Gaffe or Glory: Encouraging cinematic skill checks

[Asmor]

Idea I just had: Players may take a +5 or +10 bonus on any skill check made to interact with the environment during combat. If a player takes this bonus and the natural die roll is lower than the bonus they took (i.e. they took +5 and rolled natural 1-4 or took +10 and rolled natural 1-9), they have made a gaffe.

The exact details of the gaffe are up to the DM, but it is always a failure and in addition should be entertaining, slightly embarrassing, but should not completely remove the PC from the combat.

As an example, a PC wishes to jump over a pit, but the DC is a little higher than they'd like and they're not trained in athletics. They decide to take a +5 bonus, but roll a 2 on the d20. The DM rules that the PC makes it to the other side, swings his sword at the enemy he was charging... only to realize he'd just dropped his sword down the pit. Or, alternatively, the PC makes it to the other side but fumbles the landing, tumbles end over end, falls prone at an enemy's feet, and is dazed until the end of their next turn.

 

[weem]

Hmmm, interesting.

I'm not a math guy so I can't speak for any balance issues, but it sounds fun! That would definitely tempt me as a player

 

[Starfox]

I've used something similar I call "up the ante". In general, a failure at a skill has little effect besides not succeeding. For example, trying to sneak past someone and failing just meas you don't get past. But you can try again. If you fail this roll, you get discovered but can try again. If you fail this roll, you end up in the ladies sauna (or whatever).

This works very well for storytelling, less well for tactical games like most 4E sessions.