Question. I’ve never DM’d obviously, but outside of combat I assumed the success threshold was something the DM made up on the spot based on how hard the task/situation should be and does not explicitly communicate that to the players. Is that what happens?
I would rather know my roll so I can imagine for myself how much of my character’s capability went into the attempt. Failing a check after rolling a 2 vs rolling a 19 affects how I play from then on, similar to how I think it would affect my character psychologically. If you try to climb a wall and fail without knowing the roll, would you try again? I hope that made sense.
The book gives you examples of how DCs should translates to the world. Is this vaulting a head high wall, climbing a crumbling 2-story building, or scaling the outside of a tower in a storm? That need to know the number is only a problem when the table lets numbers replace story.
“You back up to get a running start and trip on a misplaced cobblestone just before you reach the wall.” = you rolled a 2 and failed
“You latch into the crevices between bricks and skillfully clamber up until the window is within sight. There is only a one, last leap to make, when the brick beneath your anchor leg crumbles and gives way. You landed winded, but someone else might now chart a better route.” = you rolled an 18 and only just failed
“You built as much speed as you could and manage to launch up against the rain-slick tower but your fingers fail to find any purchase, and you scrabble helplessly back to the ground.” = You rolled a 19 and weren’t even close to a success
I like that, great way to hint at the roll without revealing it. I would like if my DMs did this, but I’ve only played in very combat-focused campaigns so rolls outside of fights were rare and narrative was scant.
I usually would tell players the target number. Their character would typically have a sense of how hard something is, more so than a desk job nerd sitting comfortably at home trying to imagine climbing a brick wall. If I say climbing the wall is difficult enough they have slim odds, they can then make an informed choice.
DND is also largely missing meta game currency, degree of success, and succeed at a cost. All of those change how the game works, and make hidden rolls less appealing.
For stuff like “there’s a hidden trap” or “they’re lying to you”, you don’t want players to enter into meta game “I know there’s something here so I’m going to be extra cautious” mode. I often find a hazard they can see and need to deal with is better than a hidden surprise. Like, all those black tiles shoot negative energy out when stepped on. And also a lot of Zombies just woke up and are shambling towards the tiles floor. Enjoy!
Personally I like how games like Fate you can mechanically reward players for going along with it. DND almost has that with Inspiration, but it’s very under baked.
DND is also especially loosey-goosey about target numbers aside from physical combat defenses and damage.
Another system might have a more explicit “To bully your way past someone, roll your provoke vs their will” combined with “the bouncer’s will score is 2”. DND has vague rules no one uses for “asking a favor”.
Sorry for a long unfocused answer. Happy to talk about whatever if you have questions
Short version: No, not every game has target numbers.
Long version: within the d&d context, DCs set by the DM have only existed for about half of d&d’s history, starting with 3e. Before that, “skill checks” worked in a few different ways including percentile dice compared to level, rolling under the most relevant ability score, or just rolling a d6. Outside the d&d context, my gut says that arbitrary target numbers are less common than fixed ones or ranges. In my experience, they’re faster and simpler, too.
Question. I’ve never DM’d obviously, but outside of combat I assumed the success threshold was something the DM made up on the spot based on how hard the task/situation should be and does not explicitly communicate that to the players. Is that what happens?
I would rather know my roll so I can imagine for myself how much of my character’s capability went into the attempt. Failing a check after rolling a 2 vs rolling a 19 affects how I play from then on, similar to how I think it would affect my character psychologically. If you try to climb a wall and fail without knowing the roll, would you try again? I hope that made sense.
The book gives you examples of how DCs should translates to the world. Is this vaulting a head high wall, climbing a crumbling 2-story building, or scaling the outside of a tower in a storm? That need to know the number is only a problem when the table lets numbers replace story.
“You back up to get a running start and trip on a misplaced cobblestone just before you reach the wall.” = you rolled a 2 and failed
“You latch into the crevices between bricks and skillfully clamber up until the window is within sight. There is only a one, last leap to make, when the brick beneath your anchor leg crumbles and gives way. You landed winded, but someone else might now chart a better route.” = you rolled an 18 and only just failed
“You built as much speed as you could and manage to launch up against the rain-slick tower but your fingers fail to find any purchase, and you scrabble helplessly back to the ground.” = You rolled a 19 and weren’t even close to a success
I like that, great way to hint at the roll without revealing it. I would like if my DMs did this, but I’ve only played in very combat-focused campaigns so rolls outside of fights were rare and narrative was scant.
It depends on the system and GM style.
I usually would tell players the target number. Their character would typically have a sense of how hard something is, more so than a desk job nerd sitting comfortably at home trying to imagine climbing a brick wall. If I say climbing the wall is difficult enough they have slim odds, they can then make an informed choice.
DND is also largely missing meta game currency, degree of success, and succeed at a cost. All of those change how the game works, and make hidden rolls less appealing.
For stuff like “there’s a hidden trap” or “they’re lying to you”, you don’t want players to enter into meta game “I know there’s something here so I’m going to be extra cautious” mode. I often find a hazard they can see and need to deal with is better than a hidden surprise. Like, all those black tiles shoot negative energy out when stepped on. And also a lot of Zombies just woke up and are shambling towards the tiles floor. Enjoy!
Personally I like how games like Fate you can mechanically reward players for going along with it. DND almost has that with Inspiration, but it’s very under baked.
DND is also especially loosey-goosey about target numbers aside from physical combat defenses and damage.
Another system might have a more explicit “To bully your way past someone, roll your provoke vs their will” combined with “the bouncer’s will score is 2”. DND has vague rules no one uses for “asking a favor”.
Sorry for a long unfocused answer. Happy to talk about whatever if you have questions
Short version: No, not every game has target numbers.
Long version: within the d&d context, DCs set by the DM have only existed for about half of d&d’s history, starting with 3e. Before that, “skill checks” worked in a few different ways including percentile dice compared to level, rolling under the most relevant ability score, or just rolling a d6. Outside the d&d context, my gut says that arbitrary target numbers are less common than fixed ones or ranges. In my experience, they’re faster and simpler, too.