So Vince... I know you said you don't want to ask your DM to enforce online rolling, but... is there any chance you could get a roll-bot set up in your discord? It's not that hard to get a bot set up, and once it's set up, rather than demand everyone ELSE use it... you use it. That is, set the example. Start rolling in the open. When asking to do this, just say you'd like to try it, you think it's cool (even if you really don't), or you are tired of your dice always falling off the table when you roll them, etc. Make it be that YOU want to do online rolling.
If you can get this to happen, then I suspect you may see what happened in my group when we started using Foundry. We had been playing using Powerpoint and doing rolling of physical dice. We used Astral, and still rolled physical dice. Then we switched to Foundry and I installed the 3D dice mod (Dice So Nice!), and just showed people how to use it, but did not ask them to. The first night, one person tried it a few times, and nobody else used it. That person decided he liked it. A couple of sessions later, a second player was using it, and only I and one player were rolling by hand. Then that last hold-out player did the online rolling. And soon nobody was rolling physical dice but me. I am the last hold-out. ;)
My point is, online rolling is fast, convenient, and in many ways easier and less troublesome than manual rolling. It'll add up 8d6 for you really quickly, etc. You don't need to use a VTT... just a bot in Discord. And maybe, just maybe, as the DM and the other players (except the cheater) see how convenient it is, they will all start using it like my group did. Then once everyone but the cheater is using it, then it may be that the DM will tell him to use it too, so that you are all using the same system.
Maybe it won't work... but maybe it will. "Lead by example," and all that.
Bio. It is a very good idea. I had a look last night at the channel the DM had set up. I was hoping one was already set up, but the standard commands did not work (keep in mind, I have never used a bot, so googled some of the typical formats.).
So technical questions:
1. Do I install a dice bot on my instance of Discord, even though I have no control over the channel we use, or does channel controller have to do that?
2. What is a decent (and more importantly, simple) one? I want one with the smallest amount of typing. "!2d6 +3" is and example of the simplest command I could find.
3. The channel we use has multiple sub-channels set up by the DM. Titles like General, Source Materials, stuff like that. If a dice bot is set up, does it work across all sub-channels?
1.) The server admin, or someone with server admin permissions, has to invite the bot onto the Discord server. You can ask your DM to do it if he controls the server, or ask him to set up a Bot Summoner role with limited admin permissions if you want to volunteer to be the bot wrangler for your server.
2.) We've started using Dice Maiden in our Discord, since RPBot died. It's not Avrae, but we prefer that - Avrae has a ton of other junk it can do which is awesome for tables that want it, but all we want is a simple, no-nonsense dice roller that takes basic dice expressions and outputs numbers for us, and Dice Maiden has delivered. The command is simply "!roll [Dice Expression]", which is all we really want the bot to do.
3.) By default, bots work across all channels, but it's possible to limit their permissions once they're invited such that they only work in a given channel/channels. For most bots, anyways. I'm not much up on my bot wrangling, all I do for my server is invite the durned things and then rely on people to roll in the appropriate channels, but I believe most bots can be configured to only function in a given set of channels if that's important to your group.
Another cool thing about online rollers is that you have a record of what you rolled. Not necessarily for spot-checking other players, but if the DM is having everybody throw dice for a big saving throw or Initiative or such - or if a DM wants to use a given roll over a long stretch of gaming, such as a Perception roll made to keep watch while traveling - you have a record of it. DDB's in-sheet roller is better for that since it automatically labels rolls, I think Avrae does too, but you can simply say something like "Star, perception roll for keeping watch while traveling", post that, then enter your dice expression. For Dice Maiden specifically (just tested it fifteen seconds ago) you can label a roll by entering your dice expression first, line breaking, then giving the roll a name. Like so:
!roll 1d20+2 Star, Initiative roll [Enter/Submit]
The bot will spit out the associated roll, and the DM will know what that roll was for. If it matters for a given roll, anyways.
Just tested it again, and Dice Maiden is convenient enough to pick up on a command no matter where you enter it in a given post. So long as the roll command is in its own line with no other text, you can write whatever else you'd like in the post. As follows:
Example 1:
!roll 1d20+2 Star, Initiative [Enter/Submit]
Example 2:
Rolling initiative for Star !roll 1d20+2 [Enter/Submit]
Invalid Example: Rolling Initiative for Star !roll 1d20+2 [Enter/Submit]
So folks, we are back to the starting point again..
The DM runs the server. I have to ask the DM to install the Dice roller bot. And we have circled back to the statement I have made before: he is going to ask "why do you want this when rolling dice has worked well already." And as I have said before, if I had not picked up on the rolls of that guy, I would be in total agreement with that sentiment.
I will give another more mechanical reason. I checked this out yesterday.
Visualize the game: Everyone has their mic and camera set up, but the camera is irrelevant to the actual game. 95% of the time, the DM fires up the ability for us to click on "watch stream" which is us looking at a Powerpoint setup on his computer. And yeah, this Powerpoint is vastly superior to Roll20. I have used it when I tried to DM online, and this DM tried it as well, and we both hated the fact that what takes him 30 seconds to rough out in Powerpoint takes 20 minutes in Roll20. It does not look nearly as pretty as Roll 20 or any other online VTT, but is quick, and smooth. Suggesting we switch that up is a no-go.
So here we are, as players, in the one audio/video channel, that does not have a capability for typing or seeing text from other players. So players, and DM, now have to jump to our "general" channel, to type and view dice rolls, the jump back to "view the stream", as opposed to staying focused on a single channel. There is no justification I can give to the DM to go through all those hoops to use a Dice bot, let alone ask him to install one so we can "test it out".
So folks, we are back to the starting point again..
The DM runs the server. I have to ask the DM to install the Dice roller bot. And we have circled back to the statement I have made before: he is going to ask "why do you want this when rolling dice has worked well already." And as I have said before, if I had not picked up on the rolls of that guy, I would be in total agreement with that sentiment.
I will give another more mechanical reason. I checked this out yesterday.
Visualize the game: Everyone has their mic and camera set up, but the camera is irrelevant to the actual game. 95% of the time, the DM fires up the ability for us to click on "watch stream" which is us looking at a Powerpoint setup on his computer. And yeah, this Powerpoint is vastly superior to Roll20. I have used it when I tried to DM online, and this DM tried it as well, and we both hated the fact that what takes him 30 seconds to rough out in Powerpoint takes 20 minutes in Roll20. It does not look nearly as pretty as Roll 20 or any other online VTT, but is quick, and smooth. Suggesting we switch that up is a no-go.
So here we are, as players, in the one audio/video channel, that does not have a capability for typing or seeing text from other players. So players, and DM, now have to jump to our "general" channel, to type and view dice rolls, the jump back to "view the stream", as opposed to staying focused on a single channel. There is no justification I can give to the DM to go through all those hoops to use a Dice bot, let alone ask him to install one so we can "test it out".
Well, if you daren't even ask it can't be that big of a problem. How about "hey, I've heard about this really cool online diceroller that I think it would be fun to try out. Mind if we try it?"
So folks, we are back to the starting point again..
The DM runs the server. I have to ask the DM to install the Dice roller bot. And we have circled back to the statement I have made before: he is going to ask "why do you want this when rolling dice has worked well already." And as I have said before, if I had not picked up on the rolls of that guy, I would be in total agreement with that sentiment.
I will give another more mechanical reason. I checked this out yesterday.
Visualize the game: Everyone has their mic and camera set up, but the camera is irrelevant to the actual game. 95% of the time, the DM fires up the ability for us to click on "watch stream" which is us looking at a Powerpoint setup on his computer. And yeah, this Powerpoint is vastly superior to Roll20. I have used it when I tried to DM online, and this DM tried it as well, and we both hated the fact that what takes him 30 seconds to rough out in Powerpoint takes 20 minutes in Roll20. It does not look nearly as pretty as Roll 20 or any other online VTT, but is quick, and smooth. Suggesting we switch that up is a no-go.
So here we are, as players, in the one audio/video channel, that does not have a capability for typing or seeing text from other players. So players, and DM, now have to jump to our "general" channel, to type and view dice rolls, the jump back to "view the stream", as opposed to staying focused on a single channel. There is no justification I can give to the DM to go through all those hoops to use a Dice bot, let alone ask him to install one so we can "test it out".
Well, if you daren't even ask it can't be that big of a problem. How about "hey, I've heard about this really cool online diceroller that I think it would be fun to try out. Mind if we try it?"
I think we have established that this is a big problem. Or I have established that that guy's dice rolling is a big problem. And sorry, asking for the installation of a "really cool online diceroller" for the group to try out is a no-go. I can ask for it so I can try it out.
So folks, we are back to the starting point again..
The DM runs the server. I have to ask the DM to install the Dice roller bot. And we have circled back to the statement I have made before: he is going to ask "why do you want this when rolling dice has worked well already." And as I have said before, if I had not picked up on the rolls of that guy, I would be in total agreement with that sentiment.
I will give another more mechanical reason. I checked this out yesterday.
Visualize the game: Everyone has their mic and camera set up, but the camera is irrelevant to the actual game. 95% of the time, the DM fires up the ability for us to click on "watch stream" which is us looking at a Powerpoint setup on his computer. And yeah, this Powerpoint is vastly superior to Roll20. I have used it when I tried to DM online, and this DM tried it as well, and we both hated the fact that what takes him 30 seconds to rough out in Powerpoint takes 20 minutes in Roll20. It does not look nearly as pretty as Roll 20 or any other online VTT, but is quick, and smooth. Suggesting we switch that up is a no-go.
So here we are, as players, in the one audio/video channel, that does not have a capability for typing or seeing text from other players. So players, and DM, now have to jump to our "general" channel, to type and view dice rolls, the jump back to "view the stream", as opposed to staying focused on a single channel. There is no justification I can give to the DM to go through all those hoops to use a Dice bot, let alone ask him to install one so we can "test it out".
Well, if you daren't even ask it can't be that big of a problem. How about "hey, I've heard about this really cool online diceroller that I think it would be fun to try out. Mind if we try it?"
I think we have established that this is a big problem. Or I have established that that guy's dice rolling is a big problem. And sorry, asking for the installation of a "really cool online diceroller" for the group to try out is a no-go. I can ask for it so I can try it out.
How do you know that if you daren't even ask? It almost seems that you don't want to try that solution.
Because I know the DM. He and I are of the same generation, and have many similar opinions on life. You do get to know someone when you sit with them for hours at a time once a week for over a year, let alone text chats in Discord. I can ask for said installation as a personal experiment for me and me alone, but I simply can't force it on the group.
So folks, we are back to the starting point again..
The DM runs the server. I have to ask the DM to install the Dice roller bot. And we have circled back to the statement I have made before: he is going to ask "why do you want this when rolling dice has worked well already." And as I have said before, if I had not picked up on the rolls of that guy, I would be in total agreement with that sentiment.
I will give another more mechanical reason. I checked this out yesterday.
Visualize the game: Everyone has their mic and camera set up, but the camera is irrelevant to the actual game. 95% of the time, the DM fires up the ability for us to click on "watch stream" which is us looking at a Powerpoint setup on his computer. And yeah, this Powerpoint is vastly superior to Roll20. I have used it when I tried to DM online, and this DM tried it as well, and we both hated the fact that what takes him 30 seconds to rough out in Powerpoint takes 20 minutes in Roll20. It does not look nearly as pretty as Roll 20 or any other online VTT, but is quick, and smooth. Suggesting we switch that up is a no-go.
So here we are, as players, in the one audio/video channel, that does not have a capability for typing or seeing text from other players. So players, and DM, now have to jump to our "general" channel, to type and view dice rolls, the jump back to "view the stream", as opposed to staying focused on a single channel. There is no justification I can give to the DM to go through all those hoops to use a Dice bot, let alone ask him to install one so we can "test it out".
Presumably you can use separate windows next to each other.
That said, I think the easier solution is hoping for in-person gaming to resume soon. You'll still have to deal with your personal animosity towards this other player though.
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Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
So folks, we are back to the starting point again..
The DM runs the server. I have to ask the DM to install the Dice roller bot. And we have circled back to the statement I have made before: he is going to ask "why do you want this when rolling dice has worked well already." And as I have said before, if I had not picked up on the rolls of that guy, I would be in total agreement with that sentiment.
I will give another more mechanical reason. I checked this out yesterday.
Visualize the game: Everyone has their mic and camera set up, but the camera is irrelevant to the actual game. 95% of the time, the DM fires up the ability for us to click on "watch stream" which is us looking at a Powerpoint setup on his computer. And yeah, this Powerpoint is vastly superior to Roll20. I have used it when I tried to DM online, and this DM tried it as well, and we both hated the fact that what takes him 30 seconds to rough out in Powerpoint takes 20 minutes in Roll20. It does not look nearly as pretty as Roll 20 or any other online VTT, but is quick, and smooth. Suggesting we switch that up is a no-go.
So here we are, as players, in the one audio/video channel, that does not have a capability for typing or seeing text from other players. So players, and DM, now have to jump to our "general" channel, to type and view dice rolls, the jump back to "view the stream", as opposed to staying focused on a single channel. There is no justification I can give to the DM to go through all those hoops to use a Dice bot, let alone ask him to install one so we can "test it out".
Presumably you can use separate windows next to each other.
That said, I think the easier solution is hoping for in-person gaming to resume soon. You'll still have to deal with your personal animosity towards this other player though.
Yeah, that thought was brought up some weeks ago. I may have been wrong, but the DM seemed to be hinting he would like to run sessions at his house. But then, for the guy that lives 600 miles away, well, the electronics of that gets a little dicey. Not impossible, but not trivial.
I can ask for said installation as a personal experiment for me and me alone, but I simply can't force it on the group.
Yes, this is what I have recommended. Say you have heard cool things about it - this is literal truth. People here have been extolling its virtues. You don't have to say WHAT cool things you have heard about it unless pressed, which hopefully you won't be. What you've heard about it that's cool is people can't cheat with it. But that's not what you would emphasize or even talk about. Say that you've heard it makes die rolling easier, that people like it better than physical dice because of speed, convenience, and laziness, etc. Just see if you can get it installed and then try it yourself. Maybe even you will hate it... then, oh well.
But it might, perhaps, be, that they will see the benefits of it (and you will too) and you bring everyone along for the ride.
I felt the same way about virtual dice when we started with Foundry, and now everyone but me uses and loves them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Because I know the DM. He and I are of the same generation, and have many similar opinions on life. You do get to know someone when you sit with them for hours at a time once a week for over a year, let alone text chats in Discord. I can ask for said installation as a personal experiment for me and me alone, but I simply can't force it on the group.
No-one has said you should force it on the group. There's a difference between asking and forcing, y'know.
I have to say that if you try to get them to change by telling or asking them to do so, you're going to come off as the bad guy.
I still recommend just making something of a deal about the players "luck" in a positive way. Mention that they just don't miss, but make it sound like you're just excited by the results - "wow, your guy just never misses! they're like a ninja!". Doing this will tell them that you're paying attention to such things, and draw other peoples attention to such things, but without you actively accusing them of anything. If they get defensive and ask you what you're meaning, don't get drawn into accusation - keep yourself innocent - "I was just saying that the dice gods love you - you've not missed once this session!". If the confront you, it'll draw more attention to them as well.
Once others start noticing that they never miss, the DM will probably notice too, and either they will talk to them or the player will become aware that everyone is noticing and will stop cheating.
I also wonder if you could get away with something as simple as a passing comment to the DM saying "do they ever miss?". At that moment, the DM will subconsciously notice that no, they never miss. Then it's up to them to deal with it. You're not accusing them of cheating, you're just mentioning the facts that they never miss. It doesn't have to be a big conversation!
I have to say that if you try to get them to change by telling or asking them to do so, you're going to come off as the bad guy.
That is why I'm saying lead by example. Don't try to get them to change. Do the change yourself and show them how it's done. In my group, not that anyone was cheating, and not that I particularly cared if they rolled in the VTT or not, what I definitely saw was after one player started doing it, they ALL started doing it, because it was easier/quicker/etc.
I still like to roll my expensive metal dice in my Wyrmwood dice tray, thank you very much. But I'm the DM, so (a) I'm allowed to cheat, and (b) I don't cheat anyway. ;)
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I have to say that if you try to get them to change by telling or asking them to do so, you're going to come off as the bad guy.
That is why I'm saying lead by example. Don't try to get them to change. Do the change yourself and show them how it's done. In my group, not that anyone was cheating, and not that I particularly cared if they rolled in the VTT or not, what I definitely saw was after one player started doing it, they ALL started doing it, because it was easier/quicker/etc.
I still like to roll my expensive metal dice in my Wyrmwood dice tray, thank you very much. But I'm the DM, so (a) I'm allowed to cheat, and (b) I don't cheat anyway. ;)
It is not cheating when DM's fudge rolls. It is "crafting the narrative"....LOL.
I cheat as DM. Not really often, but it happens. Just not with dice rolls. I don't think that's a good idea.
As a DM, I do "cheat". I will even fudge a roll. Before anyone labels me a hypocrite, as a player, I never cheat.
But I had a situation a few months ago (last session before another wave of Covid put the kibosh on in-person sessions). It was the 2nd session of a 3 person group I had fired up, since I really wanted to experience a small group, and so did the 3 players (all DM's themselves). I put a monster in front of them, and I quickly realized that I had under-estimated the power of the monster/ over-estimated the group's abilities (we started at 4th level) / an initial series of great rolls by me/bad rolls by them, that I was going to TPK the party, through no fault of theirs. On the fly, I lowered HP, and fudged some rolls, so they survived, but even then, one was in death rolls.
That was a initial mistake by me, since gauging a small party's abilities is also something of an art form and experience (and my DM experience with such a small party was zero) and no way I was going to have the party pay for my mistake.
DM's can't cheat - that's not really how the game works. The DM is the engine of resolution for the game - and whilst a DM could "cheat" and make their monsters immortal so the party dies, they don't do it because it would suck for the game.
Fudging rolls to keep the game fun (like dropping a player to 1hp instead of killing them, or not dealing instant death, or having a monster die 12hp early because the party is nearly dead, etc) is an intrinsic part of it. The players have to follow the rules, the DM has to make the game flow properly.
DM's can't cheat - that's not really how the game works. The DM is the engine of resolution for the game - and whilst a DM could "cheat" and make their monsters immortal so the party dies, they don't do it because it would suck for the game.
Fudging rolls to keep the game fun (like dropping a player to 1hp instead of killing them, or not dealing instant death, or having a monster die 12hp early because the party is nearly dead, etc) is an intrinsic part of it. The players have to follow the rules, the DM has to make the game flow properly.
I, as the DM, roll real dice and often do it where the players cannot see it, so I can alter the outcome if needed. We have a very small group and we get together irregularly, so I want us to be able to continue playing, not rolling up new characters or spending too much time trying to "save" a character. The group likes it, and they are definitely advancing their role-playing skills, so it is fun for all of us!
No, I have not asked the DM about him installing a dice bot on the server, but I will.
THAT GUY was up to his tricks last night, but I think the DM is catching on, when THAT GUY said he rolled a 30 on a Survival check, at now 5th level. The DM and I both called him out on it. It turned out to be "player error", and he had "only" rolled a 26 (19 + 7, due to Prof in Survival). The DM also commented that a Nat 20 THAT GUY had rolled using Guiding Bolt was likely the 3rd time he had done that in about 4 sessions.
I now have 50 data points (of d20's), which is more than enough to do a statistical analysis. That allows me to brush up on my skills (yeah, I find that kind of thing fun), and if the DM asks me why I am wanting a dice roller, and I feel ornery, maybe I will pull out the results.
Oh, and a question, in general: If a char has the Sailor background, what is the appropriate bonus to rolls, when operating a boat?
Now, only the stat heads will care, but 13 of the 50 rolls were 10 or lower (he has never rolled a 1,2, or 3, and he has seven 10's). The mean of the sample is 12.72, versus an expected value of 10.5. Using a very simplified Binomial Distribution, the chances of only 13 rolls being 10 or less is 0.047%, using the most generous of bonuses due to Proficiency and Skill.
If we assume that two of the seven 10's are actually 11's (remember the most generous possible bonuses), the chances of 11 out of 50 of 10 or lower falls to 0.00451%. The chances of never rolling a 1, 2, or 3 out of 50 rolls is 0.00296%
Now, on to the more difficult statistical analysis. This will take time.
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Quality post. Thank you!
So folks, we are back to the starting point again..
The DM runs the server. I have to ask the DM to install the Dice roller bot. And we have circled back to the statement I have made before: he is going to ask "why do you want this when rolling dice has worked well already." And as I have said before, if I had not picked up on the rolls of that guy, I would be in total agreement with that sentiment.
I will give another more mechanical reason. I checked this out yesterday.
Visualize the game: Everyone has their mic and camera set up, but the camera is irrelevant to the actual game. 95% of the time, the DM fires up the ability for us to click on "watch stream" which is us looking at a Powerpoint setup on his computer. And yeah, this Powerpoint is vastly superior to Roll20. I have used it when I tried to DM online, and this DM tried it as well, and we both hated the fact that what takes him 30 seconds to rough out in Powerpoint takes 20 minutes in Roll20. It does not look nearly as pretty as Roll 20 or any other online VTT, but is quick, and smooth. Suggesting we switch that up is a no-go.
So here we are, as players, in the one audio/video channel, that does not have a capability for typing or seeing text from other players. So players, and DM, now have to jump to our "general" channel, to type and view dice rolls, the jump back to "view the stream", as opposed to staying focused on a single channel. There is no justification I can give to the DM to go through all those hoops to use a Dice bot, let alone ask him to install one so we can "test it out".
Well, if you daren't even ask it can't be that big of a problem. How about "hey, I've heard about this really cool online diceroller that I think it would be fun to try out. Mind if we try it?"
I think we have established that this is a big problem. Or I have established that that guy's dice rolling is a big problem. And sorry, asking for the installation of a "really cool online diceroller" for the group to try out is a no-go. I can ask for it so I can try it out.
How do you know that if you daren't even ask? It almost seems that you don't want to try that solution.
Because I know the DM. He and I are of the same generation, and have many similar opinions on life. You do get to know someone when you sit with them for hours at a time once a week for over a year, let alone text chats in Discord. I can ask for said installation as a personal experiment for me and me alone, but I simply can't force it on the group.
Presumably you can use separate windows next to each other.
That said, I think the easier solution is hoping for in-person gaming to resume soon. You'll still have to deal with your personal animosity towards this other player though.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
Yeah, that thought was brought up some weeks ago. I may have been wrong, but the DM seemed to be hinting he would like to run sessions at his house. But then, for the guy that lives 600 miles away, well, the electronics of that gets a little dicey. Not impossible, but not trivial.
Yes, this is what I have recommended. Say you have heard cool things about it - this is literal truth. People here have been extolling its virtues. You don't have to say WHAT cool things you have heard about it unless pressed, which hopefully you won't be. What you've heard about it that's cool is people can't cheat with it. But that's not what you would emphasize or even talk about. Say that you've heard it makes die rolling easier, that people like it better than physical dice because of speed, convenience, and laziness, etc. Just see if you can get it installed and then try it yourself. Maybe even you will hate it... then, oh well.
But it might, perhaps, be, that they will see the benefits of it (and you will too) and you bring everyone along for the ride.
I felt the same way about virtual dice when we started with Foundry, and now everyone but me uses and loves them.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
No-one has said you should force it on the group. There's a difference between asking and forcing, y'know.
I have to say that if you try to get them to change by telling or asking them to do so, you're going to come off as the bad guy.
I still recommend just making something of a deal about the players "luck" in a positive way. Mention that they just don't miss, but make it sound like you're just excited by the results - "wow, your guy just never misses! they're like a ninja!". Doing this will tell them that you're paying attention to such things, and draw other peoples attention to such things, but without you actively accusing them of anything. If they get defensive and ask you what you're meaning, don't get drawn into accusation - keep yourself innocent - "I was just saying that the dice gods love you - you've not missed once this session!". If the confront you, it'll draw more attention to them as well.
Once others start noticing that they never miss, the DM will probably notice too, and either they will talk to them or the player will become aware that everyone is noticing and will stop cheating.
I also wonder if you could get away with something as simple as a passing comment to the DM saying "do they ever miss?". At that moment, the DM will subconsciously notice that no, they never miss. Then it's up to them to deal with it. You're not accusing them of cheating, you're just mentioning the facts that they never miss. It doesn't have to be a big conversation!
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That is why I'm saying lead by example. Don't try to get them to change. Do the change yourself and show them how it's done. In my group, not that anyone was cheating, and not that I particularly cared if they rolled in the VTT or not, what I definitely saw was after one player started doing it, they ALL started doing it, because it was easier/quicker/etc.
I still like to roll my expensive metal dice in my Wyrmwood dice tray, thank you very much. But I'm the DM, so (a) I'm allowed to cheat, and (b) I don't cheat anyway. ;)
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
It is not cheating when DM's fudge rolls. It is "crafting the narrative"....LOL.
I cheat as DM. Not really often, but it happens. Just not with dice rolls. I don't think that's a good idea.
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As a DM, I do "cheat". I will even fudge a roll. Before anyone labels me a hypocrite, as a player, I never cheat.
But I had a situation a few months ago (last session before another wave of Covid put the kibosh on in-person sessions). It was the 2nd session of a 3 person group I had fired up, since I really wanted to experience a small group, and so did the 3 players (all DM's themselves). I put a monster in front of them, and I quickly realized that I had under-estimated the power of the monster/ over-estimated the group's abilities (we started at 4th level) / an initial series of great rolls by me/bad rolls by them, that I was going to TPK the party, through no fault of theirs. On the fly, I lowered HP, and fudged some rolls, so they survived, but even then, one was in death rolls.
That was a initial mistake by me, since gauging a small party's abilities is also something of an art form and experience (and my DM experience with such a small party was zero) and no way I was going to have the party pay for my mistake.
DM's can't cheat - that's not really how the game works. The DM is the engine of resolution for the game - and whilst a DM could "cheat" and make their monsters immortal so the party dies, they don't do it because it would suck for the game.
Fudging rolls to keep the game fun (like dropping a player to 1hp instead of killing them, or not dealing instant death, or having a monster die 12hp early because the party is nearly dead, etc) is an intrinsic part of it. The players have to follow the rules, the DM has to make the game flow properly.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
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I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
Exactly.
I, as the DM, roll real dice and often do it where the players cannot see it, so I can alter the outcome if needed. We have a very small group and we get together irregularly, so I want us to be able to continue playing, not rolling up new characters or spending too much time trying to "save" a character. The group likes it, and they are definitely advancing their role-playing skills, so it is fun for all of us!
As an update, we played again last night.
No, I have not asked the DM about him installing a dice bot on the server, but I will.
THAT GUY was up to his tricks last night, but I think the DM is catching on, when THAT GUY said he rolled a 30 on a Survival check, at now 5th level. The DM and I both called him out on it. It turned out to be "player error", and he had "only" rolled a 26 (19 + 7, due to Prof in Survival). The DM also commented that a Nat 20 THAT GUY had rolled using Guiding Bolt was likely the 3rd time he had done that in about 4 sessions.
I now have 50 data points (of d20's), which is more than enough to do a statistical analysis. That allows me to brush up on my skills (yeah, I find that kind of thing fun), and if the DM asks me why I am wanting a dice roller, and I feel ornery, maybe I will pull out the results.
Oh, and a question, in general: If a char has the Sailor background, what is the appropriate bonus to rolls, when operating a boat?
Now, only the stat heads will care, but 13 of the 50 rolls were 10 or lower (he has never rolled a 1,2, or 3, and he has seven 10's). The mean of the sample is 12.72, versus an expected value of 10.5. Using a very simplified Binomial Distribution, the chances of only 13 rolls being 10 or less is 0.047%, using the most generous of bonuses due to Proficiency and Skill.
If we assume that two of the seven 10's are actually 11's (remember the most generous possible bonuses), the chances of 11 out of 50 of 10 or lower falls to 0.00451%. The chances of never rolling a 1, 2, or 3 out of 50 rolls is 0.00296%
Now, on to the more difficult statistical analysis. This will take time.