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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MrMyth" data-source="post: 5321191" data-attributes="member: 61155">Agreed - allowing PCs to find treasure by rolling a d20 and adding their Arcana skill based on Intelligence instead of rolling a d20 and adding their Search skill based on Intelligence is completely unreasonable, and a clear sign that they have reduced all the complexity of this rich and flavorful RPG to the mundane simplicity of a video game.* Seriously, though - the game has always had two approaches, one more focused on player skill and one on character skill. Some groups find it fun to have players specify where and how they search, and allow them to find items in that fashion. Other groups figure that half the point of playing an imaginary hero is that the hero is skilled at a lot of things the player isn't, and thus prefers to let the hero's +30 Search or Arcana check let him find the treasure.  It's the same issue I've run into with traps. I've played a skilled Rogue with a lot invested in being able to find and disable traps. And occasionally run into DMs who nonetheless insist on me describing exactly how he goes about doing so, and if I say anything wrong, the trap goes off anyone. But I'm not a rogue in real life! I don't know all the fancy tricks that my character does. Forcing me to hobble his trapfinding skill because I'm not a thief in real life is about as reasonable as insisting the fighter's player physically demonstrate his swordsmanship before he can attack an orc.  Being able to solve things in character isn't about making things more video-gamey. It's about focusing the game on character skill over player skill, which in some ways is even more an investment in roleplaying. Now not every group wants that approach, and if a DM and players want a game that is more driven by player skill, they can easily make that happen. But dismissing other approaches as simply a video game is, honestly, in pretty poor form.  If that isn't the issue, and you really are concerned about what skill one is adding to a d20 when they search the room for treasure, then I'm really not sure what to say.  *Note - I don't actually believe this.</blockquote>

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