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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 6751298" data-attributes="member: 6801286">This is what I meant, and I'd like to expand on this a little. Asking the players for more information, does not mean the roll or skill is negated completely. It has simply not come into play yet. Asking for more information, is something I think all DM's should do with almost everything in the game, including all actions and yes, even attacking. Its after the player has stated their approach, that the DM can determine the difficulty of the action. Depending on the action, a roll might not be needed. It could fail or succeed without rolling. You should only roll dice when the outcome is uncertain. It the DM rules that an action can impossibly fail/succeed, then why roll dice?Now suppose the players are trying to persuade an npc to sell them an important item, but the npc is unwilling to do so. This would require a diplomacy check. Now you could just have them roll for diplomacy, OR you could first ask them how they intent to persuade the npc, and then determine the DC based on that. Maybe the players have some information about the item, which would make the npc very willing to get rid of it. Maybe they can convince the npc that the item is cursed, by showing the wounds on the body of one of their party members, even if this is a lie. This would probably be a bluff check instead. Maybe the players convince the npc that the item is very valuable, and so convincing him to sell it to them actually becomes harder, because he raises the price.The same can happen during combat. Maybe one of the players comes up with some really cool way to attack a monster. "I pick up the mirror and hold it in front of me, facing the medusa!". OR "I leap from the overhanging rock, onto the back of the giant!". Ask the players how their character approaches the situation, rather than asking them what game-action they want to take.</blockquote>

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