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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 7054043" data-attributes="member: 6785785">I think it's a sliding scale, largely. The DM will make a variety of judgments over the course of an adventure, and even more over the life of a campaign. Some, like the DC for a skill check let's say, will have a minor influence. Others will have a more profound impact. And while I would never say that ultimate success or failure should be determined by the DM, I do not think that every instance of DM judgment affecting PC success is some sort of transgression. With my gaming group, that is the dynamic that we expect; the game is at least partially subject to everyone at the table, and the DM most of all. Like I said, I'm all for allowing player authorship to some extent, but I expect that DM authorship will play a larger part in the proceedings. I also am not sure that I inherently value chance being the arbiter of events in lieu of DM judgment. I think there are times for each. I can see the possible value to limiting the amount of judgment required by the DM, depending on play style and group expectations, but there's no way to avoid it entirely. To go back to the example from your OP, the way I would handle that situation would be to determine if I thought a suitable receptacle was present based on the factors involved. I'm not sure I like the idea of a player skill check determining such....you described this as a way to preserve drama because the PC can succeed or fail. However, I don't know if that's really the case. Is his check to determine if he notices the item or is it used to determine if the item is actually present? The way I've read your comments is then latter; the PC's check determines if the chamber pot is present. So if the check isn't successful, then the chamber pot isn't there. How has the PC failed? The player has failed a check sure, but how has ther character failed? Perhaps I've misunderstood your premise.Also, in your OP, you say that if the DM decides that "no chamber Pot is present in order to continue with the story as he wants it" (paraphrased) then that's no good. However, the DM can be just as likely to make a decision about the presence of the chamber pot without worrying about preserving his intended story. If the player does not elaborate on why he wants the chamber pot, and instead just asks if there is one, and the DM decides yea or nay, he's simply done so out of the same kind of reasoning that you used to determine the DC for the skill check. So in that sense, it is not that different.</blockquote>

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