How can I give a Ranger advantage on a check due to Favored Enemy without spoiling the story for the player?












7












$begingroup$


The Scenario



I am the DM for a group who have just entered a town that was attacked by cloud giants a few days before their arrival. The players and characters don't know this though, so part of the mystery is trying to work out what happened.
One of the characters is a Ranger with giants as their Favored Enemy. The Favored Enemy feature says:




You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.




As an example, one of the major clues is the fact there are dozens of boulders scattered around the town that were dropped from a cloud giant castle from a great height. As well as footprints that were left behind when they eventually descended from said castle.



The Problem



Although the Ranger has giants as their favored enemy, it isn't immediately apparent that giants are at fault here (the town has been abandoned so there is no one to ask about what happened). However if the player asks to take a look at the boulders or tracks left behind, I would have to ask them to roll the check with advantage. This will immediately tip the player off that their Favored Enemy ability is coming into play as for anything else, that check would be made as a straight roll.



Obviously if the player succeeds on the check, it won't be a problem, as they would have learned giants were here. But a failure on the check would provide no in-game knowledge for the character, but still float meta-game knowledge in the air for the players.



The Question



Before a Ranger knows what they're looking at, how do I allow a player to use their Favored Enemy ability without providing spoilers on a failed check?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$

















    7












    $begingroup$


    The Scenario



    I am the DM for a group who have just entered a town that was attacked by cloud giants a few days before their arrival. The players and characters don't know this though, so part of the mystery is trying to work out what happened.
    One of the characters is a Ranger with giants as their Favored Enemy. The Favored Enemy feature says:




    You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.




    As an example, one of the major clues is the fact there are dozens of boulders scattered around the town that were dropped from a cloud giant castle from a great height. As well as footprints that were left behind when they eventually descended from said castle.



    The Problem



    Although the Ranger has giants as their favored enemy, it isn't immediately apparent that giants are at fault here (the town has been abandoned so there is no one to ask about what happened). However if the player asks to take a look at the boulders or tracks left behind, I would have to ask them to roll the check with advantage. This will immediately tip the player off that their Favored Enemy ability is coming into play as for anything else, that check would be made as a straight roll.



    Obviously if the player succeeds on the check, it won't be a problem, as they would have learned giants were here. But a failure on the check would provide no in-game knowledge for the character, but still float meta-game knowledge in the air for the players.



    The Question



    Before a Ranger knows what they're looking at, how do I allow a player to use their Favored Enemy ability without providing spoilers on a failed check?










    share|improve this question











    $endgroup$















      7












      7








      7





      $begingroup$


      The Scenario



      I am the DM for a group who have just entered a town that was attacked by cloud giants a few days before their arrival. The players and characters don't know this though, so part of the mystery is trying to work out what happened.
      One of the characters is a Ranger with giants as their Favored Enemy. The Favored Enemy feature says:




      You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.




      As an example, one of the major clues is the fact there are dozens of boulders scattered around the town that were dropped from a cloud giant castle from a great height. As well as footprints that were left behind when they eventually descended from said castle.



      The Problem



      Although the Ranger has giants as their favored enemy, it isn't immediately apparent that giants are at fault here (the town has been abandoned so there is no one to ask about what happened). However if the player asks to take a look at the boulders or tracks left behind, I would have to ask them to roll the check with advantage. This will immediately tip the player off that their Favored Enemy ability is coming into play as for anything else, that check would be made as a straight roll.



      Obviously if the player succeeds on the check, it won't be a problem, as they would have learned giants were here. But a failure on the check would provide no in-game knowledge for the character, but still float meta-game knowledge in the air for the players.



      The Question



      Before a Ranger knows what they're looking at, how do I allow a player to use their Favored Enemy ability without providing spoilers on a failed check?










      share|improve this question











      $endgroup$




      The Scenario



      I am the DM for a group who have just entered a town that was attacked by cloud giants a few days before their arrival. The players and characters don't know this though, so part of the mystery is trying to work out what happened.
      One of the characters is a Ranger with giants as their Favored Enemy. The Favored Enemy feature says:




      You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.




      As an example, one of the major clues is the fact there are dozens of boulders scattered around the town that were dropped from a cloud giant castle from a great height. As well as footprints that were left behind when they eventually descended from said castle.



      The Problem



      Although the Ranger has giants as their favored enemy, it isn't immediately apparent that giants are at fault here (the town has been abandoned so there is no one to ask about what happened). However if the player asks to take a look at the boulders or tracks left behind, I would have to ask them to roll the check with advantage. This will immediately tip the player off that their Favored Enemy ability is coming into play as for anything else, that check would be made as a straight roll.



      Obviously if the player succeeds on the check, it won't be a problem, as they would have learned giants were here. But a failure on the check would provide no in-game knowledge for the character, but still float meta-game knowledge in the air for the players.



      The Question



      Before a Ranger knows what they're looking at, how do I allow a player to use their Favored Enemy ability without providing spoilers on a failed check?







      dnd-5e gm-techniques class-feature ranger metagaming






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited 46 mins ago









      V2Blast

      23.1k374146




      23.1k374146










      asked 2 hours ago









      BradenA8BradenA8

      1,299522




      1,299522






















          6 Answers
          6






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          14












          $begingroup$

          You make the advantage roll in secret



          In situations where I don't want players to know they have advantage/disadvantage for any reason I simply roll a d20 for them myself and work out the results. This usually works out just fine because the players do not know if I am simply rolling an opposed check, for example.



          I also make it a habit to roll d20s behind the screen for no reason which also helps with the ruse.



          This does require that you either know their modifier or keep an eye on what their d20 result was and calculate it from there.



          There is, however, one issue I have found with this method: it messes with abilities that allow players to reroll before knowing the results and things like the Lucky feat so it is not an universally applicable solution.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$









          • 1




            $begingroup$
            Or have them roll the dice (I hate it when my DM rolls for me), let them tell you the result, and then announce whether they succeeded. [Which meand that you can add in the advantage all by yourself]
            $endgroup$
            – Hobbamok
            51 mins ago










          • $begingroup$
            I would say to combine what @Hobbamok with getting in the habit of randomly have characters roll d20 for no reason.
            $endgroup$
            – Kevin
            26 mins ago










          • $begingroup$
            @Hobbamok I'm not sure I understand the suggestion here. Are you saying that you could ask the player to simply roll 2 d20 and then work it out yourself? Isn't that the same as just telling they have advantage/disadvantage, with the only difference being that they know whether it is advantage or disadvantage?
            $endgroup$
            – Sdjz
            23 mins ago





















          4












          $begingroup$

          Roll a second dice behind your screen



          If you want the ranger to unknowingly roll with advantage then this is the simplest solution.



          When the ranger makes his check, roll a second d20 behind your screen, then take the higher of the two rolls (his roll and your roll on his behalf) and give him information based on that, not necessarily the roll he rolled.



          Your players will know something is going on when you roll a check but they won't know exactly what. If this is likely to be problematic at your table then roll a few d20's in advance of the session to use for this purpose and keep a note of the outcomes.






          share|improve this answer











          $endgroup$









          • 1




            $begingroup$
            Well, if the Ranger has advantage, how would you fail because the DM rolled lower then you? There are still two rolls...
            $endgroup$
            – Bookwyrm
            1 hour ago



















          3












          $begingroup$

          You tell them



          "You see scattered boulders that seem to have come from nowhere and large imprints in the ground. Giants have been here!"



          Favoured enemy to me is like passive perception, you don't need to ask about something to recognise it.



          Once they have been told about the giants they still have to make the tracking check, so they only find out so much.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$













          • $begingroup$
            The giant aspect is part of the mystery though. Those boulders could have come from siege engines outside the town, or a large winged creature dropping them from above. Telling them outright without a successful check ruins the mood of the situation.
            $endgroup$
            – BradenA8
            2 hours ago






          • 1




            $begingroup$
            @BradenA8 I think this is a case of agreeing to disagree, but I would never hide knowledge from players, if you know giants (Or anything really) well enough you WILL recognise their signs, even if you can't make out the specifics.
            $endgroup$
            – SeriousBri
            2 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @BradenA8 Are there known winged creatures in the area that drop boulders? Is there a war going on with siege engines? I would assume that there are at least some giants in the area since a ranger specializes in hunting them. Is it reasonable to assume that giants are the most likely cause?
            $endgroup$
            – Captain Man
            5 mins ago



















          3












          $begingroup$

          This is precisely what the passive versions of skills are for



          The recommendations for when to use passive checks are:




          Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster.




          To calculate the passive check value use this formula:




          10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check




          Then compare that value to the DC for the check.



          There are modifiers for advantage (and disadvantage) as it interacts with their passive perception.




          If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. The game refers to a passive check total as a score.




          When I DM I get the players to fill out a character tent with their ability scores, proficiencies and AC that I can then refer to if I need passive check info.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$













          • $begingroup$
            I don't think this is what passive checks are for. The most applicable thing would be "when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice", but the player is likely to want to roll to look into it. It's difficult to not telegraph something is strange if you don't tell them to roll, then it's difficult to act like their super high roll somehow failed or super low roll somehow passed when you're actually using the passive number.
            $endgroup$
            – Captain Man
            3 mins ago










          • $begingroup$
            @CaptainMan The DM calls for rolls not the players. In this case the players say "I want to investigate that" and the DM says (knowing the resolution already) "you see X, Y, Z" and to the ranger (if successful) "you see evidence of giant activity". Not all investigations or perceptions require a roll.
            $endgroup$
            – illustro
            23 secs ago



















          0












          $begingroup$

          Use the rules for a passive check, but with a twist!



          As mentioned in this answer when you're using passive ability checks you add or subtract 5 for advantage/disadvantage, but I disagree that a passive check makes sense here.



          If you're really worried about telegraphing anything to your players then ask the ranger to roll as normal (not with advantage and not as a passive check) but mentally add 5 to what they say (or lower the DC by 5, same thing)! This way you have in a sense given advantage which is mathematically the same as what the rules for passive checks describe but not telegraphed anything.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$





















            -3












            $begingroup$

            How about you say that he is allowed to roll as if it were advantage, but you will decide, without telling him, whether you take the second roll into account depending on whether his skill applies or not.



            Ofcourse, this means that you will have to do this on other occasions as well, to avoid shifting the meta from the problem with advantage rolls on Favoured Enemy, to meta on this "trick".



            (Disclaimer: I'm very noob at D&D so I have no idea if there's anything in the rulebook, or some common practice for this.)






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            $endgroup$









            • 1




              $begingroup$
              This isn't a bad idea for some games I expect, but with the volume of dice rolling in D&D this would unfortunately end up slowing the game too much.
              $endgroup$
              – SeriousBri
              2 hours ago










            • $begingroup$
              SeriousBri: What if you only do it occasionaly? That way it does not give away meta-game, because it can be one of those random moments you can do a double roll that might be advantage, and you won't slow down the game too much because most of the rolls will be regular rolls.
              $endgroup$
              – Opifex
              2 hours ago










            • $begingroup$
              As a player I would find that pretty distracting (And as a DM would never remember lol). There are a few other problems as well; Advantage or disadvantage is a mechanical way of telling the player that their character is really good at something, or in a difficult situation, and being random with this also removes that connection. For example if I didn't have advantage I might prefer to manipulate the situation until I did - this also removes that choice - but then so do the answers about rolling in secret.
              $endgroup$
              – SeriousBri
              2 hours ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. As a solution unique to Roll20 and possibly other virtual tabletops, you can set him to roll always at advantage; then, you can actually take the higher roll on those instances when he does have advantage. With physical dice, this would definitely be tedious, but it's much easier when playing online.
              $endgroup$
              – V2Blast
              43 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              As a small note, if you're playing online on Roll20 then this is already done for you. Every check gives two results, e.g., 14 | 17. You take the higher for advantage, the lower for disadvantage, or the left when you have neither.
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              8 mins ago











            Your Answer





            StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
            return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
            StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
            StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
            });
            });
            }, "mathjax-editing");

            StackExchange.ready(function() {
            var channelOptions = {
            tags: "".split(" "),
            id: "122"
            };
            initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

            StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
            // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
            if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
            StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
            createEditor();
            });
            }
            else {
            createEditor();
            }
            });

            function createEditor() {
            StackExchange.prepareEditor({
            heartbeatType: 'answer',
            autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
            convertImagesToLinks: false,
            noModals: true,
            showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
            reputationToPostImages: null,
            bindNavPrevention: true,
            postfix: "",
            imageUploader: {
            brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
            contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
            allowUrls: true
            },
            noCode: true, onDemand: true,
            discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
            ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
            });


            }
            });














            draft saved

            draft discarded


















            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f141650%2fhow-can-i-give-a-ranger-advantage-on-a-check-due-to-favored-enemy-without-spoili%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown

























            6 Answers
            6






            active

            oldest

            votes








            6 Answers
            6






            active

            oldest

            votes









            active

            oldest

            votes






            active

            oldest

            votes









            14












            $begingroup$

            You make the advantage roll in secret



            In situations where I don't want players to know they have advantage/disadvantage for any reason I simply roll a d20 for them myself and work out the results. This usually works out just fine because the players do not know if I am simply rolling an opposed check, for example.



            I also make it a habit to roll d20s behind the screen for no reason which also helps with the ruse.



            This does require that you either know their modifier or keep an eye on what their d20 result was and calculate it from there.



            There is, however, one issue I have found with this method: it messes with abilities that allow players to reroll before knowing the results and things like the Lucky feat so it is not an universally applicable solution.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$









            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Or have them roll the dice (I hate it when my DM rolls for me), let them tell you the result, and then announce whether they succeeded. [Which meand that you can add in the advantage all by yourself]
              $endgroup$
              – Hobbamok
              51 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              I would say to combine what @Hobbamok with getting in the habit of randomly have characters roll d20 for no reason.
              $endgroup$
              – Kevin
              26 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              @Hobbamok I'm not sure I understand the suggestion here. Are you saying that you could ask the player to simply roll 2 d20 and then work it out yourself? Isn't that the same as just telling they have advantage/disadvantage, with the only difference being that they know whether it is advantage or disadvantage?
              $endgroup$
              – Sdjz
              23 mins ago


















            14












            $begingroup$

            You make the advantage roll in secret



            In situations where I don't want players to know they have advantage/disadvantage for any reason I simply roll a d20 for them myself and work out the results. This usually works out just fine because the players do not know if I am simply rolling an opposed check, for example.



            I also make it a habit to roll d20s behind the screen for no reason which also helps with the ruse.



            This does require that you either know their modifier or keep an eye on what their d20 result was and calculate it from there.



            There is, however, one issue I have found with this method: it messes with abilities that allow players to reroll before knowing the results and things like the Lucky feat so it is not an universally applicable solution.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$









            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Or have them roll the dice (I hate it when my DM rolls for me), let them tell you the result, and then announce whether they succeeded. [Which meand that you can add in the advantage all by yourself]
              $endgroup$
              – Hobbamok
              51 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              I would say to combine what @Hobbamok with getting in the habit of randomly have characters roll d20 for no reason.
              $endgroup$
              – Kevin
              26 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              @Hobbamok I'm not sure I understand the suggestion here. Are you saying that you could ask the player to simply roll 2 d20 and then work it out yourself? Isn't that the same as just telling they have advantage/disadvantage, with the only difference being that they know whether it is advantage or disadvantage?
              $endgroup$
              – Sdjz
              23 mins ago
















            14












            14








            14





            $begingroup$

            You make the advantage roll in secret



            In situations where I don't want players to know they have advantage/disadvantage for any reason I simply roll a d20 for them myself and work out the results. This usually works out just fine because the players do not know if I am simply rolling an opposed check, for example.



            I also make it a habit to roll d20s behind the screen for no reason which also helps with the ruse.



            This does require that you either know their modifier or keep an eye on what their d20 result was and calculate it from there.



            There is, however, one issue I have found with this method: it messes with abilities that allow players to reroll before knowing the results and things like the Lucky feat so it is not an universally applicable solution.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$



            You make the advantage roll in secret



            In situations where I don't want players to know they have advantage/disadvantage for any reason I simply roll a d20 for them myself and work out the results. This usually works out just fine because the players do not know if I am simply rolling an opposed check, for example.



            I also make it a habit to roll d20s behind the screen for no reason which also helps with the ruse.



            This does require that you either know their modifier or keep an eye on what their d20 result was and calculate it from there.



            There is, however, one issue I have found with this method: it messes with abilities that allow players to reroll before knowing the results and things like the Lucky feat so it is not an universally applicable solution.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 2 hours ago









            SdjzSdjz

            12k457100




            12k457100








            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Or have them roll the dice (I hate it when my DM rolls for me), let them tell you the result, and then announce whether they succeeded. [Which meand that you can add in the advantage all by yourself]
              $endgroup$
              – Hobbamok
              51 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              I would say to combine what @Hobbamok with getting in the habit of randomly have characters roll d20 for no reason.
              $endgroup$
              – Kevin
              26 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              @Hobbamok I'm not sure I understand the suggestion here. Are you saying that you could ask the player to simply roll 2 d20 and then work it out yourself? Isn't that the same as just telling they have advantage/disadvantage, with the only difference being that they know whether it is advantage or disadvantage?
              $endgroup$
              – Sdjz
              23 mins ago
















            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Or have them roll the dice (I hate it when my DM rolls for me), let them tell you the result, and then announce whether they succeeded. [Which meand that you can add in the advantage all by yourself]
              $endgroup$
              – Hobbamok
              51 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              I would say to combine what @Hobbamok with getting in the habit of randomly have characters roll d20 for no reason.
              $endgroup$
              – Kevin
              26 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              @Hobbamok I'm not sure I understand the suggestion here. Are you saying that you could ask the player to simply roll 2 d20 and then work it out yourself? Isn't that the same as just telling they have advantage/disadvantage, with the only difference being that they know whether it is advantage or disadvantage?
              $endgroup$
              – Sdjz
              23 mins ago










            1




            1




            $begingroup$
            Or have them roll the dice (I hate it when my DM rolls for me), let them tell you the result, and then announce whether they succeeded. [Which meand that you can add in the advantage all by yourself]
            $endgroup$
            – Hobbamok
            51 mins ago




            $begingroup$
            Or have them roll the dice (I hate it when my DM rolls for me), let them tell you the result, and then announce whether they succeeded. [Which meand that you can add in the advantage all by yourself]
            $endgroup$
            – Hobbamok
            51 mins ago












            $begingroup$
            I would say to combine what @Hobbamok with getting in the habit of randomly have characters roll d20 for no reason.
            $endgroup$
            – Kevin
            26 mins ago




            $begingroup$
            I would say to combine what @Hobbamok with getting in the habit of randomly have characters roll d20 for no reason.
            $endgroup$
            – Kevin
            26 mins ago












            $begingroup$
            @Hobbamok I'm not sure I understand the suggestion here. Are you saying that you could ask the player to simply roll 2 d20 and then work it out yourself? Isn't that the same as just telling they have advantage/disadvantage, with the only difference being that they know whether it is advantage or disadvantage?
            $endgroup$
            – Sdjz
            23 mins ago






            $begingroup$
            @Hobbamok I'm not sure I understand the suggestion here. Are you saying that you could ask the player to simply roll 2 d20 and then work it out yourself? Isn't that the same as just telling they have advantage/disadvantage, with the only difference being that they know whether it is advantage or disadvantage?
            $endgroup$
            – Sdjz
            23 mins ago















            4












            $begingroup$

            Roll a second dice behind your screen



            If you want the ranger to unknowingly roll with advantage then this is the simplest solution.



            When the ranger makes his check, roll a second d20 behind your screen, then take the higher of the two rolls (his roll and your roll on his behalf) and give him information based on that, not necessarily the roll he rolled.



            Your players will know something is going on when you roll a check but they won't know exactly what. If this is likely to be problematic at your table then roll a few d20's in advance of the session to use for this purpose and keep a note of the outcomes.






            share|improve this answer











            $endgroup$









            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Well, if the Ranger has advantage, how would you fail because the DM rolled lower then you? There are still two rolls...
              $endgroup$
              – Bookwyrm
              1 hour ago
















            4












            $begingroup$

            Roll a second dice behind your screen



            If you want the ranger to unknowingly roll with advantage then this is the simplest solution.



            When the ranger makes his check, roll a second d20 behind your screen, then take the higher of the two rolls (his roll and your roll on his behalf) and give him information based on that, not necessarily the roll he rolled.



            Your players will know something is going on when you roll a check but they won't know exactly what. If this is likely to be problematic at your table then roll a few d20's in advance of the session to use for this purpose and keep a note of the outcomes.






            share|improve this answer











            $endgroup$









            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Well, if the Ranger has advantage, how would you fail because the DM rolled lower then you? There are still two rolls...
              $endgroup$
              – Bookwyrm
              1 hour ago














            4












            4








            4





            $begingroup$

            Roll a second dice behind your screen



            If you want the ranger to unknowingly roll with advantage then this is the simplest solution.



            When the ranger makes his check, roll a second d20 behind your screen, then take the higher of the two rolls (his roll and your roll on his behalf) and give him information based on that, not necessarily the roll he rolled.



            Your players will know something is going on when you roll a check but they won't know exactly what. If this is likely to be problematic at your table then roll a few d20's in advance of the session to use for this purpose and keep a note of the outcomes.






            share|improve this answer











            $endgroup$



            Roll a second dice behind your screen



            If you want the ranger to unknowingly roll with advantage then this is the simplest solution.



            When the ranger makes his check, roll a second d20 behind your screen, then take the higher of the two rolls (his roll and your roll on his behalf) and give him information based on that, not necessarily the roll he rolled.



            Your players will know something is going on when you roll a check but they won't know exactly what. If this is likely to be problematic at your table then roll a few d20's in advance of the session to use for this purpose and keep a note of the outcomes.







            share|improve this answer














            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 45 mins ago









            V2Blast

            23.1k374146




            23.1k374146










            answered 2 hours ago









            TiggerousTiggerous

            8,83343776




            8,83343776








            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Well, if the Ranger has advantage, how would you fail because the DM rolled lower then you? There are still two rolls...
              $endgroup$
              – Bookwyrm
              1 hour ago














            • 1




              $begingroup$
              Well, if the Ranger has advantage, how would you fail because the DM rolled lower then you? There are still two rolls...
              $endgroup$
              – Bookwyrm
              1 hour ago








            1




            1




            $begingroup$
            Well, if the Ranger has advantage, how would you fail because the DM rolled lower then you? There are still two rolls...
            $endgroup$
            – Bookwyrm
            1 hour ago




            $begingroup$
            Well, if the Ranger has advantage, how would you fail because the DM rolled lower then you? There are still two rolls...
            $endgroup$
            – Bookwyrm
            1 hour ago











            3












            $begingroup$

            You tell them



            "You see scattered boulders that seem to have come from nowhere and large imprints in the ground. Giants have been here!"



            Favoured enemy to me is like passive perception, you don't need to ask about something to recognise it.



            Once they have been told about the giants they still have to make the tracking check, so they only find out so much.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$













            • $begingroup$
              The giant aspect is part of the mystery though. Those boulders could have come from siege engines outside the town, or a large winged creature dropping them from above. Telling them outright without a successful check ruins the mood of the situation.
              $endgroup$
              – BradenA8
              2 hours ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              @BradenA8 I think this is a case of agreeing to disagree, but I would never hide knowledge from players, if you know giants (Or anything really) well enough you WILL recognise their signs, even if you can't make out the specifics.
              $endgroup$
              – SeriousBri
              2 hours ago










            • $begingroup$
              @BradenA8 Are there known winged creatures in the area that drop boulders? Is there a war going on with siege engines? I would assume that there are at least some giants in the area since a ranger specializes in hunting them. Is it reasonable to assume that giants are the most likely cause?
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              5 mins ago
















            3












            $begingroup$

            You tell them



            "You see scattered boulders that seem to have come from nowhere and large imprints in the ground. Giants have been here!"



            Favoured enemy to me is like passive perception, you don't need to ask about something to recognise it.



            Once they have been told about the giants they still have to make the tracking check, so they only find out so much.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$













            • $begingroup$
              The giant aspect is part of the mystery though. Those boulders could have come from siege engines outside the town, or a large winged creature dropping them from above. Telling them outright without a successful check ruins the mood of the situation.
              $endgroup$
              – BradenA8
              2 hours ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              @BradenA8 I think this is a case of agreeing to disagree, but I would never hide knowledge from players, if you know giants (Or anything really) well enough you WILL recognise their signs, even if you can't make out the specifics.
              $endgroup$
              – SeriousBri
              2 hours ago










            • $begingroup$
              @BradenA8 Are there known winged creatures in the area that drop boulders? Is there a war going on with siege engines? I would assume that there are at least some giants in the area since a ranger specializes in hunting them. Is it reasonable to assume that giants are the most likely cause?
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              5 mins ago














            3












            3








            3





            $begingroup$

            You tell them



            "You see scattered boulders that seem to have come from nowhere and large imprints in the ground. Giants have been here!"



            Favoured enemy to me is like passive perception, you don't need to ask about something to recognise it.



            Once they have been told about the giants they still have to make the tracking check, so they only find out so much.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$



            You tell them



            "You see scattered boulders that seem to have come from nowhere and large imprints in the ground. Giants have been here!"



            Favoured enemy to me is like passive perception, you don't need to ask about something to recognise it.



            Once they have been told about the giants they still have to make the tracking check, so they only find out so much.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 2 hours ago









            SeriousBriSeriousBri

            5,99521748




            5,99521748












            • $begingroup$
              The giant aspect is part of the mystery though. Those boulders could have come from siege engines outside the town, or a large winged creature dropping them from above. Telling them outright without a successful check ruins the mood of the situation.
              $endgroup$
              – BradenA8
              2 hours ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              @BradenA8 I think this is a case of agreeing to disagree, but I would never hide knowledge from players, if you know giants (Or anything really) well enough you WILL recognise their signs, even if you can't make out the specifics.
              $endgroup$
              – SeriousBri
              2 hours ago










            • $begingroup$
              @BradenA8 Are there known winged creatures in the area that drop boulders? Is there a war going on with siege engines? I would assume that there are at least some giants in the area since a ranger specializes in hunting them. Is it reasonable to assume that giants are the most likely cause?
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              5 mins ago


















            • $begingroup$
              The giant aspect is part of the mystery though. Those boulders could have come from siege engines outside the town, or a large winged creature dropping them from above. Telling them outright without a successful check ruins the mood of the situation.
              $endgroup$
              – BradenA8
              2 hours ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              @BradenA8 I think this is a case of agreeing to disagree, but I would never hide knowledge from players, if you know giants (Or anything really) well enough you WILL recognise their signs, even if you can't make out the specifics.
              $endgroup$
              – SeriousBri
              2 hours ago










            • $begingroup$
              @BradenA8 Are there known winged creatures in the area that drop boulders? Is there a war going on with siege engines? I would assume that there are at least some giants in the area since a ranger specializes in hunting them. Is it reasonable to assume that giants are the most likely cause?
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              5 mins ago
















            $begingroup$
            The giant aspect is part of the mystery though. Those boulders could have come from siege engines outside the town, or a large winged creature dropping them from above. Telling them outright without a successful check ruins the mood of the situation.
            $endgroup$
            – BradenA8
            2 hours ago




            $begingroup$
            The giant aspect is part of the mystery though. Those boulders could have come from siege engines outside the town, or a large winged creature dropping them from above. Telling them outright without a successful check ruins the mood of the situation.
            $endgroup$
            – BradenA8
            2 hours ago




            1




            1




            $begingroup$
            @BradenA8 I think this is a case of agreeing to disagree, but I would never hide knowledge from players, if you know giants (Or anything really) well enough you WILL recognise their signs, even if you can't make out the specifics.
            $endgroup$
            – SeriousBri
            2 hours ago




            $begingroup$
            @BradenA8 I think this is a case of agreeing to disagree, but I would never hide knowledge from players, if you know giants (Or anything really) well enough you WILL recognise their signs, even if you can't make out the specifics.
            $endgroup$
            – SeriousBri
            2 hours ago












            $begingroup$
            @BradenA8 Are there known winged creatures in the area that drop boulders? Is there a war going on with siege engines? I would assume that there are at least some giants in the area since a ranger specializes in hunting them. Is it reasonable to assume that giants are the most likely cause?
            $endgroup$
            – Captain Man
            5 mins ago




            $begingroup$
            @BradenA8 Are there known winged creatures in the area that drop boulders? Is there a war going on with siege engines? I would assume that there are at least some giants in the area since a ranger specializes in hunting them. Is it reasonable to assume that giants are the most likely cause?
            $endgroup$
            – Captain Man
            5 mins ago











            3












            $begingroup$

            This is precisely what the passive versions of skills are for



            The recommendations for when to use passive checks are:




            Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster.




            To calculate the passive check value use this formula:




            10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check




            Then compare that value to the DC for the check.



            There are modifiers for advantage (and disadvantage) as it interacts with their passive perception.




            If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. The game refers to a passive check total as a score.




            When I DM I get the players to fill out a character tent with their ability scores, proficiencies and AC that I can then refer to if I need passive check info.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$













            • $begingroup$
              I don't think this is what passive checks are for. The most applicable thing would be "when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice", but the player is likely to want to roll to look into it. It's difficult to not telegraph something is strange if you don't tell them to roll, then it's difficult to act like their super high roll somehow failed or super low roll somehow passed when you're actually using the passive number.
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              3 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              @CaptainMan The DM calls for rolls not the players. In this case the players say "I want to investigate that" and the DM says (knowing the resolution already) "you see X, Y, Z" and to the ranger (if successful) "you see evidence of giant activity". Not all investigations or perceptions require a roll.
              $endgroup$
              – illustro
              23 secs ago
















            3












            $begingroup$

            This is precisely what the passive versions of skills are for



            The recommendations for when to use passive checks are:




            Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster.




            To calculate the passive check value use this formula:




            10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check




            Then compare that value to the DC for the check.



            There are modifiers for advantage (and disadvantage) as it interacts with their passive perception.




            If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. The game refers to a passive check total as a score.




            When I DM I get the players to fill out a character tent with their ability scores, proficiencies and AC that I can then refer to if I need passive check info.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$













            • $begingroup$
              I don't think this is what passive checks are for. The most applicable thing would be "when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice", but the player is likely to want to roll to look into it. It's difficult to not telegraph something is strange if you don't tell them to roll, then it's difficult to act like their super high roll somehow failed or super low roll somehow passed when you're actually using the passive number.
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              3 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              @CaptainMan The DM calls for rolls not the players. In this case the players say "I want to investigate that" and the DM says (knowing the resolution already) "you see X, Y, Z" and to the ranger (if successful) "you see evidence of giant activity". Not all investigations or perceptions require a roll.
              $endgroup$
              – illustro
              23 secs ago














            3












            3








            3





            $begingroup$

            This is precisely what the passive versions of skills are for



            The recommendations for when to use passive checks are:




            Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster.




            To calculate the passive check value use this formula:




            10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check




            Then compare that value to the DC for the check.



            There are modifiers for advantage (and disadvantage) as it interacts with their passive perception.




            If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. The game refers to a passive check total as a score.




            When I DM I get the players to fill out a character tent with their ability scores, proficiencies and AC that I can then refer to if I need passive check info.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$



            This is precisely what the passive versions of skills are for



            The recommendations for when to use passive checks are:




            Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster.




            To calculate the passive check value use this formula:




            10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check




            Then compare that value to the DC for the check.



            There are modifiers for advantage (and disadvantage) as it interacts with their passive perception.




            If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. The game refers to a passive check total as a score.




            When I DM I get the players to fill out a character tent with their ability scores, proficiencies and AC that I can then refer to if I need passive check info.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 1 hour ago









            illustroillustro

            7,10022063




            7,10022063












            • $begingroup$
              I don't think this is what passive checks are for. The most applicable thing would be "when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice", but the player is likely to want to roll to look into it. It's difficult to not telegraph something is strange if you don't tell them to roll, then it's difficult to act like their super high roll somehow failed or super low roll somehow passed when you're actually using the passive number.
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              3 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              @CaptainMan The DM calls for rolls not the players. In this case the players say "I want to investigate that" and the DM says (knowing the resolution already) "you see X, Y, Z" and to the ranger (if successful) "you see evidence of giant activity". Not all investigations or perceptions require a roll.
              $endgroup$
              – illustro
              23 secs ago


















            • $begingroup$
              I don't think this is what passive checks are for. The most applicable thing would be "when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice", but the player is likely to want to roll to look into it. It's difficult to not telegraph something is strange if you don't tell them to roll, then it's difficult to act like their super high roll somehow failed or super low roll somehow passed when you're actually using the passive number.
              $endgroup$
              – Captain Man
              3 mins ago










            • $begingroup$
              @CaptainMan The DM calls for rolls not the players. In this case the players say "I want to investigate that" and the DM says (knowing the resolution already) "you see X, Y, Z" and to the ranger (if successful) "you see evidence of giant activity". Not all investigations or perceptions require a roll.
              $endgroup$
              – illustro
              23 secs ago
















            $begingroup$
            I don't think this is what passive checks are for. The most applicable thing would be "when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice", but the player is likely to want to roll to look into it. It's difficult to not telegraph something is strange if you don't tell them to roll, then it's difficult to act like their super high roll somehow failed or super low roll somehow passed when you're actually using the passive number.
            $endgroup$
            – Captain Man
            3 mins ago




            $begingroup$
            I don't think this is what passive checks are for. The most applicable thing would be "when the DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice", but the player is likely to want to roll to look into it. It's difficult to not telegraph something is strange if you don't tell them to roll, then it's difficult to act like their super high roll somehow failed or super low roll somehow passed when you're actually using the passive number.
            $endgroup$
            – Captain Man
            3 mins ago












            $begingroup$
            @CaptainMan The DM calls for rolls not the players. In this case the players say "I want to investigate that" and the DM says (knowing the resolution already) "you see X, Y, Z" and to the ranger (if successful) "you see evidence of giant activity". Not all investigations or perceptions require a roll.
            $endgroup$
            – illustro
            23 secs ago




            $begingroup$
            @CaptainMan The DM calls for rolls not the players. In this case the players say "I want to investigate that" and the DM says (knowing the resolution already) "you see X, Y, Z" and to the ranger (if successful) "you see evidence of giant activity". Not all investigations or perceptions require a roll.
            $endgroup$
            – illustro
            23 secs ago











            0












            $begingroup$

            Use the rules for a passive check, but with a twist!



            As mentioned in this answer when you're using passive ability checks you add or subtract 5 for advantage/disadvantage, but I disagree that a passive check makes sense here.



            If you're really worried about telegraphing anything to your players then ask the ranger to roll as normal (not with advantage and not as a passive check) but mentally add 5 to what they say (or lower the DC by 5, same thing)! This way you have in a sense given advantage which is mathematically the same as what the rules for passive checks describe but not telegraphed anything.






            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$


















              0












              $begingroup$

              Use the rules for a passive check, but with a twist!



              As mentioned in this answer when you're using passive ability checks you add or subtract 5 for advantage/disadvantage, but I disagree that a passive check makes sense here.



              If you're really worried about telegraphing anything to your players then ask the ranger to roll as normal (not with advantage and not as a passive check) but mentally add 5 to what they say (or lower the DC by 5, same thing)! This way you have in a sense given advantage which is mathematically the same as what the rules for passive checks describe but not telegraphed anything.






              share|improve this answer









              $endgroup$
















                0












                0








                0





                $begingroup$

                Use the rules for a passive check, but with a twist!



                As mentioned in this answer when you're using passive ability checks you add or subtract 5 for advantage/disadvantage, but I disagree that a passive check makes sense here.



                If you're really worried about telegraphing anything to your players then ask the ranger to roll as normal (not with advantage and not as a passive check) but mentally add 5 to what they say (or lower the DC by 5, same thing)! This way you have in a sense given advantage which is mathematically the same as what the rules for passive checks describe but not telegraphed anything.






                share|improve this answer









                $endgroup$



                Use the rules for a passive check, but with a twist!



                As mentioned in this answer when you're using passive ability checks you add or subtract 5 for advantage/disadvantage, but I disagree that a passive check makes sense here.



                If you're really worried about telegraphing anything to your players then ask the ranger to roll as normal (not with advantage and not as a passive check) but mentally add 5 to what they say (or lower the DC by 5, same thing)! This way you have in a sense given advantage which is mathematically the same as what the rules for passive checks describe but not telegraphed anything.







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered 11 mins ago









                Captain ManCaptain Man

                27218




                27218























                    -3












                    $begingroup$

                    How about you say that he is allowed to roll as if it were advantage, but you will decide, without telling him, whether you take the second roll into account depending on whether his skill applies or not.



                    Ofcourse, this means that you will have to do this on other occasions as well, to avoid shifting the meta from the problem with advantage rolls on Favoured Enemy, to meta on this "trick".



                    (Disclaimer: I'm very noob at D&D so I have no idea if there's anything in the rulebook, or some common practice for this.)






                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    $endgroup$









                    • 1




                      $begingroup$
                      This isn't a bad idea for some games I expect, but with the volume of dice rolling in D&D this would unfortunately end up slowing the game too much.
                      $endgroup$
                      – SeriousBri
                      2 hours ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      SeriousBri: What if you only do it occasionaly? That way it does not give away meta-game, because it can be one of those random moments you can do a double roll that might be advantage, and you won't slow down the game too much because most of the rolls will be regular rolls.
                      $endgroup$
                      – Opifex
                      2 hours ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      As a player I would find that pretty distracting (And as a DM would never remember lol). There are a few other problems as well; Advantage or disadvantage is a mechanical way of telling the player that their character is really good at something, or in a difficult situation, and being random with this also removes that connection. For example if I didn't have advantage I might prefer to manipulate the situation until I did - this also removes that choice - but then so do the answers about rolling in secret.
                      $endgroup$
                      – SeriousBri
                      2 hours ago






                    • 1




                      $begingroup$
                      Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. As a solution unique to Roll20 and possibly other virtual tabletops, you can set him to roll always at advantage; then, you can actually take the higher roll on those instances when he does have advantage. With physical dice, this would definitely be tedious, but it's much easier when playing online.
                      $endgroup$
                      – V2Blast
                      43 mins ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      As a small note, if you're playing online on Roll20 then this is already done for you. Every check gives two results, e.g., 14 | 17. You take the higher for advantage, the lower for disadvantage, or the left when you have neither.
                      $endgroup$
                      – Captain Man
                      8 mins ago
















                    -3












                    $begingroup$

                    How about you say that he is allowed to roll as if it were advantage, but you will decide, without telling him, whether you take the second roll into account depending on whether his skill applies or not.



                    Ofcourse, this means that you will have to do this on other occasions as well, to avoid shifting the meta from the problem with advantage rolls on Favoured Enemy, to meta on this "trick".



                    (Disclaimer: I'm very noob at D&D so I have no idea if there's anything in the rulebook, or some common practice for this.)






                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    $endgroup$









                    • 1




                      $begingroup$
                      This isn't a bad idea for some games I expect, but with the volume of dice rolling in D&D this would unfortunately end up slowing the game too much.
                      $endgroup$
                      – SeriousBri
                      2 hours ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      SeriousBri: What if you only do it occasionaly? That way it does not give away meta-game, because it can be one of those random moments you can do a double roll that might be advantage, and you won't slow down the game too much because most of the rolls will be regular rolls.
                      $endgroup$
                      – Opifex
                      2 hours ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      As a player I would find that pretty distracting (And as a DM would never remember lol). There are a few other problems as well; Advantage or disadvantage is a mechanical way of telling the player that their character is really good at something, or in a difficult situation, and being random with this also removes that connection. For example if I didn't have advantage I might prefer to manipulate the situation until I did - this also removes that choice - but then so do the answers about rolling in secret.
                      $endgroup$
                      – SeriousBri
                      2 hours ago






                    • 1




                      $begingroup$
                      Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. As a solution unique to Roll20 and possibly other virtual tabletops, you can set him to roll always at advantage; then, you can actually take the higher roll on those instances when he does have advantage. With physical dice, this would definitely be tedious, but it's much easier when playing online.
                      $endgroup$
                      – V2Blast
                      43 mins ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      As a small note, if you're playing online on Roll20 then this is already done for you. Every check gives two results, e.g., 14 | 17. You take the higher for advantage, the lower for disadvantage, or the left when you have neither.
                      $endgroup$
                      – Captain Man
                      8 mins ago














                    -3












                    -3








                    -3





                    $begingroup$

                    How about you say that he is allowed to roll as if it were advantage, but you will decide, without telling him, whether you take the second roll into account depending on whether his skill applies or not.



                    Ofcourse, this means that you will have to do this on other occasions as well, to avoid shifting the meta from the problem with advantage rolls on Favoured Enemy, to meta on this "trick".



                    (Disclaimer: I'm very noob at D&D so I have no idea if there's anything in the rulebook, or some common practice for this.)






                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    $endgroup$



                    How about you say that he is allowed to roll as if it were advantage, but you will decide, without telling him, whether you take the second roll into account depending on whether his skill applies or not.



                    Ofcourse, this means that you will have to do this on other occasions as well, to avoid shifting the meta from the problem with advantage rolls on Favoured Enemy, to meta on this "trick".



                    (Disclaimer: I'm very noob at D&D so I have no idea if there's anything in the rulebook, or some common practice for this.)







                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer






                    New contributor




                    Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    answered 2 hours ago









                    OpifexOpifex

                    7




                    7




                    New contributor




                    Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.





                    New contributor





                    Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    Opifex is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.








                    • 1




                      $begingroup$
                      This isn't a bad idea for some games I expect, but with the volume of dice rolling in D&D this would unfortunately end up slowing the game too much.
                      $endgroup$
                      – SeriousBri
                      2 hours ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      SeriousBri: What if you only do it occasionaly? That way it does not give away meta-game, because it can be one of those random moments you can do a double roll that might be advantage, and you won't slow down the game too much because most of the rolls will be regular rolls.
                      $endgroup$
                      – Opifex
                      2 hours ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      As a player I would find that pretty distracting (And as a DM would never remember lol). There are a few other problems as well; Advantage or disadvantage is a mechanical way of telling the player that their character is really good at something, or in a difficult situation, and being random with this also removes that connection. For example if I didn't have advantage I might prefer to manipulate the situation until I did - this also removes that choice - but then so do the answers about rolling in secret.
                      $endgroup$
                      – SeriousBri
                      2 hours ago






                    • 1




                      $begingroup$
                      Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. As a solution unique to Roll20 and possibly other virtual tabletops, you can set him to roll always at advantage; then, you can actually take the higher roll on those instances when he does have advantage. With physical dice, this would definitely be tedious, but it's much easier when playing online.
                      $endgroup$
                      – V2Blast
                      43 mins ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      As a small note, if you're playing online on Roll20 then this is already done for you. Every check gives two results, e.g., 14 | 17. You take the higher for advantage, the lower for disadvantage, or the left when you have neither.
                      $endgroup$
                      – Captain Man
                      8 mins ago














                    • 1




                      $begingroup$
                      This isn't a bad idea for some games I expect, but with the volume of dice rolling in D&D this would unfortunately end up slowing the game too much.
                      $endgroup$
                      – SeriousBri
                      2 hours ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      SeriousBri: What if you only do it occasionaly? That way it does not give away meta-game, because it can be one of those random moments you can do a double roll that might be advantage, and you won't slow down the game too much because most of the rolls will be regular rolls.
                      $endgroup$
                      – Opifex
                      2 hours ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      As a player I would find that pretty distracting (And as a DM would never remember lol). There are a few other problems as well; Advantage or disadvantage is a mechanical way of telling the player that their character is really good at something, or in a difficult situation, and being random with this also removes that connection. For example if I didn't have advantage I might prefer to manipulate the situation until I did - this also removes that choice - but then so do the answers about rolling in secret.
                      $endgroup$
                      – SeriousBri
                      2 hours ago






                    • 1




                      $begingroup$
                      Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. As a solution unique to Roll20 and possibly other virtual tabletops, you can set him to roll always at advantage; then, you can actually take the higher roll on those instances when he does have advantage. With physical dice, this would definitely be tedious, but it's much easier when playing online.
                      $endgroup$
                      – V2Blast
                      43 mins ago










                    • $begingroup$
                      As a small note, if you're playing online on Roll20 then this is already done for you. Every check gives two results, e.g., 14 | 17. You take the higher for advantage, the lower for disadvantage, or the left when you have neither.
                      $endgroup$
                      – Captain Man
                      8 mins ago








                    1




                    1




                    $begingroup$
                    This isn't a bad idea for some games I expect, but with the volume of dice rolling in D&D this would unfortunately end up slowing the game too much.
                    $endgroup$
                    – SeriousBri
                    2 hours ago




                    $begingroup$
                    This isn't a bad idea for some games I expect, but with the volume of dice rolling in D&D this would unfortunately end up slowing the game too much.
                    $endgroup$
                    – SeriousBri
                    2 hours ago












                    $begingroup$
                    SeriousBri: What if you only do it occasionaly? That way it does not give away meta-game, because it can be one of those random moments you can do a double roll that might be advantage, and you won't slow down the game too much because most of the rolls will be regular rolls.
                    $endgroup$
                    – Opifex
                    2 hours ago




                    $begingroup$
                    SeriousBri: What if you only do it occasionaly? That way it does not give away meta-game, because it can be one of those random moments you can do a double roll that might be advantage, and you won't slow down the game too much because most of the rolls will be regular rolls.
                    $endgroup$
                    – Opifex
                    2 hours ago












                    $begingroup$
                    As a player I would find that pretty distracting (And as a DM would never remember lol). There are a few other problems as well; Advantage or disadvantage is a mechanical way of telling the player that their character is really good at something, or in a difficult situation, and being random with this also removes that connection. For example if I didn't have advantage I might prefer to manipulate the situation until I did - this also removes that choice - but then so do the answers about rolling in secret.
                    $endgroup$
                    – SeriousBri
                    2 hours ago




                    $begingroup$
                    As a player I would find that pretty distracting (And as a DM would never remember lol). There are a few other problems as well; Advantage or disadvantage is a mechanical way of telling the player that their character is really good at something, or in a difficult situation, and being random with this also removes that connection. For example if I didn't have advantage I might prefer to manipulate the situation until I did - this also removes that choice - but then so do the answers about rolling in secret.
                    $endgroup$
                    – SeriousBri
                    2 hours ago




                    1




                    1




                    $begingroup$
                    Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. As a solution unique to Roll20 and possibly other virtual tabletops, you can set him to roll always at advantage; then, you can actually take the higher roll on those instances when he does have advantage. With physical dice, this would definitely be tedious, but it's much easier when playing online.
                    $endgroup$
                    – V2Blast
                    43 mins ago




                    $begingroup$
                    Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. As a solution unique to Roll20 and possibly other virtual tabletops, you can set him to roll always at advantage; then, you can actually take the higher roll on those instances when he does have advantage. With physical dice, this would definitely be tedious, but it's much easier when playing online.
                    $endgroup$
                    – V2Blast
                    43 mins ago












                    $begingroup$
                    As a small note, if you're playing online on Roll20 then this is already done for you. Every check gives two results, e.g., 14 | 17. You take the higher for advantage, the lower for disadvantage, or the left when you have neither.
                    $endgroup$
                    – Captain Man
                    8 mins ago




                    $begingroup$
                    As a small note, if you're playing online on Roll20 then this is already done for you. Every check gives two results, e.g., 14 | 17. You take the higher for advantage, the lower for disadvantage, or the left when you have neither.
                    $endgroup$
                    – Captain Man
                    8 mins ago


















                    draft saved

                    draft discarded




















































                    Thanks for contributing an answer to Role-playing Games Stack Exchange!


                    • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                    But avoid



                    • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                    • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                    Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


                    To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                    draft saved


                    draft discarded














                    StackExchange.ready(
                    function () {
                    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f141650%2fhow-can-i-give-a-ranger-advantage-on-a-check-due-to-favored-enemy-without-spoili%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                    }
                    );

                    Post as a guest















                    Required, but never shown





















































                    Required, but never shown














                    Required, but never shown












                    Required, but never shown







                    Required, but never shown

































                    Required, but never shown














                    Required, but never shown












                    Required, but never shown







                    Required, but never shown







                    Popular posts from this blog

                    Magento 2 controller redirect on button click in phtml file

                    Polycentropodidae