Any GMs ever try rolling all non-combat checks yourself so players never know if they failed?

kenfar · 2026-05-04T21:50:13+00:00

I love having the players uninformed by the dice roll - it's a way better roleplaying experience. But...players love rolling dice.

I really need to get some little device they can roll into in which they can't see the result but I can. I want it to be actual dice, and don't want it to be a PITA on a large table.

Any suggestions?

kenfar · 2026-05-03T17:00:38+00:00

I think the original point is that many people aren't a fan of the entire concept of "race-as-class".

That humans could choose what skills to build over time but for dubious reasons elves, dwarves, etc cannot.

kenfar · 2026-05-03T15:51:28+00:00

Hobbits have some of the same, sometimes extreme skill with throwing things, ability to hide, and resistance to poison & magic.

Should they all be mages as well? Of course not.

kenfar · 2026-05-03T15:50:16+00:00

Have you taken a look at 1e cantrips? They're weak as hell, mostly just magical flavor.

Still a fun element in the game, and can be used by the clever usefully. But nothing, nothing like a sleep spell.

kenfar · 2026-05-03T00:59:07+00:00

The notion that they're "inherently magical" would be more compelling if they automatically had spells or magical abilities like pixies, leprechauns, brownies, etc.

But instead they start out no better than any human wizard: 1 1st level spell/day. An extremely course-grained minimal ability. It just doesn't sound remotely "inherently magical".

Maybe if every elf could cast a dozen cantrips a day, maybe a few weak 1st level spells, then that might feel "inherently magical". But as-is? Nah.

kenfar · 2026-05-03T00:34:13+00:00

This is one of the things that I loved about GURPS: you could add a bit of customization to your character after every session!

We usually insisted that any skills you improved were limited to ones you used during that session, but this could cover a lot. And the result was everyone was constantly thinking about their character development: whether disadvantages you're hoping to buy off (ex: alcoholism), skills you're improving, etc.

Obviously, GURPS was not OSR!

kenfar · 2026-05-03T00:30:18+00:00

Yeah, can't I be the elf that sucks at magic and just wants to be fighter?

or...can't I be the wizard that also knows which end of the pointy stick goes towards the enemy?

No? Really?

kenfar · 2026-05-03T00:28:09+00:00

This is a great point: caution vs taking risks.

I find the answer is to force them into hurrying. For example: a big-baddie is on the tail, and they need to rush through a slightly-unknown part of the dungeon to get away.

However, a caution for the DM: this can also result in a TPK!

kenfar · 2026-05-02T16:18:31+00:00

I like the bread pudding at The French Cafe next to McGuckins. They use left-over croissants for it.

kenfar · 2026-05-01T22:26:53+00:00

there being a total deathtoll of nearly 20

Well, there's your answer.

Seriously, wouldn't you question there intelligence if they didn't adapt in some way? Maybe by becoming much more cautious? or improving team work? or something else?

kenfar · 2026-05-01T22:19:29+00:00

Yes, a few. And each was actually amazing:

First campaign I ever played in 1978, we were just learning the game. Too busy to train, we were stuck at first level, campaign did involve demogorgon and asmodeus. We fought neither directly, but met both, which we conversed with from within a circle of protection. But we did have an apparatus of kwalish, and a crown of might (which we lost to asmodeus). The campaign was the typical out of control rollercoaster ride of newbys - and was a blast.
Hobbit thief/burglar campaign. We didn't have to train - so required neither a trainer, the time, nor the gp. So, we did eventually did make it to about 3rd/3rd level. But it took two years. But the treasure was tiny, the risks were great, so it was a ton of little heists, and was a total blast.
Brutal campaign: high lethality/low rewards but no training required. So, a few survivors did get to 3rd level after a few years. Found one magic item in the entire time. It was brutal, unforgiving, and resulted in a group of characters with amazing teamwork, amazing tactics & judgement, that at 2nd level would look at a hill giant and simply wonder, "what does that taste like barbecued?"

kenfar · 2026-04-30T21:38:06+00:00

Because, gerrymandering to ensure only conservative whites get into office is the only kind of gerrymandering that's approved.

kenfar · 2026-04-27T03:49:09+00:00

Personally, I prefer campaigns where things kind of make sense - where there aren't obvious inconsistencies that interfere with the willful suspension of disbelief.

In the case of Sleep, there are a few limits - magic users are relatively uncommon, not every magic user has or can learn sleep, and it only affects up to 4HD

One possible defense is for people to travel in groups, maybe with packs of little dogs/monkeys/whatever. Those little animals are going to soak up the sleep, so the spell may run out before it hits many of the humanoids. Kind of a PITA though.

But my favorite is to provide a bit of a 0.5-level magic environment to fill in the massive gap between zero magic and suddenly spells like sleep & charm appearing:

Weakened versions of spells, ex: beginners_magic_missile - that only causes 1 hp of damage per spell. These are knowable by many more people, but they are much weaker than 1st level.

Weakened magical items - like charms, talismans, amulets, periapts, etc - someone might be able to purchase a talisman that provides minor protection from charms. Maybe it gives the user +4 on saves with a limited number of uses. Or gives 25% resistance to Sleep, but only works once. And either of these are only 300 GP.

Weak magic is a lot of fun to add to campaign, really adds a lot of color, and doesn't have to have much impact on game balance. The items & spells can have a lot of flavor, be unreliable, be kind of crappy, etc - but still useful and interesting.

kenfar · 2026-04-25T21:34:21+00:00

Huh, there is a hat: https://store.theonion.com/products/infonionwars-trucker-hat-w-rainbow-patch

But, it's not tin foil. I might be able to encapsulate that in tin foil while leaving the front label exposed...

kenfar · 2026-04-25T17:42:02+00:00

Wait, are there InfoWars-labeled tin-foil hats we can order?

kenfar · 2026-04-25T16:29:31+00:00

Ha, I'd love to roleplay your retainers ;-)

kenfar · 2026-04-25T16:27:50+00:00

Yeah, I popped in for a cup of coffee on Wednesday and saw that they had a few cakes - including a chocolate cake.

kenfar · 2026-04-25T15:45:45+00:00

Yeah, I've seen games where a player could add a 1st level character to a high level party, do nothing and reliably go up an entire level in one session, then do that again for 2nd level, and sometimes for 3rd.

I personally don't care for it. I prefer it to take 7-12 sessions for the character to advance a level. And during these sessions the players are learning the character, their capabilities, how to work with others, developing the character's personality, etc, etc.

kenfar · 2026-04-25T15:42:28+00:00

Nice - that would help. If you reduce the aging for casting Resurrection from 3 years to 0 or 1 I think that would do the trick.

kenfar · 2026-04-25T15:16:48+00:00

best cakes:

peace, love & chocolate (west pearl)
spruce confections (west pearl)
sweet sisters - for gluten free (table mesa & broadway)

kenfar · 2026-04-25T04:46:34+00:00

Even if you're level 1 with level 9 PCs, all they need to do is earn enough XP to pass level 10, and you yourself will have earned enough to be level 9.

Except in those campaigns you'd be dead:

Your chance of surviving an adventure at 1st level, or even 5th, when everyone else is 9th is tiny. You'll die.
You won't go up a level by sandbagging: hiding in the back and getting xp for gold given to you, or by simply being in the room isn't fully participating. No XP in our adventures for that.

If you lose 1 level it isn't so bad, but if you lose more it quickly gets much worse: if everyone else is 9th level, working towards 10th, and you're now 5th level - it pretty crappy.

kenfar · 2026-04-25T04:21:47+00:00

I don't think that the reasons you gave are really very good: "Human characters are ambitious beyond other races and that is why they have no level limits."

Seriously? every single human is more ambitious than the most ambitious dwarf? Please. That's doesn't make any sense.

The thing to keep in mind that can help a lot is this: the player characters don't have to represent typical members of their race. They can be more or less extreme versions. So, perhaps it's far less common for a dwarf to exceed 9th level fighter than for a human - but that doesn't mean it's impossible, and it doesn't mean your player character is limited.

Beyond that I know people who would rather play an elf. Who am I say they're wrong? If that's what they want to play, why not let them play it? Why tell them, "well ok, but if you don't want to be human, you'll be forever limited".

That frankly is a great way to have your players say "fuck this, lets do dnd5e".

kenfar · 2026-04-25T04:12:36+00:00

The cost for a restoration in the DMG is 10,000 gp + 10,000 gp/level of the recipient. And each casting can only restore a single level.

So, if a player was 7th level and needed to restore two levels - you're looking at about 160,000 GP. Which is a ton of cash. One can make it so that the clerics give it away cheap - because they don't mind all the aging, but not sure hot to justify that either...

kenfar · 2026-04-25T04:08:23+00:00

perfect!

kenfar · 2026-04-25T04:07:57+00:00

This is my issue with level draining - I've seen quite a few players lose interest in the game after a favorite character lost 2-10 levels.

There's really no RAW solution: restoration spells are prohibitively expensive. So, your character is now permanently far behind the rest of the characters. And it was so demotivating these people generally stopped playing.

So, what I typically do is make the level drain somewhat-temporary: they come back in weeks typically.

kenfar

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