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<blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 8249034" data-attributes="member: 20564">As a base level, a character can cast a spell, swing a polearm or exercise a skill with proficiency even if the player is absolutely unfamiliar or even misinformed about such things.&nbsp; Even if you only know how to fight is from Hollywood movies, your monk still knows effective martial arts.&nbsp; Same for skills the character is proficient in.That's an unchangable and irrevocable base foundation to build on.&nbsp; The character is mechanically proficient in doing X, they must be actually at the table to be proficient in X without the player being able to add anything.Now, that does not prevent the player from interacting with the world more directly.&nbsp; If they decide to open the wardrobe they will find the hiding man without a skill check.&nbsp; If the character just opens the trapped coffer without checking, the poison gas trap will go off.It also does not protect the character from the player's directives.&nbsp; &quot;I search the desk, looking especially that the dimensions line up to see if there are secret compartments&quot; will not find the trapdoor under the chair - the character has not searched that.I call for rolls, and that does need to know how you are doing things. Some approaches may be more or less successful, have different consequences, or use different ability scores or skill proficiency. But it must always be appropriate to answer &quot;I'm searching for tracks the way someone who knows how to find tracks searches for them&quot;.&nbsp; That's a bought-and-paid-for ability on your character sheet, in a fantasy world where you can say that to cast a spell.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Blue, post: 8249034, member: 20564"] As a base level, a character can cast a spell, swing a polearm or exercise a skill with proficiency even if the player is absolutely unfamiliar or even misinformed about such things. Even if you only know how to fight is from Hollywood movies, your monk still knows effective martial arts. Same for skills the character is proficient in. That's an unchangable and irrevocable base foundation to build on. The character is mechanically proficient in doing X, they must be actually at the table to be proficient in X without the player being able to add anything. Now, that does not prevent the player from interacting with the world more directly. If they decide to open the wardrobe they will find the hiding man without a skill check. If the character just opens the trapped coffer without checking, the poison gas trap will go off. It also does not protect the character from the player's directives. "I search the desk, looking especially that the dimensions line up to see if there are secret compartments" will not find the trapdoor under the chair - the character has not searched that. I call for rolls, and that does need to know how you are doing things. Some approaches may be more or less successful, have different consequences, or use different ability scores or skill proficiency. But it [I]must always be[/I] appropriate to answer "I'm searching for tracks the way someone who knows how to find tracks searches for them". That's a bought-and-paid-for ability on your character sheet, in a fantasy world where you can say that to cast a spell. [/QUOTE]

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