How to handle checks that just HAVE to succeed?

[Vocenoctum]

There's also the fact that, because secret doors are around, and adventurers know that, if they come to a dead end when they know that there has to be more there, they'll eventually take 20 on the searching. If they can't find it when they're taking twenty, then there's a problem.

Only thing worse than having a 50' hallway end abruptly is the adventure last night...

The secret door is hidden behind a sarcophagus, one of many. But, they trapped the one that had the secret door on it

Also, for secret doors, I've found that the Elf ability is a good help. If they fail, you just say the elf notices it when wandering by. It helps that in my campaign, the elf has a Third Eye of Awareness and her search check is +20 or whatever...

 

[HellHound]

Our elf is wearing a robe of eyes.

Same difference though. Never worry about secret doors.

 

[Kugar]

Or maybe the trail is so obvious that a track check is not required.

Maybe one of them is bleeding, or has a habit of eating sunflower seeds and leaves a trail. As a rule of thumb: If the check can't fail DON'T ROLL DICE (or roll them behind the screen ) Just tell them that they tracked the bad-guys to the hidout.

 

[xrpsuzi]

the old fashoin method

Well, you could always do what my DM does... fudge rolls. I know that stings at the heart of many players, but any DM will tell you, it has to be done sometimes.

The rolls, DC's, skill checks etc are there to help people have fun (ultimately) and if they are not approaching that end, then toss the rolls, DC's, skill checks out the window.

I also know that being DM is hard and there is nothing more disheartening then making up this awesome dungeon/plot/NPC/adventure and not having your player do it. Suddenly you have spent a lot of time making something for them to have fun with (hopefully you have fun too ) and they're not going to use it. My DM tried to give our party lots of room and choices (avoiding the bottle-neck problem) but in the end he did a lot of work he didn't need to do. and he had to rewrite the same dungeon three times because we toyed with the idea of storming it three different times (we were different levels each time--new monsters, new treasure, new traps...)

Just my food for thought. Good luck!
Suzi

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Help. I don't know how to make them succeed and not to appear as if the check didn't matter.

You make it clear they have to do that skill check.

In the case of a secret door- have them find out there is one, and they need to find it.

In the case of tracking, then they keep trying until they find it. Or until they wise up and Aid Another and use other matters to help them make it.

Personally- I just don't make any skill checks necessary to move on. I don't have secret doors hide the BBG. I make sure tracking bad guys is not the only solution to finding them.

SD

 

[Zappo]

The next adventure is supposed to start with the delivery of a ransom payment and then following the Bad Guys to the hideout. But then I started thinking: "What if they fail the track check?"

I avoid these sort of situations. I always have a backup plan. Having the track feat will make the players find the hideout faster (otherwise taking the feat would be pointless), but they also have a number of other options, from bribing someone to casting spells. I despise modules that rely on a dice roll to further the adventure.

Incidentally, the <blink>blink</blink> tag is the work of the Devil and know that by using it you are risking your immortal soul.

 

[Arnwyn]

Very very good suggestions here. Mine have all been taken, but I'll vomit them forth anyways:

1) Low DC (due to situation, such as mud) and/or take 10.
2) Obvious path (as Kugar mentioned above - someone was bleeding, dragging marks, etc)
3) My favorite: divergent paths. Making a successful track check would be the easy way, but if they fail, then they have to take option #2+ - something a little more difficult that uses up a bit more of their resources (eg. gold).

In my games I use all three, but I *always* have multiple paths in the adventure (usually one easy, and the rest harder). The fun I get from DMing is watching how the players solve the problems they face.

 

[Kerrwyn]

If there is a check that absolutely has to succeed, I don't even have them roll for it. Whoever has the highest relevant skill modifier automatically finds/notices/spontaneously bursts into flame/etc.
These circumstances rarely come up in my games, but that's how I handle it when it does.

 

[jdavis]

Re: the old fashoin method

Well, you could always do what my DM does... fudge rolls. I know that stings at the heart of many players, but any DM will tell you, it has to be done sometimes.

Fudging a role only works good if the players never find out about it, If players know the DM regularly fudges rolls then they start to count on it. Fudging the occasional roll is completly ok if done for the right reasons.

In this situation I'd write in a better clue than having the whole module hindge on one track roll. Always have a backup plan and always make sure that the players never think they are being railroaded (even if they actually are). Have several paths and clues that lead to the same thing and let the players figure it out on their own.

 

[LostSoul]

It's simple:

Ask yourself what happens if they fail the check. What to the NPCs do in that case?

If that happens, just keep running the plot along those lines. You might be surprised at what happens. I've had huge changes to my "plot line" occur because the PCs failed. And each time it's happened, the world has become richer and the game more involved for the PCs because of it.

I was running a game where the PCs were going to a local Baron to ask him for help dealing with a small army of bandits. They didn't know that this was what the Baron wanted, because those bandits were his, and he was using them in an attempt to get his troops all over the nearby lands and annex them. The PCs slept as guests in his castle and heard screams and cries in the night. What did they do?

"We'd better not check out things, because that might piss off the Baron and we need his help."

I had no idea they'd do this, but it worked. The evil Baron's plans worked, and things moved on that way.

In your example, what are the bandits going to do with the ransom money? Maybe it could lead to bigger adventure, being the start of a chain of events that leads to the end of the world!

Sometimes, having the PCs fail at the DM's quest is the best thing that can happen to a game.