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<blockquote data-quote="dcollins" data-source="post: 1827937" data-attributes="member: 876">Obviously Option #2 (Player Shrewdness) is what has historically been used in D&amp;D. It's a huge source of joy and excitement when the players get to figure a puzzle out on their own. I would truly, truly hate to see this source of excitement excised from the D&amp;D game. It would hurt.Now, there is a sidebar on this topic in Unearthed Arcana (p. 207) which I'll call Option #1.5 (Hints to Puzzles). The PC gets to make an appropriate Knowledge check. If successful, the player doesn't get handed the solution -- instead, he gets handed a hint, or clue, from the DM towards the right solution. He still needs to figure it on his own from that.Option #1 (Pass/Fail Knowedge Check) is clearly the worst. Why even bother detailing the puzzle in the first place, at that? May as well just set a puzzle DC and entirely abstract it, than have a lead-by-the-nose piece of narrative like that.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="dcollins, post: 1827937, member: 876"] Obviously Option #2 (Player Shrewdness) is what has historically been used in D&D. It's a huge source of joy and excitement when the players get to figure a puzzle out on their own. I would truly, truly hate to see this source of excitement excised from the D&D game. It would hurt. Now, there is a sidebar on this topic in Unearthed Arcana (p. 207) which I'll call Option #1.5 (Hints to Puzzles). The PC gets to make an appropriate Knowledge check. If successful, the player doesn't get handed the solution -- instead, he gets handed a hint, or clue, from the DM towards the right solution. He still needs to figure it on his own from that. Option #1 (Pass/Fail Knowedge Check) is clearly the worst. Why even bother detailing the puzzle in the first place, at that? May as well just set a puzzle DC and entirely abstract it, than have a lead-by-the-nose piece of narrative like that. [/QUOTE]

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