Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="TBeholder" data-source="post: 4530006" data-attributes="member: 41606">Quick answer: Use walkthrough, because such a silly situation can appear only in CRPG. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Serious answer: Encounter including poetry contest would not look completely crazy in some settings, e.g. vaguely Japan or Arabian, or places where bard class is used widely. But if you run such a setting, you must know that this challenge happens, and so already have mechanics. Perform(poetry) or "Poetry" proficiency from AD&D 2 The Complete Bard's Handbook... that's moot point: just one skill, not too hard to add or adopt if needed. More important is that either quickest, sneakiest or aesthetically perfect answer can be valued more, sometimes such rhyme would involve allusions - Innuendo, Knowledge(something).I mean, even though one variant resemble another, ultimately it's setting-depended thing, and even in one setting it's situation-depended. No guarantee of single-check resolution, and rulebooks would not give all possible variants. So -Final answer: ideal variant is something that combines checks better than 3ed; otherwise indiffirent.  Well, of course it's best played, not rolled, but just like with diplomacy skills, basic mechanics adds uncertainty and helps to avoid going OOC. Why not tell rhyme and then make check, to determine audience reaction ? Or why not to adjust roll depending on request details, much like in other situations ?  I agree: by the same token, “oh, your PC searched chap's room as quickly as possible and found this and this” is less satisfying than “<my PC> looks under bed” - “nothing but chamber-pot, it stinks.” - “carefully tilts mirror's top and look what's behind or stuck on backside...”- “there's some parchment, it's folded”. First approach is surefire hazard-killer. But this does not means second should not involve any roll, right ?..</blockquote>

Verification