D&D (2024) Group Checks?

[prabe]

In a situation where a single party member being loud would have alerted the guards for the presence of the whole group, I guess.

Seems like a superb way to keep a party from trying stealthy approaches.

 

[prabe]

I'll add that the new stealth rules would seem to obviate group stealth checks--though I haven't dug deeply enough for that to be anything like a firm opinion.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Seems like a superb way to keep a party from trying stealthy approaches.

Yeah... I get both approaches. It actually makes logical sense that one person making noise would alert the enemies, but requiring successful stealth check from all participants makes group stealth practically impossible.

 

[Xamnam]

They even call out stealth checks specifically.

It does bum me out that this steps on the classic trope of someone about to bumble thoughtlessly past a corner/into a object/on a twig before someone grabs them by the shoulder and yanks them back. I probably won't listen that to that particular caveat personally, though I can appreciate the idea of single failure checks elsewhere.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I'll add that the new stealth rules would seem to obviate group stealth checks--though I haven't dug deeply enough for that to be anything like a firm opinion.

That might or might not be the case, given that no one has actually managed to figure out how the revised stealth is supposed to work. We had a giant thread about this a while ago.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

It does bum me out that this steps on the classic trope of someone about to bumble thoughtlessly past a corner/into a object/on a twig before someone grabs them by the shoulder and yanks them back.

Yeah, this is how I often narrate a group stealth check when someone fails but the group succeeds.

 

[prabe]

That might or might not be the case, given that no one has actually managed to figure out how the revised stealth is supposed to work. We had a giant thread about this a while ago.

The rules being vastly more complicated--arguably to the point of being impossible to figure out--is an entirely different issue.

 

[prabe]

Yeah... I get both approaches. It actually makes logical sense that one person making noise would alert the enemies, but requiring successful stealth check from all participants makes group stealth practically impossible.

I guess for me whether a single failure matters will depend on context. Stealth and otherwise.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

Personally, I don't mind stealth being a check that is done individually.

For one thing - there are many ways around it. Going the mundane route, temporarily remove your armor. Magically silence the loud individual. As a group, use Pass Without Trace to help.

The other thing is ... alerting a guard does not mean automatically the whole castle is alerted. Maybe they get confused, sit a minute and then go back to watch. Maybe they investigate. They're not always going to run, full movement double-dash to pull an alarm.

It does remind me of Seventh Sea second edition, where they had abilities someone could get where there were ways to get into a secured area - it always succeeded BUT it only allowed two people to bypass the situation.

 

[billd91]

It does bum me out that this steps on the classic trope of someone about to bumble thoughtlessly past a corner/into a object/on a twig before someone grabs them by the shoulder and yanks them back. I probably won't listen that to that particular caveat personally, though I can appreciate the idea of single failure checks elsewhere.

Yeah, I'm pretty much ignoring that caveat. The game I run is better when PCs try for group stealth checks because more PCs get to be involved in sneaky activities.

As far as group stealth with the new hide rules, and the largely-the-same passive perception rules, I see it as there are multiple levels of successfully hiding. 1) beating the DC 15 enables the effects of the Invisible condition and all its benefits (including advantage on initiative), 2) beating the passive perception means you're still, as yet, undetected and can achieve surprise but won't get advantage on the initiative check or gain the other benefits of being invisible. It's kind of a kludge, I think, but it's the best I can work out of it.