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<blockquote data-quote="The Crimson Binome" data-source="post: 7002692" data-attributes="member: 6775031">Because the DM is an impartial adjudicator of uncertainty, who is also in charge of playing the NPCs. In order for the game to be fair at all, the rules have to be the same for everyone. (Or, at the very least, differences in the rules have to be known to everyone; you cannot meaningfully play a game if you do not know the rules.)That's not to say that you can't have an ogre push a tree onto anyone, just that you need to follow consistent rules while doing so. If you decide that it's a DC 19 check that the ogre can attempt, then don't be surprised when the raging barbarian pulls the same trick later on. You should also probably communicate with your players about how easy it is to push over trees, since they're likely to assume that it's impossible (or nearly so) unless you indicate otherwise.If the base was weakened and is easier to knock down, then how did the ogre know that before it made the attempt? If it spotted something odd about the tree, and knew enough about nature or survival to know what it meant, then that's one thing - and the players are entitled to similar checks to figure that out. If it had intentionally weakened the tree earlier, so it would be able to do this now, then you can point out to the players that it was way easier than they would have expected for a tree of that size and there must be more to the puzzle that isn't immediately apparent.Unknowable rules and unexpectable rulings fall under the category of DM Shenanigans.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="The Crimson Binome, post: 7002692, member: 6775031"] Because the DM is an impartial adjudicator of uncertainty, who is also in charge of playing the NPCs. In order for the game to be fair at all, the rules have to be the same for everyone. (Or, at the very least, differences in the rules have to be [I]known[/I] to everyone; you [I]cannot[/I] meaningfully play a game if you do not know the rules.) That's not to say that you can't have an ogre push a tree onto anyone, just that you need to follow consistent rules while doing so. If you decide that it's a DC 19 check that the ogre can attempt, then don't be surprised when the raging barbarian pulls the same trick later on. You should also probably communicate with your players about how easy it is to push over trees, since they're likely to assume that it's impossible (or nearly so) unless you indicate otherwise. If the base was weakened and is easier to knock down, then how did the ogre know that before it made the attempt? If it spotted something odd about the tree, and knew enough about nature or survival to know what it meant, then that's one thing - and the players are entitled to similar checks to figure that out. If it had intentionally weakened the tree earlier, so it would be able to do this now, then you can point out to the players that it was way easier than they would have expected for a tree of that size and there must be more to the puzzle that isn't immediately apparent. Unknowable rules and unexpectable rulings fall under the category of DM Shenanigans. [/QUOTE]

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