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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Saeviomagy" data-source="post: 7298067" data-attributes="member: 5890">Yeah, but then you're left wondering why you bothered sneaking past a monster that isn't actually a threat to you, or why the bad guys bother using weak monsters as watchdogs when they can't see or hear for doughnuts.Sure, if you want to go to that sort of length. That's a whole other level of complexity though, both in writing the system and then running the game.Just unhooking monster skills from combat ability, and letting individuals focus on different skills is sufficient to get variation, while avoiding scenarios where the fireball that barely touches the guy who boosted combat stats obliterates the rest of the party, punishing them for being good at social skills.Is the rogue there? What makes you certain that the rogue is there? The rogue is somewhere else. The rogue is unconscious. The rogue is charmed. The rogue is poisoned. The rogue is already picking another lock or disarming a trap.Most of my home games spend at least part of their time with the party split two or three ways, with each group getting into their own mischief and eventually re-uniting. The trick is to bend time so you're covering the 'interesting' bits all at the same time and you're switching between groups rapidly.It means that the party can move within the area easily... as long as the rogue is with them and free to do the job. It means that the rogue is leading the party. It means that if a high level monster jumps the party from behind, or the complex starts collapsing, then escape options might be limited. It means that people with lower skills can lock doors, and only monsters (and characters) with keys or skills are going to be able to get through. It means you can jam the locks. It means that the party's rate of movement is limited by how many lock pickers they have. Sure - if the rogue is there, those DC20 locks become handwaves, but only if he's there, and only from the point of view of 'the party proceed slowly through the complex'.</blockquote>

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