D&D 5E (2024) How can I do a Charisma-Investigation (or a Strength/Dexterity-Investigation if I can't use Charisma) to find a secret door?

[DrJawaPhD]

Also, I'm kinda surprised that, seeing that all the other characters were going to be stupid, one player didn't jump at the chance to be the party genius.

Everyone dumping Int to 8 is pretty standard in my experience if you don't have an Artificer or Wizard. It's just such a completely useless stat for everyone else

 

[Rune]

I think the answer is pretty obvious: Cha (Investigation) would represent your character’s attempt to convince the secret doors to reveal themselves.

 

[Horwath]

Everyone dumping Int to 8 is pretty standard in my experience if you don't have an Artificer or Wizard. It's just such a completely useless stat for everyone else

I'm kind of prefer to "buy 12" Int for rogue and rangers for this kind of things.

but I agree, more mechanics could come out of Int
maybe Bonus languages or tools per point of Int bonus.

 

[Tonguez]

For dexterity you are delicately running you fingers over the wall, feeling for any unexpected depressions or grooves that indicate a possible join or pivot.

Charisma is either interogation or possibly looking for social clues in howca room is laid out to notice anything unexpected. That might be more perception or even a lore check (architecture?)

 

[Hriston]

Do a flashback where you asked around for rumors about where secret doors are located in the dungeon before you left town.

 

[Horwath]

Charisma check:
I'm so hot that the doors open their "secret" for me.

 

[aco175]

What is the DC the DM is asking for? How many people are left in the party? Say you have have 4 other PCs and a DC of 15 to find, wouldn't 4 rolls even at -1 mean that the party would find some of them?

You can always leave the dungeon and go to town to hire a few henchmen scouts.

You could skip them. We are all here trying to inject player intelligence into the low INT PCs to make them smarter. If there is any that are needed to be opened, the DM will find a way to fudge something.

A torch might work if you wave it along walls. The flame blows to the tunnel that leads outside in the movies and the smoke might seep into cracks of a secret door. Again, Perception and Investigation to actually open it. Once you find it thought, I grant advantage to open it.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Charisma search for secret doors is finding allies within the dungeon that know the location and tell you where they are.

 

[Plaguescarred]

The Investigation Skill for example is used to find obscure information in books, or deduce how something works. I don't see how a Charisma check typically made to Influence, entertain, or deceive could be used with it to find a secret door.

Strenght check to lift, push or pull at the right location on another hand could make more sense. Or Dexterity score that measure agility could be used to accomplish delicate task towards finding how to open a secret passage.

 

[plecostomus]

Ok we are in a Dungeon full of secret doors that you need an Investigation check to find.

It should be Perception (Wisdom), unless you are investigating how to operate a mechanism that unlocks the doors or something similar.

Here are a couple examples of when Perception vs. Investigation should be used from Quests From the Infinite Staircase:

Perception

Secret doors blend in with their surroundings. A character who examines a wall for a secret door must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice it. Most doors are unlocked and quietly close on their own unless held or jammed open.

Investigation

The silver-plated statue at the end of the hall depicts the god Usamigaras and hides a shifting wall. Tapping on the statue reveals its hollow construction.

A character who inspects the statue and succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check learns that the statue’s wand controls a mechanism in the wall. A character who succeeds on this check by 5 or more also knows the correct direction to pull the wand to cause the wall to shift. Members of the Mages of Usamigaras, including newly initiated characters, know how to control the shifting wall.