D&D 5E How to Handle Monster Knowledge Checks

[Ilbranteloth]

What if a player declares actions for his character that leads him past all the traps and straight to the goal of the dungeon?

If I'm following ya'll that would be just as okay as the rakshasa example. (The PLAYER had knowledge of the monster the CHARACTER didn't/The PLAYER had knowledge of the module/dungeon that the character didn't).

Either way, thanks for the discussion, like I said this is not a current/nor past problem for any groups I've been in, so it was more of a "hmmmmm" thing after reading the thread.

GAME ON!

It's a good "hmmmm" thing, and related to similar things like spells that allow you to skip the dungeon as well.

My answer, as a person initially a part of me would be annoyed. They've bypassed my whole diabolical plan.

After that, reality sets in. The whole point was for them to get to the goal of the dungeon, yes? I wouldn't want too many adventures like it, but basically by setting the course of the entire dungeon on the fact that a weakness remain a secret (until when?), it probably wasn't that tough of a dungeon.

If you'd like something to be a secret in your campaign, then make sure it doesn't exist in something that a player of the game might legitimately own. That's really what it comes down to. How your group handles those known "secrets" depends on your table's preference. But the way to avoid these issues 100% is to make sure the players don't know the secret either.

 

[iserith]

Let's also not forget that even if you know that trick about trolls and fire, you still gotta kill the trolls.

It's just a little easier.

 

[BookBarbarian]

What if a player declares actions for his character that leads him past all the traps and straight to the goal of the dungeon?!

That should be the goal of every player.

But let's note that the while Player's state their approach, the DM determines the outcome. There's a difference between "I carefully step through the corridor keeping my eye out for traps" and "I carefully step through the corridor without setting off traps".

I find it works best if I as the DM don't try to dictate the players approach to them and they as players don't try to dictate the outcome to me.