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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Primitive Screwhead" data-source="post: 2954308" data-attributes="member: 20805">Why not just use the spot check, but have alternate things for the PC's to notice even when they fail the DC against the Drow? This way the players still get to use thier skills they earned/chose and you can still spring a surprise on them. fx...< 5 you notice your shoe is untied.... and takes you a moment or two to realize that the shoelace isn't even invented yet> 5 you notice there are a bunch of people here from other lands> 10 You notice a bunch of servants bustling about a large crate that looks like it contains doves.> 15 You notice a young thief stealing from an apple cart. Off to the side is a Monk wearing a heavy cowl, odd in this heat. > 20 You notice a Rogue watching the young apple thief, and a small monkey watching the pair quizzically. > 25 You realize that the cowled monk from the Order of Humptyfratz, an order who normally desipses crowded places like this. You see the guards at the palace entrance shift thier glances at each other for a moment, then stiffen into the position of attention.> 30 You notice the cowled monk is not wearing his prayer beads as his order is sworn to do> 35  You notice the cowled monk is adjusting his hand-crossbow after carefully poisening the boltBy throwing in the red herring of the apple thief, as well as other details about the scene, you can use the spot check to bring the players deeper into the scene.I think your 'luck' roll is too much of a shortcut to this. Having the Luck roll affect how much damage they take in an ambush is, IMHO, going too far.But, YMMV. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Oh.. and welcome to the boards!</blockquote>

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