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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fanaelialae" data-source="post: 7800045" data-attributes="member: 53980">While I wouldn't do this for an ordinary lock, I would have no qualms about it for a unique lock.The way we would handle it is basically using the "Let It Ride" rule. Each character (who is proficient with lock picking) could attempt it once. If they failed, they'd need a significant change in circumstances, such as leveling up (representing an improvement of their overall skill). Guidance wouldn't cut it, and ought to be used on the initial check, not saved for a "reroll".Years ago, a friend of mine ran a campaign that contained a megadungeon. We made regular forrays into that dungeon, and one day came across a heavy vault door with a very complex lock at its center, a marvel of gnomish engineering. We happened to have a pair of rogues in the party, so we both gave it a go, but no dice. The DC was high. Over the course of a number of sessions, we'd give it another go whenever our characters had leveled up and were passing by. Our luck was terrible though, and we never managed to pick it. That door haunted our dreams, taunting us with the vast hoard we imagined it must be guarding.Finally, unable to wait any longer, we pooled our funds and had an alchemist brew up a large batch of acid. Burning through the lock, the vault finally opened and we discovered within a device that we were able to figure out with a bit of trial and error. We dubbed it The Evolution Machine because it forced a being inside it to undergo a harsh and painful evolutionary process. Unsurprisingly, we jumped at the chance to use it and became a party of feral halflings who would enter a berserker rage at low hit points, and dwarves with displacer beast tentacles and fire breath. Despite that we now looked like a bunch of scary freaks, we we're thrilled with our new powers and considered it well worth the effort.Of course, burning through the lock had its own consequences. During a later delve we discovered evidence that others had been using the machine, and further on began encountering evolved versions of monsters in the dungeon!My point being that the final twist would never have occurred if we'd been allowed to just Take 20 until we popped the lock. Hence, I think there certainly is a place for that sort of challenge, even though I wouldn't use it for every lock.Regarding random encounters, I like them for the same reason. Not the old "an ogre jumps out from behind a bush and attacks" but rather a more nuanced approach. In a recent game, where it was just me and a henchman due to the other players being unable to make it, my character went out into the desert on a vision quest (with some psychedelic herbs). On his way back, the DM rolled a very dangerous encounter with a cyclops. Though my character saw him at a distance, he was suffering exhaustion from laying out in the sun all day, so I doubted my ability to outpace him, so I simply waited for him to reach me and acted very friendly, which confused it (as its goal had been undoubtedly to Rob and/or kill us). We spoke for a bit, during which time the vision quest came up, which the cyclops interpreted rather literally. The idea of improving his vision appealed to him, so I convinced him to smoke the herb in order to help him undergo his own vision quest. For better or worse, it wasn't enough to cause him to hallucinate, but it did mellow him out enough that we were able to leave while he waited for it to kick in. Hopefully we don't run across him again...In case you're thinking that the DM went easy on me, think again. He TPK'd the party just a few weeks earlier with an encounter of similar lethality.Emergent gameplay can be a lot of fun. I'm not suggesting that it's for everyone; simply that these techniques can bring a lot to the table, surprising not just the players but the DM as well. I can attest that I've enjoyed the style from both sides of the screen.</blockquote>

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