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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7794812" data-attributes="member: 6801286">One of the things I try to do often, is tell my players up front what the consequences 'could be' of failure, before they make their roll. That way the players can decide for themselves if it is worth the risk.For example: The players encounter a steep cliff with the entrance to an ancient city halfway down the cliff (this situation actually came up during my current campaign). I describe that the sea below the cliff seems pretty rough, it's windy, and there are sharp rocks down below.Player: Can we climb down?DM: You can sure try, but it is a steep wall with few handholds and you'll be battered by the wind while doing it. If you fail, you will meet up close and personal with those nasty looking sharp rocks I mentioned earlier. You will need to make a climb check.Player: What if I tie a rope around a nearby tree, and secure it safely around my waist?DM: That will require a Use Rope check, and if successful it should make climbing down a lot easier. It will still require a climb check, but I'll lower the DC. There's plenty of rocks or trees that you could tie the rope around.Player: (Rolls really bad for their Use Rope) Uh oh.... I ehm... I pull it a couple of times, making sure it is secure.DM: It seems secure enough... (evil smile)Player: Crap... Ok, here goes... I climb down using the rope.DM: The wind tosses you around a bit and the rope scratches back and forth along the sharp rocks... but eventually you arrive at the entrance of the city unscathed.Player: Oh thank god!Of course, what the players didn't realize at this point was that I was messing with their knowledge that it was a bad roll. I had however decided that the rope would only snap if two or more people tried to descend at the same time... which eventually happened as they got overconfident of the safety of the rope. As the rope suddenly snapped, it required quick reflexes and strength checks from nearby players to save their friends.So this is a perfect example of how I tell my players upfront what the risks and checks involved are, and I allow them to change their mind,  or add extra detail to their declarated action. But I don't always tell them what is required for failure, because having metagame knowledge of a bad roll and having that uncertainty can add a lot of suspense. Sometimes I tell my players the DC and sometimes I don't. It depends if the situation is more or less suspenseful if they know the DC. In this case I didn't, and the uncertainty really added to the scene.</blockquote>

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