I'm still split on that - the scratches should probably be a challenge to find, though the bloodstains on the wall might be easy (severe DC, then no check). The stains tip them off, the scratches pretty much straight-up tell any character past a 6 Int level 1 that "there's a trap, right here"

Oh believe me when i say, don't overestimate players

IMO traps should be encounters (ish), which implies some level of multiple challenges - finding there is something going on > it's a trap > where exactly the trap is > bypassing the trap (via disable, etc.)

But yeah the scratches would be a perception check

I might also just normally play with pretty brilliant people (I'd classify them as such, at least)

Lel

I play with Art students, so... (Warning! This is a joke, please refrain from taking this as if i was insulting people's intelligence because of their carreer choices, I love my players and we are good friends)

Always one of the issues with discussing GM techniques with others - we're conditioned to look at situations through the lens of "how would my players deal with this". I, for example, play with some brilliant people - they're all creative and sometimes silly. But another group might not have as much fun with "the paladin's house is sentient, and used to be the High Priest of the dwarven city a few mountains over before he left"

@Delioth Did you mean house in there, or horse?

My group loves it when they miss a couple perception checks and the trap-hall turns into a frantic Indiana-Jones style "run for your lives" encounter. Other groups might be upset that they just got thrown into a situation which could very easily kill one of them if they played it wrong (they played it well so no-one was even injured, but they loved it and it felt exhilarating to them because of the advancing wall of flames)

Because a sentient high priest house would be pretty cool

@GreySage I mean house

Rock didn't talk much, just a few grunts usually.

Well, I certainly am still experimenting with this group, they are my friends but I don't know what they exactly like, they like fighting, they like drama, they like everything I throw at them apparently

But he was a good house (more of a stone hut, really). The Oread in our party who lived in him forgot to turn off the stove when he left, but Rock has his back

which always puts me on edge because I innevitably fear that I am actually not doing it well and they don't want to tell me to not offend me (Even if i put it clearly that I legit don't mind and if any appreciate criticism)

Also can we talk about why Leomund's tiny hut is not a ritual?

I get it, I get it "But smol unbreakable dome is op"

@Ghiojo That's also a valid sentiment, and is most of the reason a lot of that group's adventures are really silly (re: House, which then grunted on accident making it now obviously sentient, which then later wrapped back around to become the high priest who just "left" one day)

But come on, same with Mordekainen's Mansion. Why would anyone spend a lvl 6 spell slot to make a mansion that only lasts 24 hours? Unless it's done for like when you all survived and you somehow have a 6th lvl spell slot left

(Don't get me wrong, I am legitimately picking both spells as a wizard

Unsure. Don't play 5e, and certainly haven't played higher-level casters. Normally GM, elsewise I tend more towards the big dumb brutes

@Ghiojo Because the spells that would be most useful as rituals invariably aren't allowed to be used as rituals. cf Knock, Mage Armor, and so on.

Ok, so I touched on this recently, asking about managing parties to avoid unbalancing for combat in games; I.e. the Barbarian vs the Healer in the midst of battle, where all the combats are weighted for the Barb, and the healer spends the entire fight just healing himself.

@Ghiojo MMM is 7th, but it's basically designed for extended dungeon delving and other such scenarios where you have to take long rests in hostile terrain, where there is the risk of wandering monsters and discovery

The main situation where this is an issue is Pathfinder. We have a Bloodrager, a Druid, and a Cleric (I believe). He's the non-combat healer class.

a 7th level slot to almost ensure that you can have a proper rest undetected is well worth it, given it allows you to recover all your spell slots

@Carcer yeah, exactly -- this sort of thing is rather handy when you're stuck out in the extraplanar boonies for a good, long time and have no idea what might trip over you while you're trying to take a nap

@Ben Short answer is that healing really sucks in pathfinder. Making a dedicated healer is signing up to be bored.

Well fair enough. Fun fact: He was the guy that had actually played many times before lol

Also: played the Dark Souls board game yesterday. It's fun once you understand how it works

@Ben That does seem to be a flaw of Dark Souls games in general (they don't tell you how any thing works)

@GreySage Haha this is true.

Technically :P

But there is a big booklet full of rules to read.

And it actually makes sense - unlike fallout :P

I'd suggest this ^^ is not a problem with stat-generation methods per se.

Agreed - but perhaps part of the actual problem is that maybe the player wants to be in control.

Get away with things

Who knows. That one just jumped off the page at me =)

Very Old Man Henderson-ey, it seemed.

Indeed.