Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Social Skills, starting to bug me.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="rogueattorney" data-source="post: 5813666" data-attributes="member: 17551"><p>I can only speak for how I'd run a game, but if I'm running by B/X or 1e game, I'd roll for surprise on the darkmantles. I think that's a pretty clear place where the surprise rules apply. Maybe the monsters would get a bonus. Regardless, there'd be at least a chance that the pcs spot them even if they don't mention the ceiling. </p><p></p><p>But that goes back to what I was saying in my previous post... There's space in the game for both approaches and certainly situations where one method might be more appropriate than the other or serve the group's game better.</p><p></p><p>As for the torch bracket... If they specifically say they're looking at the bracket, they find the silver rod. If they just generally say they're searching the room for secret doors, traps, or whatever, they have their character's normal chance of finding stuff. I'll often default to a 1-2 in 6 if nothing's specified in the rules. If they don't search the room they're not going to find it.</p><p></p><p>I don't think it's bad to allow DMs to set what they think is reasonable. But then, I've generally played with reasonable people and don't know why anyone would bother to do otherwise.</p><p></p><p>I don't think "There's a bed" followed by "I look under the bed" is pixelbitching. To me, pixelbitching is "Do I find anything under the 5th cobblestone over in the third row of cobblestones? Ok, do I find anything under the 6th cobblestone over..." etc. Maybe that's a fine line to others, but the distinction seems pretty clear to me. </p><p></p><p>If there's a non-hidden element to the campaign world, I think the players should engage with it -- the bed in my example, the idol with gemstone eyes, the dungeon door, etc. If there's a hidden element in the campaign world, that's when I go to search/spot/perception checks -- secret doors, traps, the darkmantles in your example. That's just not anything that's ever seemed particularly complicated to me or that ever needed to be spelled out in any rule book. </p><p></p><p>Moving back to social encounters... I absolutely agree with you about rp'ing every single thing that happens in an rpg. It drives me batty and I wouldn't want to do it. I refuse to roleplay buying equipment or flirting with the barwench for example. </p><p></p><p>But for more substantive encounters, it comes down to me to what the players want out of an encounter and whether I as a DM think they can get it. Tell me what you're trying to get the npc to do and what you say to him to get him to do it. Keep it simple and direct. No big, flowery speeches or any of that dreck. That's more likely to annoy me than help you. </p><p></p><p>If what you're saying isn't obviously reasonable or unreasonable, I'll roll on the reaction chart, adjust for charisma and whatever other circumstances might exist, and tell you what happens. If you want to continue to engage the npc from there, we repeat the process. I don't see why it requires 3e's bluff, sense motive, intimidate, diplomacy, etc. hierarchy of skills to do it reasonably.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="rogueattorney, post: 5813666, member: 17551"] I can only speak for how I'd run a game, but if I'm running by B/X or 1e game, I'd roll for surprise on the darkmantles. I think that's a pretty clear place where the surprise rules apply. Maybe the monsters would get a bonus. Regardless, there'd be at least a chance that the pcs spot them even if they don't mention the ceiling. But that goes back to what I was saying in my previous post... There's space in the game for both approaches and certainly situations where one method might be more appropriate than the other or serve the group's game better. As for the torch bracket... If they specifically say they're looking at the bracket, they find the silver rod. If they just generally say they're searching the room for secret doors, traps, or whatever, they have their character's normal chance of finding stuff. I'll often default to a 1-2 in 6 if nothing's specified in the rules. If they don't search the room they're not going to find it. I don't think it's bad to allow DMs to set what they think is reasonable. But then, I've generally played with reasonable people and don't know why anyone would bother to do otherwise. I don't think "There's a bed" followed by "I look under the bed" is pixelbitching. To me, pixelbitching is "Do I find anything under the 5th cobblestone over in the third row of cobblestones? Ok, do I find anything under the 6th cobblestone over..." etc. Maybe that's a fine line to others, but the distinction seems pretty clear to me. If there's a non-hidden element to the campaign world, I think the players should engage with it -- the bed in my example, the idol with gemstone eyes, the dungeon door, etc. If there's a hidden element in the campaign world, that's when I go to search/spot/perception checks -- secret doors, traps, the darkmantles in your example. That's just not anything that's ever seemed particularly complicated to me or that ever needed to be spelled out in any rule book. Moving back to social encounters... I absolutely agree with you about rp'ing every single thing that happens in an rpg. It drives me batty and I wouldn't want to do it. I refuse to roleplay buying equipment or flirting with the barwench for example. But for more substantive encounters, it comes down to me to what the players want out of an encounter and whether I as a DM think they can get it. Tell me what you're trying to get the npc to do and what you say to him to get him to do it. Keep it simple and direct. No big, flowery speeches or any of that dreck. That's more likely to annoy me than help you. If what you're saying isn't obviously reasonable or unreasonable, I'll roll on the reaction chart, adjust for charisma and whatever other circumstances might exist, and tell you what happens. If you want to continue to engage the npc from there, we repeat the process. I don't see why it requires 3e's bluff, sense motive, intimidate, diplomacy, etc. hierarchy of skills to do it reasonably. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Social Skills, starting to bug me.
Top