Timeline for What happens when a rogue tries to disarm a trap they couldn't investigate?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
8 events
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| Feb 15, 2018 at 23:12 | comment | added | Quaternion | Also just to be sure, ensure you have their passive perceptions noted... You don't want them rolling perception checks for obvious things, just slows the story down. There are no hard rules but I would set the DC for traps without further background information, if the rouge takes the initiative to form an investigation check to understand the traps consequence and succeeds then lowering the DC by a bit then sounds reasonable. I personally like good puzzles and sometimes will even provide a trap that could be used by the players for their own ends if they should investigate it. | |
| Feb 15, 2018 at 21:26 | comment | added | SeraphsWrath | For the purposes of having a complete answer, I would add that in the 5e SRD and Player's Guide, as well as in the helpful online Compendium from Roll20 that contains this sourced information, the DM can call for a roll for Investigation if they so wish. "You might call for an Intelligence (Investigation) check for a character to deduce what needs to be done, followed by a Dexterity check using thieves’ tools to perform the necessary sabotage." | |
| Feb 15, 2018 at 20:41 | comment | added | Segfault | To be a complete answer, I think you should add what typically happens when the first "detection" skill fails, which is of course that the trap is unnoticed and then triggered. If the player is alerted to the trap by some other means, like a map or warning from a cryptic ghost, then the first "detection" check can be skipped. I think this is the source of OPs confusion. | |
| Feb 15, 2018 at 18:36 | comment | added | T.E.D. | @SeriousBri - That's about the best use of the extra check I can think of. Realize the more checks you add for them to pass, the more likely it will be for the poor rogue to fail. | |
| Feb 15, 2018 at 16:22 | comment | added | Runescape | I might have excuses to make to my rogue player then, he's failed a lot of investigation checks and I ruled it to give disadvantage to his disable trap checks. Thank you! | |
| Feb 15, 2018 at 16:21 | vote | accept | Runescape | ||
| Feb 15, 2018 at 15:28 | comment | added | SeriousBri | This seems to cover it. In instances where the extra check is made that is usually to grant advantage or disadvantage on the actual roll. So if you spot and understand the trap you might make the check with advantage, or it might cancel out a natural disadvantage from it being a complex trap. | |
| Feb 15, 2018 at 15:22 | history | answered | Quadratic Wizard | CC BY-SA 3.0 |