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General Tabletop Discussion
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Players: Why Do You Want to Roll a d20?
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<blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 7793686" data-attributes="member: 6801845"><p>It is an exaggeration but there have been various statements that you have to specify your goal explicitly. If that's not necessary then why force people to specify an explicit goal? It just becomes "Do I see anything in the basement?" There is no stated goal, it's only implied. I don't know how to describe an approach that could change anything or meaningfully add to the game. It's the same as "Can I make a perception check?"</p><p></p><p>But don't take that example. Somehow I'm supposed to tell the DM that if I want to remember everything I know about trolls, I'm supposed to "describe what that looks like". WTF? What do you think it looks like? It looks like my PC trying to remember what they know about trolls. Goal? I'm trying to freaking remember everything I know about trolls, what other goal do I need? Why wouldn't I ask for a history check that I'm trained in, not a nature check that I'm not? I'm just reminding my DM what I'm good at.</p><p></p><p>But it's also my PC trying to remember what they know about trolls in my games. A first level PC would know exactly the same thing (trolls and fire are common knowledge and don't need a roll) whether that PC is being played by a 30 year veteran of the game or someone playing for the first time.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand let's say that troll is bloated looking, covered with bubbling, puss filled boils. The players have no clue because this is my own homebrew monster, a plague troll. They explode when they die. If they ask about weaknesses or what they eat or their habitat do I not tell them about the fact that they go boom? If I do tell them that, why ask for specifics? They aren't common knowledge. There are vague references to them in the history books. As a DM I'm not sure if they would know about it or the fact that they were last manufactured by a wizard that supposedly died 250 years ago. </p><p></p><p>Why allow that chance? Why not just hand people a piece of paper with all that info? Because I want to reward that guy playing a historian. I want him to feel like he made a good choice when he invested limited proficiency on history. Because rolling a dice is fun whether or not the die roll is low or high. If they roll low they just don't remember anything. Maybe everyone looks at them for info and he makes stuff up. Maybe he rolls high enough to beat a DC 15 and he remembers fire makes the explosion worse if applied while their conscious because it turns the explosion into a gas cloud. DC 20? Agnarok the wise devised the best tactic which was to knock them unconscious and then apply fire from a moderate distance. DC 25? They know about the wizard which gives them a clue as to what's happening. They'll figure it out eventually, but for this game everybody is cheering and patting him on the back for knowing such obscure bit of trivia.</p><p></p><p>Yes it's just random luck. But random luck modified by a choice the player made. It's also a lot of fun.</p><p></p><p></p><p>EDIT: Why not just ask for a history roll? Well, maybe someone wants to make a medicine check. As a DM I hadn't thought of that, but it would kind of make sense. The troll is obviously diseased so sure. They know it's related to a [insert made up disease here] with boils that can infect others if they "pop" so people being treated have to be handled with great care. Oh, and don't use a heated lance because it turns the puss into steam which can be inhaled. All of which I just made up on the fly because it was kind of fun to think what they might know with a medicine check.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Oofta, post: 7793686, member: 6801845"] It is an exaggeration but there have been various statements that you have to specify your goal explicitly. If that's not necessary then why force people to specify an explicit goal? It just becomes "Do I see anything in the basement?" There is no stated goal, it's only implied. I don't know how to describe an approach that could change anything or meaningfully add to the game. It's the same as "Can I make a perception check?" But don't take that example. Somehow I'm supposed to tell the DM that if I want to remember everything I know about trolls, I'm supposed to "describe what that looks like". WTF? What do you think it looks like? It looks like my PC trying to remember what they know about trolls. Goal? I'm trying to freaking remember everything I know about trolls, what other goal do I need? Why wouldn't I ask for a history check that I'm trained in, not a nature check that I'm not? I'm just reminding my DM what I'm good at. But it's also my PC trying to remember what they know about trolls in my games. A first level PC would know exactly the same thing (trolls and fire are common knowledge and don't need a roll) whether that PC is being played by a 30 year veteran of the game or someone playing for the first time. On the other hand let's say that troll is bloated looking, covered with bubbling, puss filled boils. The players have no clue because this is my own homebrew monster, a plague troll. They explode when they die. If they ask about weaknesses or what they eat or their habitat do I not tell them about the fact that they go boom? If I do tell them that, why ask for specifics? They aren't common knowledge. There are vague references to them in the history books. As a DM I'm not sure if they would know about it or the fact that they were last manufactured by a wizard that supposedly died 250 years ago. Why allow that chance? Why not just hand people a piece of paper with all that info? Because I want to reward that guy playing a historian. I want him to feel like he made a good choice when he invested limited proficiency on history. Because rolling a dice is fun whether or not the die roll is low or high. If they roll low they just don't remember anything. Maybe everyone looks at them for info and he makes stuff up. Maybe he rolls high enough to beat a DC 15 and he remembers fire makes the explosion worse if applied while their conscious because it turns the explosion into a gas cloud. DC 20? Agnarok the wise devised the best tactic which was to knock them unconscious and then apply fire from a moderate distance. DC 25? They know about the wizard which gives them a clue as to what's happening. They'll figure it out eventually, but for this game everybody is cheering and patting him on the back for knowing such obscure bit of trivia. Yes it's just random luck. But random luck modified by a choice the player made. It's also a lot of fun. EDIT: Why not just ask for a history roll? Well, maybe someone wants to make a medicine check. As a DM I hadn't thought of that, but it would kind of make sense. The troll is obviously diseased so sure. They know it's related to a [insert made up disease here] with boils that can infect others if they "pop" so people being treated have to be handled with great care. Oh, and don't use a heated lance because it turns the puss into steam which can be inhaled. All of which I just made up on the fly because it was kind of fun to think what they might know with a medicine check. [/QUOTE]
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