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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 6782712" data-attributes="member: 97077">The DM decides, at least in D&D. (I know this is a general RPG forum.) The player describes what he or she wants to do and the DM narrates the results of the adventurer's actions. You describe that you want to try to find traps (goal) by searching around (approach). Provided you have established that your searching around includes moving around the area, then the DM's narration that you stepped on a pressure plate is reasonable, right? There is no agency lost here. You did what you wanted to do. You even found the trap. It's just you found it at a cost due to the failed check. That's just stake-setting. As opposed to "Yes/No" stakes, we have "Yes/Yes, but..." stakes.Reasonable specificity as to what the character is doing (the approach) and hopes to accomplish (the goal) is a good idea to ensure that the DM and player are on the same page. I think that applies to any interaction in an RPG. Sometimes it's beneficial to discuss and agree on the stakes prior to the roll, though some don't like that level of transparency.In any case, you do not want to risk setting off the trap while searching for it, you can adjust your goal and approach accordingly when describing what you want to do to the DM.</blockquote>