What can you do with a hide check of 40?

[Lizard Lips]

One of my players was able to roll a hide check of 40 during the last session. He convinced me (it was the end of the night and I was tired) that he'd be able to sneak past the two Gnoll sentries guarding the ten foot wide passage to their lair. Now considering I had forgotten about the Gnoll's scent ability to detect even invisible foes, what can you do with a hide of 40? Can you slip right by a sentry, within two or three feet of them?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Hmmm. I don't know if it helps, but the Epic Level book says that if you want to "hide another" it's done at -30 on the roll. Not much else besides that.

 

[ForceUser]

Can you slip right by a sentry, within two or three feet of them?

With a concurrent Sneak roll, sure, why not? Remember, Hide keeps you from being seen. Sneak lets you move past them silently.

 

[Crothian]

Hide is opposed by spot, so they would need to roll a spot check of 40 to spot hi, Now, you might rule that there is nothing to hide in for him to sneak past. Plus he'd have to make a move silently roll to avoid being heard.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

The check still has to be plausible. A hide check in conjunction with a climb check could have had them crawling along the ceiling. Even as tall as Gnolls are, that might have worked, (sans scent of course, ). A hide check would be all but impossible if you are in a tight corridor and can only come from one direction. Thats why they have abilities such as Hide in Plain Sight, the extraordinary ability to fade away even if you are observed. It depends on how abstract a game you run. IMC, we don't use the battle grid system in our game, so combat manuvers are more subjective, but our battles are shorter and less complex, which we like. If I want to lob a fireball, I had better win initiative, or risk loosing it while allies are in melee.

If you like abstract, you could consider the skill check to represent your ability to find loopholes, like crawling along the ceiling. If not, than the skill check more than not represents your ability not to make a mistake that gives you away, and you have to think of a plausible explaination as to why you get the chance.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

Just a side thought, it's something like a -2 to listen for every ten feet between the two, so you might do something like a +1 or 2 spot and listen for each foot under ten.

 

[Hejdun]

The only relevant thing, I think, is whether or not there was actually anything to hide behind where the gnolls were guarding. You can't just hide in the middle of a plain tunnel, you have to have shadows, a few boxes, something to hide behind.