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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ClaytonCross" data-source="post: 8086572" data-attributes="member: 6880599">Rules don't force predictable outcomes. Players and GMs make choices, dice make the out comes variable, and rule/mechanics temper the level of variability. Sure a crit fail in combat means you miss but it only means a Banana peel if the GM chooses to make it so. The rules do not allow for"talking your way into someone's bed when they despised your guts and everything you've represented 5 seconds ago (rolls to charm)" because by the rule players don't get to roll unless the GM calls for it. If the GM says it can't happen. It doesn't. If the GM allows for the role he is surrendering to variability not being forced into predictability. If the GM is telling a rogue with expertise in thieves tools, gloves of thievery, and reliable talent he needs to role to see it it unlocks its not because the outcome is assured, its because the GM has decided the lock is not impossible for the rogue and its not guaranteed based on the DC the GM set that the rogue will succeed. The role means near the GM nor the player knows what is next. Your never going to be free of individuals having disagreements and misunderstandings because our differences will create them however rules helping to have everyone on the same page is about the best starting point for conflict resolution you can have. The problems you stated are not caused by the rules but your table. Rolling a 1 in combat is simply to allow some change of failure the problems your adding to it are not from the rules.Players can be jerks too. More to the point disagreements and misunderstandings don't have to come from jerks. It is most often just the conflict created by two individual points of view. Get any two poeple to gether and they will disagree on something eventually. The rules helping to have everyone on the same page is about the best starting point for conflict resolution you can have. Nothing more. Nothing less.The rules say you let them do it or decide they can't without a roll. The rules are only there to moderate uncertain out comes. This adds variably in place of possible or perceived bias. It sounds like your allowing players to force rolls on you that the rules don't allow them to do. GMs call for rolles not players. Your creating your own problems then blaming it on the rules your not following. No where is there or has there ever been a rule that says if your GM says you can't do something role anyway and if you succeed tell him YES I CAN! ....or that you have to roll when your passive skill is above the DC of the test. Passive skill exist to the GM can hand wave unnecessary rolls. .... if you want you you can use 10 + attack bonus to say that a player automaticly hits a target with their sword... I don't recomend it because it makes combat more predictabel and boring... which is your complaint.True, but D&D was orginally created a rule expansion for a war game adding Roleplay. Combat is one of the three pillars of D&D. If you don't want to play with combat... maybe D&D is not the right game for you.True. But it is one of three pillars of D&D. If you invite people over to play D&D it is expected and a lot of what the game is built around. You can minimize it and try to turn it into something else if you want but make sure your players know because even if you don't like combat that does mean they don't. The point of this thread is not to make players happy with combat or to turn D&D into a wargame. Its intended as a list of suggestions to make combat less painful for GMs who have started to feel like its the worst part of D&D while there players are loving it. If your players don't mind having little or no combat and you don't want combat...than have little or no combat. If your players do want combat and your feel required to run some but hate it, I hope these suggestions can make it less painful for you.Good for them. ? D&D does. Do your players want to remove D20s or combat? It don't know, but guessing bu your complaints they love them both and also push you around by calling their own rolls you did not call for as GM. I would maybe fix that at the table before worrying about combat. They can request a roll and  you should consider it based on merit, but if you decide no.. no means no roll that character can make will effect the out come.</blockquote>

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