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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 6545398" data-attributes="member: 97077">The first thing to consider is the trigger on the glyph of warding. I'm going to assume the one you cite is triggered by laying eyes upon it.The DM asks for ability checks when the action described by the player for his or her character has an uncertain outcome in the eyes of the DM. By asking for a Wisdom (Perception) check from the thief, you are saying his action to detect traps on the chest is uncertain. The check resolves the uncertainty into: (A) He does find the trap quickly and safely (success); (B) He does not find the trap (failure); or (C) He does find the trap or makes progress toward finding it, but there is a setback (failure). My preference in adjudicating this kind of situation is C. "As you search the chest, you catch the dim glow of what can only be a magical glyph out of the corner of your eye. If you carelessly lay eyes upon this thing, you will set it off. What do you do?" Now an attempt to disarm it by trying to disrupt its magical power might be an action with an uncertain outcome that calls for an ability check at disadvantage for the rogue. Or it might even be impossible for him, depending on the situation, meaning it will be on someone else to deal with it.Generally speaking, I recommend that any botched attempt to detect a trap result in finding the trap but essentially having one's foot on the landmine- the trigger plate is partially depressed, the tripwire is nearly sprung, the timer just sped up and now it's red-wire-or-blue-wire time, etc. One more wrong move and the thing goes off and immediate action is required. This helps create dramatic tension and makes the interaction involving the trap less binary. (Alternately, you could say the trap is found, but it takes a lot of time, if time is a factor in the adventure scenario. Just because a trap is successfully found, doesn't mean it'll be successfully disarmed, after all, and so a good choice for stakes in failure is a precious resource like time.)I don't recommend what [MENTION=23484]Kobold Stew[/MENTION] says where you tell the player what his character thinks. As it says on page 66 of the Basic Rules, a player determines how his or her character thinks, acts, or talks. All the DM does is tell the player the results of the actions their characters take. Try using a variety of stakes for any given ability check appropriate to the situation and the kind of tension you want to create. (I also recommend saying what the stakes are prior to asking for the roll. If you want to discuss some examples, let me know.)</blockquote>

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