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Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Skills - Does anyone actually like the way they're headed?
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<blockquote data-quote="Starfox" data-source="post: 6200490" data-attributes="member: 2303"><p>How significant it is depends on the consequence of failure.</p><p></p><p>I could see not rolling to-hit rolls when the chance to hit is 75% and there is no great danger - especially in a low-damage game like 4E - because the consequence of failure is fairly minor. All the hit does is contribute to grinding down the enemy, and all failure does is prolong the situation a little. If the combat takes 8 or 9 rounds isn't really very significant. The same can be said for routine searching for traps and treasure, teaching your apprentice a spell, walking the narrow path up a slope, or any of a host of routine situations that could fail, but has minor consequences and could be tried again. On the other hand, when both the player and the enemy has just a few hp left, each to-hit roll is VERY important and suddenly a 75% chance to hit is of great moment.</p><p></p><p>Also, when the player has thoroughly described what the character is doing, it all makes sense, and the character is doing something that is in it's field of competence - then I could also see skipping the roll. There is a trap on the chest of drawers, and the rogue says he is looking there in particualr, for example. This is the old skool approach, the player describes the action right, it succeeds, even on momentously important tasks. Making the roll and failing is an anticlimax and best avoided. </p><p></p><p>On the other hand, when doing a delicate negotiation to avoid a major disaster, or climbing at a height where a fall would be lethal, or sneaking under the nose of the dragon - a 75% chance to succeed is really quite low. 95% is actually low too, or even 99%. Do or die, by the dice, is very tense and exiting but also very downputting when it happens. In these situations I tend either against the descriptive way above or to give the PC second chances if the roll fails - it is no fun to die from a single stupid die roll. But I know others live for these do-or-die die rolls.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Starfox, post: 6200490, member: 2303"] How significant it is depends on the consequence of failure. I could see not rolling to-hit rolls when the chance to hit is 75% and there is no great danger - especially in a low-damage game like 4E - because the consequence of failure is fairly minor. All the hit does is contribute to grinding down the enemy, and all failure does is prolong the situation a little. If the combat takes 8 or 9 rounds isn't really very significant. The same can be said for routine searching for traps and treasure, teaching your apprentice a spell, walking the narrow path up a slope, or any of a host of routine situations that could fail, but has minor consequences and could be tried again. On the other hand, when both the player and the enemy has just a few hp left, each to-hit roll is VERY important and suddenly a 75% chance to hit is of great moment. Also, when the player has thoroughly described what the character is doing, it all makes sense, and the character is doing something that is in it's field of competence - then I could also see skipping the roll. There is a trap on the chest of drawers, and the rogue says he is looking there in particualr, for example. This is the old skool approach, the player describes the action right, it succeeds, even on momentously important tasks. Making the roll and failing is an anticlimax and best avoided. On the other hand, when doing a delicate negotiation to avoid a major disaster, or climbing at a height where a fall would be lethal, or sneaking under the nose of the dragon - a 75% chance to succeed is really quite low. 95% is actually low too, or even 99%. Do or die, by the dice, is very tense and exiting but also very downputting when it happens. In these situations I tend either against the descriptive way above or to give the PC second chances if the roll fails - it is no fun to die from a single stupid die roll. But I know others live for these do-or-die die rolls. [/QUOTE]
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