Is this fair? -- predict the general opinion

[Brian Gibbons]

As has been noted above, the issue of fairness is based somewhat on context and the implicit social contract of the group.

Fair or not, I would expect that, assuming the players continue to play with this GM, an intelligent group of PCs will now modify their playing styles. I would expect to see a lot more rope and 10' poles used, coins scattered and dead bodies thrown ahead of the party in dungeons. Each door is likely to take several minutes before the party actually decides to open it. Unnecessary doors will stay closed.

This is neither good nor bad, it's merely a different playing style. If the GM did not want such a result, however, it was a bit of a miscalculation for him to include this event.

It's all well and good to say that players had what they came for and didn't need to pull the lever, as long as you realize that the implication of this is that players will thereafter strictly do what is necessary and not investigate further.

Far too many GMs are a bit schizophrenic--they want curious players who jump at plot hooks and investigate possible leads, yet also want to punish players for going after red herrings or false clues. Unfortunately, the latter behavior deters the former.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I voted unfair because I believe that at least 51% of the people will fall into one (or more) of these categories:

(1) The DC is clearly bizarrely high if a Monk requires a natural 20 to succeed, so this is unfair.

(2) The Rogue should have noticed the danger with his Search skill, so it smells like a DM splitting rules hairs as an excuse to kill a PC, so this is unfair.

(3) Of course they were supposed to pull the lever, after reasonable precautions such as Searching, so this is unfair.

I withhold a personal opinion without knowing more. This sounds contrived and I need context. I do wonder how including this in an adventure makes the adventure more fun.

 

[merelycompetent]

I voted Other:

1. "Fairness" is a subjective judgement in a RPG. There are so many other factors that play into whether or not the situation is "fair". For example, are the players used to this sort of trap? Are they experienced enough to try even some simple, basic tricks to circumvent it? What level were their characters? Why didn't they cut & run once they had the MacGuffin, then come back later to clear out the rest of the dungeon when they were fresh, rested, and possibly better trained?

2. There are a number of ways to pull the lever without setting your hands on it, such as he old standy 10' pole/polearm or lasso it with a rope, run it around a few iron spikes, and pull it from down the hallway.

3. There are a number of magical ways to pull the lever without even touching it, such as Prestidigitation or unseen servant.

4. The room setup practically screams "TRAP!" There are a number of steps that could have been taken to get more info about the trap, such as Detect Magic, searching the floor/ceiling for traps or other features, the underused Augury, or even bypassing the lever entirely and smashing through the secret door.

Finally, since we only have a few lines of text describing the situation and its outcome, we have to fill in the rest. And that (in combination with the already noted confusion over the instructions) is going to skew the results wildly, IMO.

P.S. I'm neutral on whether the situation as described is fair or not. If the DM has put the players in such situations before, or if there were sufficient other clues available that the traps can be save or die, then I'd lean towards fair. If this trap was out of the blue, or with a group of players new to gaming, I'd lean towards unfair. There are many other factors that would figure in to my personal judgement as to its fairness.

 

[Hussar]

Wut Ridley's Cohort said.

 

[Barak]

I voted fair just because unfair seems like the correct response, and I ain't no tiny white rat.

 

[Nightfall]

It's life. It's never fair.

 

[Barak]

It's Scarred Lands, so Nightfall will pimp it even if it's irrelevant and sucks in context.

 

[Nightfall]

It's Scarred Lands, so Nightfall will pimp it even if it's irrelevant and sucks in context.

Uhm yeah I usually would but I didn't. Check my post. Thanks for pimping it for me though!

And Scarred Lands DOESN'T suck.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

All you need is a pile of dust for true resurrection to work.

 

[Nightfall]

All you need is a pile of dust for true resurrection to work.

Yeah but no one said if they can get that OR if they can find someone to cast it either.