NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilbranteloth" data-source="post: 6794250" data-attributes="member: 6778044">Well, one might argue that the first is more advanced, or more mature anyway, in light of the current trend to avoid character death at all costs (of which I am often guilty of as well). Wander into a dangerous, unexplored location alone and (apparently) unprepared? As my daughter learned in kindergarten - you get what you get and you don't get upset.It might be a very, very interesting prelude to an adventure where the next group finds the body of that individual. It's also along the lines of the sports star that falls out of his boat and drowns while fishing which has happened.Having said that, at least in D&D, a natural 20 is generally assumed to be success. It's not RAW, but it's a lot like Free Parking in Monopoly. In addition, unless the DM intended for that to be a possible consequence (even if it was by accident), I suspect that most would work for a way out. Perhaps they didn't realize that the character would have a -1 to their check. Of course, I've seen creative players figure out far more complicated situations than this as well. If it was not intended, you simply come up with a way out. Sure, you can call it failing forward. And this is what I think a lot of people consider that term to be (as I did). I just see it as fixing a mistake. It's a limited, or (hopefully) one-time occurrence rather than a DM/gameplay philosophy.And now to contradict myself - in my campaign, traps exist for a reason. It's not uncommon for those traps to exist to kill. Particularly if it's in a sealed tomb that the PC has just violated. There aren't patrols. There aren't wandering monsters. The trap exists solely to keep anybody entering to go any further. Period. I generally hint (through lore) that entering something like a sealed tomb or crypt is among the most dangerous things around. You are isolated and potentially entering a death trap. I'm the DM and you violated my tomb. Prepare to die.If it's a pit with a disarm mechanism or a way to avoid it as protection to a lair for something, then yes, there will be patrols or wandering monsters. Maybe it's built by something long ago, and has been forgotten, but the location is occupied by something else now. As for what I think you were actually asking - which is more interesting? Well, the second if the character gets out with lateral thinking. Absolutely the most interesting.Unexpected allies/enemies that suddenly appear because I screwed up? If the possibility existed (it was a living dungeon, not an abandoned crypt), then it's better. Interesting for the players, but less interesting for me. Essentially what it comes down to in terms of what's interesting is partially dependent on how much of the solution I have to write. Not that writing an interesting solution can't be fun too. But part of the fun of an RPG is not knowing what's going to happen, on both sides of the table.Ilbranteloth</blockquote>

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