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Message: <blockquote data-quote="overgeeked" data-source="post: 9809762" data-attributes="member: 86653">Tangent from another thread.A reoccurring theme of trap discussions (and many others, if we're being honest), is where to draw the line between player skill vs character skill.So that's what this thread is about. Where are your lines on player skill vs character skill?Everyone's different, of course. And there are multiple different places the question can come up.Some common ones are traps and social interaction.Some uncommon ones I think would be interesting to talk about are combat and resource management.The player who's not actually in the dungeon that has to rely on the referee for their senses. Should they have to hunt and peck every possible location for a trap or secret door, just roll for it, or a mix of both?The socially awkward player who wants to play a social character. Should they have to RP in first-person dialog to convince someone of something, just roll for it, or a mix of both?A common refrain against relying too much on player skill is the question of making players swing swords vs having them roll dice. Despite being a dumb argument, it does point to something useful.We use character skills for the gaps between the players and their characters.So why don't we use more character skills to cover more of the gaps between the players and their characters?The players are not tactical geniuses. The player doesn't know the best spot to stand in a battle, but you bet their veteran fighter PC would. So why not roll for things like knowing the best position to take or hold on the battle map?The players are not magical prodigies. The player doesn't know the best spell to use during a combat, but you bet their INT 20 wizard PC would. So why not roll for things like knowing which spell would have the best effect?The easy answer is it's about the players making decisions.But, again, the players are not their characters. The decisions the players make are not the decisions the PCs would make...because the players are not their characters.So why are some gaps considered best left to the dice but others are strictly for the players?Leaning too far to character skill leaves nothing for the player to do but build a character and roll dice. Leaning too far into player skill leaves nothing for the system to do but provide a possible back stop. Almost like break glass in case of emergency.So back to the question. Where are your lines on player skill vs character skill?</blockquote>

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