually auto-success by PCs, sometimes by NPCs. In my PBEMs especially this may include combat-type actions, eg I recently decided that with 2 PCs distracting the tentacle monster, a third PC with STR 18 could get to its trunk and stick a branch in its eyes, without rolling dice. That's not cheating, it's adjudication.

 

[Jhaelen]

I've never been a fan of fudging. I dislike DM screens and always roll in the open.

I do make suboptimal tactical decisions for antagonists from time to time, though...

And there was one incident where a BBEG suddenly remembered having a power he had totally forgotten about... *ahem*