player-challenge-03-detections

Player Challenge #03 Detections

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0893

Grab all the character sheets.

Scan each and note special sense and detection abilities.

You’ll probably just get stuff from the wizard, psion, and cleric types. But maybe races or other character traits will give you ideas too.

Focus on one detection ability at a time.

For each, think how you could hide or disguise something if you crank it up to 11.

Then let the players try to figure out how to detect the thing.

For example, let’s say the wizard can cast a silence spell.

What would happen if everything was really loud?

Stuff would start to vibrate.

Therefore, the hidden thing naturally vibrates. It’s hidden in a room where the noise is so loud it’s not only a hazard but it makes everything vibrate.

Cast a silence spell and now the only thing left vibrating is the object hidden in the drawer or behind the painting.

Think about the opposite.

What if the thing made a slight noise? The whole area has a permanent silence cast upon it. Will the wizard think to reverse her spell so the party can hear the only thing making noise?

Use character senses to create an interesting player challenges next game.