Is this fair? -- predict the general opinion

[TheAuldGrump]

You’ve cleared out the dungeon and found the McGuffin you were seeking. Then you come to a room located in the back corner of the dungeon. In the room is only a large lever sticking up out of the floor. You search the room and find a secret door in one wall. You can’t find a way to open the door. The rogue searches the door and lever for traps, and finds none. The monk pulls the lever. He has to make a saving throw – he rolls a 19 on the die, adds in his mods, and fails the save. He turns into a pile of fine dust on the floor.

Assuming that the description is being read by the GM to the players then it is completely unfair. (In other words when considered as 'boxed text'.)

Either way it is time for a new DM. With a save DC that high the only reason to have that lever is to kill characters. I dropped the Tomb of Horrors, I would drop this one too. (Hell, if E.G.G. himself ran a game like the ToH with me as a player I would leave. In a heartbeat.)

The exception, and why I voted *Other - if both the rogue and the monk are NPCs then it is likely just a way of getting rid of an extra NPC.

The Auld Grump

 

[Nightfall]

Is there a spell to conjoin minds?

I think so. It's in either Relics and Rituals 1 or 2. I forget which.

Evil,

It's only unfun if you were extremely attached to your character.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I think so. It's in either Relics and Rituals 1 or 2. I forget which.

My guess would be 2, I can't recall anything of the sort in 1, and I am more versed in it than 2.

 

[Nightfall]

It might be. I forget as I said since it's been a while since I looked it.

 

[Treebore]

I know that most people on these boards would say unfair. Most of them are "facilitators". Me? I'm an adversarial DM. IF they didn't sit back and think to cast detect magic to see the spell the rogue missed, their problem. Now if they had cast detect magic and they still had no indication of a problem, it still might be their problem because they still could have played it safe and attached a rope, used a pole, telekinesis, summoned a red shirt, whatever.

However, if they had done everything reasonable to find this "trap" and just had bad rolls to find it, I would have changed the effect to something non-lethal but heavily damaging.

I may be adversarial, but I'm not about to let bad luck slaughter them.

 

[Nightfall]

Now that's a philosophy I can get behind! Go Tree.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Treebore has it nailed down.

 

[Treebore]

Treebore has it nailed down.

Are there some good drugs being passed around tonight?

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Are there some good drugs being passed around tonight?

Nope. Just your respone is the best response so far.

 

[Treebore]

Hot digity!! Put this one in the history books!