In my campaign, we have to play over google meet, which is fine and all, but I'm starting to get ever so slightly suspicious of my players. they can't seem to roll below a 15 on anything but initiative, and I can't see their rolls because of how we have to play. It's so weird, they succeed way more than statistically likely. any tips on how to deal with this problem, or a least get my eyes on their rolls?

I can't tell you whether the players are cheating, but if you want visibility, the only real option is to use an electronic die roller that automatically shares its results. It looks like someone has written one for Google Meet, but I cannot tell you how good it is as I don't use Meet.

My group uses roll20 where all the rolls except the DM's are public (and he certainly rolls low every so often). And I have a webcam setup pointing at a dice tray so as long as he can see the number clearly, it's a valid roll.

I am not familiar with Google Meet but not being able to see dice rolls is a little bit insane to me. At any in-person table you can usually just adjust in your seat and see what the other players are rolling to discourage this very thing.

yeah, I do have one player who rolls as expected, my little brother who plays with us. the others haven't failed a roll/check since an 18 to hit against an AC 20 mini boss. that was roughly three sessions ago. i'll try roll 20 and see if they just are absurdly lucky, thanks for the advice.

If you ain’t cheating, you’re not trying. Law of averages will automatically tell you that you will miss at least 1x. You would need to have a digital di rolling option if you are going to play virtually. Even at a table top I would question the rolls if they never miss.

I've just been wondering if they have really good modifiers, but druids and fighters don't get expertise i don't think, and at level seven their proficiency bonus should only be like +3 or something. 

I hate to accuse anyone of cheating but at level 7 there's no way a Fighter and a Druid should be succeeding every time, that's just statistically unlikely. Is it just combat or do they pass skill checks easily too? Because a Fighter especially would normally be dumping the mental abilities making their odds on skill checks like Investigate or Perception even lower

they are combat monsters but I do give regular perception checks every time they enter a new area, just to see how much they clock, and they've been rolling a lot of deception recently too, they're doing an infiltration. i will say real quick, the fighter has a relatively unique spread, dex based with some focus on int and dumped str. maybe i could give them a bunch of strength checks and see how it goes. we meet next tomorrow though, and if anyone knows a way I can get my eyes on their rolls i'd appreciate it. they both use DnD beyond too, so is there a tool on here I can use?

If they're rolling on D&D Beyond and you're all in a shared campaign then there's a roll tracker for you to check the history. If you're the DM in a shared campaign you can also access everyone's character sheets which will help figure out what sort of stats they've got. I run a kids club and regularly do both of these not because I think they're cheating but to make sure they're not forgetting anything

As people are more tech savvy then me, ask for a screen shot of the dice?  But not all the time and after they tell you the score.

You can also ask them to roll and send you the PM using the dice ability in here and PMs.

example 15

I think the solution is really easy here: math.

You know the probability of a d20. You know the average of all the rolls. Write down every roll, separated by player (of course without telling them). Then separate by 'combat' and 'non combat'. It might be that the player is only cheating during combat.

Then you check their average at the end of the session. You can expect deviations from the average, but not in the realm of statistical improbability. It will reveal exactly who is cheating or not.

Here's the math with the presumption of 20 rolls being averaged.

Consecutive rolls? Even worse.

Even 3 rolls above a 14 in a row is extremely unlikely. It's like a 3% chance. "My third roll 17 or above, what luck!" yeah, that's a 99% chance of not happening.

Anyway, math will reveal the cheat!

ooh i like that! i'll use that if I can't get the public rolls to work, but i've added them to my campaign, and we meet tomorrow, so i'll see for sure then!

I mean... controversial take: are they having fun?

I dunno, I've been playing DnD for thirty years now, and I just stopped giving a shit about cheating after the first couple decades. The rolls are there to adjudicate storytelling. If the players want the story to be "nothing ever goes wrong and we're awesome at everything," then... I mean, if that's fun for everyone, whatever. I've played with obvious cheaters in my life - hell, I won't lie, I've fudged a behind-the-screen roll or twenty for various narrative purposes myself - and the one thing I've learned is "I'm awesome and everything always goes the way I want" is rarely personally satisfying forever. And if it is... I mean... again, if my player is having fun... cool. If they're cheating to screw each other over, or if their cheating is limiting other players' ability to enjoy themselves, or if their cheating is affecting your ability to tell a coherent story, then just speak up. But the reality is, one of the following things is happening:

1. They're not cheating, they've just been really lucky, and if you accuse them, you're going to turn an exciting run of good luck into a source of resentment toward you.
2. They're not cheating, they actually haven't been really lucky, and you're just "seeing" the success because of an internal bias, and accusing them would expose that bias.
3. They're not cheating, simply misunderstanding the rules, and if you accuse them, you're going to turn a learning moment into a source of shame.
4. They are cheating, and if you accuse them, they're going to get defensive and then your relationship is busted all to hell.

Cheating, more than anything, is a sign of immaturity. This isn't a dig at the immature, I've been playing games with my son since he was a little guy, and dude loves making games where the rules are "I win, no matter what." If your players are new to DnD, or just not particularly actualized people, they probably think the point of the game is to "win," and your job is to "beat" them. They're worried that failure will rob them of fun, or will cause them to lose characters that they've probably grown very attached to. As the game goes on, as you (hopefully) demonstrate that your goal is to tell a fun story with them and that failure enriches those moments, the problem will go away on its own. And if you ever need to balance the scales, I mean, they can't see your rolls either, so...

The last thing you want to do is go around accumulating "evidence" that they're cheating. If you say "hey gang, I've noticed a lot of really lucky rolls in their games, and I want to make sure we're all being honest," and they go "oh, we're all being honest," and you respond with "oh yea? Well here's a spreadsheet I've been secretly keeping of all the rolls in the last six weeks, GOTCHA SUCKERS!!!" you're never going to build trust.

If you really need to say something, I'd approach it by assuming #3 above. At the start of my next session, I'd say "hey gang, I noticed we've had a lot of results that, while really exciting, are a bit luckier than I'd expect. I'm wondering if everybody is 100% confident about how we're supposed to calculate die results? Would it be helpful if we did a quick refresher on skill checks, attack rolls, etc.?" That way, you are creating a learning opportunity while also letting them know that, if there is cheating going on, you've started to notice it. Keep it supportive, demonstrate that you're on the side of collaboration, and that you're not pitting yourself against them. I'd also ask to see everybody's character sheets - you should actually have a copy of those as DM anyway, since it will help you do things like plan encounters that highlight your players' individual strengths. You can look them over and make sure their characters are built correctly, and make any necessary adjustments. The first time I played with a friend, he thought he was supposed to add his entire ability score to every roll. He had one tremendous session before I realized what was going on, and then we made the adjustment and had a laugh and a hug. 

Bear in mind that you can announce your interest in using digital dice for the game without actually accusing anyone of cheating.

Quote from RWinnie >>

I mean... controversial take: are they having fun?

I dunno, I've been playing DnD for thirty years now, and I just stopped giving a shit about cheating after the first couple decades. The rolls are there to adjudicate storytelling. If the players want the story to be "nothing ever goes wrong and we're awesome at everything," then... I mean, if that's fun for everyone, whatever. I've played with obvious cheaters in my life - hell, I won't lie, I've fudged a behind-the-screen roll or twenty for various narrative purposes myself - and the one thing I've learned is "I'm awesome and everything always goes the way I want" is rarely personally satisfying forever. And if it is... I mean... again, if my player is having fun... cool. If they're cheating to screw each other over, or if their cheating is limiting other players' ability to enjoy themselves, or if their cheating is affecting your ability to tell a coherent story, then just speak up. But the reality is, one of the following things is happening:

1. They're not cheating, they've just been really lucky, and if you accuse them, you're going to turn an exciting run of good luck into a source of resentment toward you.
2. They're not cheating, they actually haven't been really lucky, and you're just "seeing" the success because of an internal bias, and accusing them would expose that bias.
3. They're not cheating, simply misunderstanding the rules, and if you accuse them, you're going to turn a learning moment into a source of shame.
4. They are cheating, and if you accuse them, they're going to get defensive and then your relationship is busted all to hell.

Cheating, more than anything, is a sign of immaturity. This isn't a dig at the immature, I've been playing games with my son since he was a little guy, and dude loves making games where the rules are "I win, no matter what." If your players are new to DnD, or just not particularly actualized people, they probably think the point of the game is to "win," and your job is to "beat" them. They're worried that failure will rob them of fun, or will cause them to lose characters that they've probably grown very attached to. As the game goes on, as you (hopefully) demonstrate that your goal is to tell a fun story with them and that failure enriches those moments, the problem will go away on its own. And if you ever need to balance the scales, I mean, they can't see your rolls either, so...

The last thing you want to do is go around accumulating "evidence" that they're cheating. If you say "hey gang, I've noticed a lot of really lucky rolls in their games, and I want to make sure we're all being honest," and they go "oh, we're all being honest," and you respond with "oh yea? Well here's a spreadsheet I've been secretly keeping of all the rolls in the last six weeks, GOTCHA SUCKERS!!!" you're never going to build trust.

If you really need to say something, I'd approach it by assuming #3 above. At the start of my next session, I'd say "hey gang, I noticed we've had a lot of results that, while really exciting, are a bit luckier than I'd expect. I'm wondering if everybody is 100% confident about how we're supposed to calculate die results? Would it be helpful if we did a quick refresher on skill checks, attack rolls, etc.?" That way, you are creating a learning opportunity while also letting them know that, if there is cheating going on, you've started to notice it. Keep it supportive, demonstrate that you're on the side of collaboration, and that you're not pitting yourself against them. I'd also ask to see everybody's character sheets - you should actually have a copy of those as DM anyway, since it will help you do things like plan encounters that highlight your players' individual strengths. You can look them over and make sure their characters are built correctly, and make any necessary adjustments. The first time I played with a friend, he thought he was supposed to add his entire ability score to every roll. He had one tremendous session before I realized what was going on, and then we made the adjustment and had a laugh and a hug. 

 I've recognized these possibilities, and i haven't confronted anyone yet, just in case. We haven't played very long, and this is only my first campaign as DM, I wanted to do it right, I've planned happy endings for all the characters, and I wish my players the best... but I can't shake the feeling. We play again tomorrow, as I've said, and maybe my suspicions will vanish once I start seeing their rolls. maybe they've all optimized, or I'm somehow missing their weak points. I want to avoid a confrontation however possible. my endgame goal is for everyone to just end up having fun and meaningful stories. Thanks for all the help you guys.

Quote from Neepers00 >>

Even 3 rolls above a 14 in a row is extremely unlikely. It's like a 3% chance. "My third roll 17 or above, what luck!" yeah, that's a 99% chance of not happening.

Anyway, math will reveal the cheat!

No, it won't. It'll only reveal statistical outliers

Roll enough dice, and you will absolutely have hot stretches

Quote from AntonSirius >>

Quote from Neepers00 >>

Even 3 rolls above a 14 in a row is extremely unlikely. It's like a 3% chance. "My third roll 17 or above, what luck!" yeah, that's a 99% chance of not happening.

Anyway, math will reveal the cheat!

 

No, it won't. It'll only reveal statistical outliers

Roll enough dice, and you will absolutely have hot stretches

How big a statistical outlier is it for 2+ players to be having extended hot stretches lasting for more than three sessions at the same time?

Have them roll on the DDB character sheet. You can check their sheets to make sure there is no funny business and you can see their rolls. Problem solved.