iserith
Magic Wordsmith
Player: "Can I look for a secret door?"
Dad: "I don't know, CAN YOU?"
I can't actually adjudicate a question. By narrating "You look there is no secret door" I have taken from the player their ability to declare for themselves what their character is doing. That is not the role of the DM. Further, I don't know anything about how they are looking for secret doors, so I can't decide if the action succeeds, fails, or has an uncertain outcome and a meaningful consequence for failure (and therefore an ability check is needed).
If the character declares a goal and approach sufficient to search the area thoroughly, I can tell them they find no secret doors if no secret doors are to be found, no roll.
Dad: "I don't know, CAN YOU?"
I can't actually adjudicate a question. By narrating "You look there is no secret door" I have taken from the player their ability to declare for themselves what their character is doing. That is not the role of the DM. Further, I don't know anything about how they are looking for secret doors, so I can't decide if the action succeeds, fails, or has an uncertain outcome and a meaningful consequence for failure (and therefore an ability check is needed).
If the character declares a goal and approach sufficient to search the area thoroughly, I can tell them they find no secret doors if no secret doors are to be found, no roll.