How natural is natural? Best 3 of 6?

[weem]

I does sound like the general opinion so far is that the GM just has to make a case by case call rather then trying to codify things.

Yea - when you codify something like this, you will run into circumstances where it just doesn't make sense, and as such would be overruled anyway.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I can see I did not provide quite enough info, by 3 sides of the cube, it was not intended that the immediate squares adjacent to the character where the one looked at (see parking lot example), but the terrain/vertical surfaces in that direction.

In the parking lot example, 5 of the six sides (hard to make the sky unnatural) are man-made, assuming a reasonably large parking lot. Likewise, underground or in an urban area would be to nearby vertical surfaces.

I had actually meant an outside parking lot (a concrete pad, basically - so 1 of 6 sides) rather than a parking garage... though I'm not sure what you are envisioning with 5 of 6 sides...

 

[Wepwawet]

I had actually meant an outside parking lot (a concrete pad, basically - so 1 of 6 sides) rather than a parking garage... though I'm not sure what you are envisioning with 5 of 6 sides...

In a parking lot, if you look on all 4 directions you'll see concrete. It's not floating in the air, but it's still there in your horizon.
The only direction you'll see as totally natural is up -- the Sky.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I'm with those who say case-by-case basis. With the castle example, standing beside it is not a natural environment IMO, even though only 1-of-6 sides is man-made. The castle is so dominating that it can't be considered natural. Would deer walk up to the wall? No.

This type of power requires a lot of trust between the DM and players.

 

[TheEvil]

In a parking lot, if you look on all 4 directions you'll see concrete. It's not floating in the air, but it's still there in your horizon.
The only direction you'll see as totally natural is up -- the Sky.

Someone on the same wavelength as myself.... scary.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Fair enough, though that doesn't really mesh with the example you gave - there, the floor and one wall were not natural. Assuming by "cavern" you meant a "room" (as opposed to a "tunnel"), then if you applied the same criteria you did for the parking lot, unless you are next to a natural wall, 5 out of 6 facings (just like the parking lot) are not natural.

That said, regardless of the exact method you implement the "3 out of 6 rule" (and your implementation does seem to be inconsistent - unless you are somehow assuming the parking lot goes from horizon to horizon), I agree with the other posters that it seems rather arbitrary, unrealistic and unreasonable.

 

[lukelightning]

Even though caves are natural, I think in D&D they are not covered by the nature skill, instead that's what dungeoneering is for.

 

[DracoSuave]

Even though caves are natural, I think in D&D they are not covered by the nature skill, instead that's what dungeoneering is for.

Not really relevant to a ritual tho, there's no Dungeoneering ritual.