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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7296637" data-attributes="member: 29398">Time to be unpopular, I think... <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=":)" />And here's the rub: there's nothing wrong with "gotcha", particularly if your players want to rush through things and-or their characters don't exercise at least a modicum of caution.  If the players want to handwave the search they're putting their PCs' fates in my hands...rarely if ever a good idea. <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=":)" />Which is excellent.However, are there going to be clues every time?  No.  Sometimes an altar just...well, looks like a dusty old altar.  No dead bugs, no smell of rot, and the whole place probably has a faint icky aura to it left over from when it was in use long ago.  Detect Magic will pull that there's more to the altar, Detect Evil might if the extra evil around the altar can be seen through the pervasive evil in the room, but beyond that the only options are:1. explore the altar by trial and error (the more cautious you are the less likely you'll run aground on anything nasty)2. ignore the altar and move onNow this is something that bugs me.If there's a hidden compartment in the altar and the PCs search for it that by no means should be a guarantee that they find it, no matter how long they take, even if their chances are reasonable on paper. (and whatever happened to the idea of "you get one roll, representing the best attempt you can make under these circumstances; another roll may not be attempted until something materially changes")And there is always a very obvious cost or consequence of failure: they don't get such info or treasure or whatever is in the hidden compartment.Lan-"and the next chapel down the hall might have an identical-looking altar that is in fact harmless"-efan</blockquote>

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