Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Hot Take: Uncertainty Makes D&D Better
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 8923473" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>Other than that roughly 1% of rolls need fudging, yes. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>And oftentimes, at least how I do it, some random rolling happens en route to determining that.</p><p></p><p>Players unexpectedly decide to have their PCs explore some woods I've never given a second thought to? Out come my dice, and using them as guidelines I'll quickly determine what's in there of any consequence...which might be nothing at all; I don't feel beholden to placing adventure wherever they may randomly go just because they go there. Some parts of the world really are safe. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>As for the innkeeper, if his reaction to the PCs isn't pre-set by the module or other prep I'll often roll and even mutter out loud "So what does he think of you lot?"</p><p></p><p>Completely agree on this.</p><p></p><p>To a point. Some challenges might be rather easy and thus not merciless at all; others might be well beyond their pay grade and if they insist on standing in to them things might not go very well. Ditto the rewards, particularly in terms of treasure - that can also get pretty random: I've always loved the idea of Bilbo randomly stumbling on to the most valuable item in the known world while lost and alone in an underground passage. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Whether they in fact find the treasure is another source of great randomness.</p><p></p><p>Perhaps, but it's also on us as DMs to ourselves be ethical, which often means not doing these things even if we might want to.</p><p></p><p>That's just it: it doesn't absolve us of the responsibility. Quite the opposite: it proves we are not abusing that responsibility, provided we honour the dice once rolled.</p><p></p><p>Agreed to a point; though I posit new DMs should NOT be encouraged to recognize that fudging is a potential option as it'll only serve to encourage them to do it.</p><p></p><p>That Cloak just became worth every penny the character spent on it! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Sometimes a shockingly easy win can be very entertaining, especially for the player who pulls it off. I'd never overturn spectacular player-side rolls, if only because I know the odds of their happening frequently are vanishingly small and thus that what's happening right now is very likely a once-ever thing.</p><p></p><p>I was once in a game where a PC pulled off three maximum crits in a row...only our crit system has a confirm roll, so instead of 1-in-8000 her odds of doing what she did were closer to 1-in-6,000,000. No cheating either; this is perhaps the most honest player I've ever gamed with, and the rolls were on the table.</p><p></p><p>Our crit system involves putting a multiplier on the total damage that would otherwise be dealt, and a maximum crit multiplies everything by 4. So, in three swings she did something like 336 points of damage (without maxing any of the actual damage rolls); this in a system where a character doing 10 points damage is noteworthy and 20 points is a big deal.</p><p></p><p>Three different foes, of course; none of 'em had nearly enough starch to handle what she was doing! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 8923473, member: 29398"] Other than that roughly 1% of rolls need fudging, yes. :) And oftentimes, at least how I do it, some random rolling happens en route to determining that. Players unexpectedly decide to have their PCs explore some woods I've never given a second thought to? Out come my dice, and using them as guidelines I'll quickly determine what's in there of any consequence...which might be nothing at all; I don't feel beholden to placing adventure wherever they may randomly go just because they go there. Some parts of the world really are safe. :) As for the innkeeper, if his reaction to the PCs isn't pre-set by the module or other prep I'll often roll and even mutter out loud "So what does he think of you lot?" Completely agree on this. To a point. Some challenges might be rather easy and thus not merciless at all; others might be well beyond their pay grade and if they insist on standing in to them things might not go very well. Ditto the rewards, particularly in terms of treasure - that can also get pretty random: I've always loved the idea of Bilbo randomly stumbling on to the most valuable item in the known world while lost and alone in an underground passage. :) Whether they in fact find the treasure is another source of great randomness. Perhaps, but it's also on us as DMs to ourselves be ethical, which often means not doing these things even if we might want to. That's just it: it doesn't absolve us of the responsibility. Quite the opposite: it proves we are not abusing that responsibility, provided we honour the dice once rolled. Agreed to a point; though I posit new DMs should NOT be encouraged to recognize that fudging is a potential option as it'll only serve to encourage them to do it. That Cloak just became worth every penny the character spent on it! :) Sometimes a shockingly easy win can be very entertaining, especially for the player who pulls it off. I'd never overturn spectacular player-side rolls, if only because I know the odds of their happening frequently are vanishingly small and thus that what's happening right now is very likely a once-ever thing. I was once in a game where a PC pulled off three maximum crits in a row...only our crit system has a confirm roll, so instead of 1-in-8000 her odds of doing what she did were closer to 1-in-6,000,000. No cheating either; this is perhaps the most honest player I've ever gamed with, and the rolls were on the table. Our crit system involves putting a multiplier on the total damage that would otherwise be dealt, and a maximum crit multiplies everything by 4. So, in three swings she did something like 336 points of damage (without maxing any of the actual damage rolls); this in a system where a character doing 10 points damage is noteworthy and 20 points is a big deal. Three different foes, of course; none of 'em had nearly enough starch to handle what she was doing! :) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Hot Take: Uncertainty Makes D&D Better
Top