8 thoughts on “Mastering Dungeons – UA: Giant Options”

1. Not that your game design ideals don’t have merit, but in regards to the Castle Cragmaw lure in Lost Mine of Phandelver, I think you’re overlooking the reality of the situation. All of the lure in this adventure is purely for flavor and non of it is critical for the PCs. Relying on an ability check shows the players that there are benefits to being proficient in those skills. Ignoring these abilities and proficiencies teaches the players that these knowledge-based proficiencies are not necessary, and potentially penalizes PCs who have dedicated resources to be proficient in those skills. What I do wish this starter adventure would point out is that passive checks can be used for all this unnecessary information, so that a passive:
   * DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check identifies the deities that were once revered in Cragmaw Castle (and that the builders of the castle were human).
   * DC 15 Intelligence (History) check recalls the beginning of the adventure Background.
   * DC 15 Intelligence (History) check recognizes that Talon once belonged to a great knight named
   Aldith Tresendar, known as the Black Hawk, who died fighting off the orcs that attacked through
   the hidden caverns below the manor.
   * DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes Kost’s tattoo as a necromantic symbol.
   * DC 10 Intelligence (History) check identifies Kost’s garb as that usual for Thay, a land far to the east where wizards pattern their flesh with tattoos.
   * DC 15 Intelligence (History) check recognizes the depiction of the leaning statue as depicting an old hero of Neverwinter named Palien, who supposedly defeated several monsters in Neverwinter
   Wood when Thundertree was first founded.
   * DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the brazier as the source of the magic that suffuses the surrounding caverns.

   Also, why are you equating moving with throwing? I would think moving would be more like shoving, where–unless the rules specify otherwise–throwing would require a grappling check. And the Jumping rules provide a precedent for distinguishing between moving horizontally and vertically. I would apply similar logic to trying to throw someone up vertically.

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   1. I think the passive approach is a fine way to go about it. I personally like to have players roll, as I find it drives engagement. I like to play to the roll, meaning they are likely to get some information regardless, and more based on the roll. This may feel like a passive, especially if their background supports that, but a high roll provides more.

      As far as I can tell, moving is not a throw or a jump (though you can jump as part of your movement). The feature says you “move it to an unoccupied space” within 30′. It might be against their will, and in that case there is a saving throw (not an opposed check, as there would be with a push or grapple). Nothing in the wording prevents vertical movement, and the feature covers the situation where you are placed where there is no surface, so it seems to me that diagonal vertical movement is allowed. If that’s not the intention, it needs to be reworded!

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2. Whoops: lore

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3. Thanks for answering my question! I looked in more detail about how Lost Mine of Phandelver was handling knowledge checks (compiled below), and realized it wasn’t even consistent : sometimes it will give characters the lore if they’re merely proficient in the skill, other times it will require a check. That lines up with your different approaches to it.

   # Automatic success if proficient

   > Any character proficient in Arcana can see that Iarno’s apparatus appears to be set up to brew potions of invisibility—not that he has succeeded so far.

   > Any character who has proficiency in Religion recognizes the deity.

   > Any character proficient in Arcana can sense a subtle aura of magic in this cavern.

   # Check

   > If the party hasn’t already learned details of the mine from Sildar Hallwinter, a character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (History) check can relate the information from the first two paragraphs of the “Background” section at the start of the adventure.

   > A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (History) check recognizes the sword and recalls this lore.

   > A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes Kost’s tattoo as a necromantic symbol. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (History) check verifies the garb as that usual for Thay, a land far to the east where wizards pattern their flesh with tattoos. The tattoo on the head represents a wizard’s school of magic. Kost’s school is necromancy.

   > A character who studies the statue recognizes the depiction with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (History) check.

   # Check with condition

   > Any cleric who examines the chapel’s decor can attempt a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check to identify the deities that were once revered here: Oghma (god of knowledge), Mystra (goddess of magic), Lathander (god of dawn), and Tymora (goddess of luck). This is an obvious sign that the builders of the castle were human.

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   1. I suspect (though I don’t know), that the inconsistency is reflecting the author’s preference. That in some cases they like to handle it one way, and in another they like to handle it a different way. I am a bit this way myself, with situations where I really like to at times reward a player for their concept (a cleric) with asking them to do a check, and I might just simply give them the answer if they are a cleric of one of those deities. In other cases, I might have everyone roll. I’m not sure there is a wrong answer, as long as you are intentional in your choice and make that approach fun for the players.

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