Played my first game, New Questions - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Played my first game, New Questions

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
thefadedone11
Aug 24, 2012 10:54:48
1. Can someone explain the perception checks? If I'm fighting a natural creature, like a wolf. Can I do a nature check anytime during battle if I want?
What does the DM have to tell me if I roll Easy? Medium? Hard? If I fail the check, can I just do it again? Starting out a battle, do I know anything about the creatures? Can the DM tell me how many Hit Points he has left?

2. Daily Powers. Say we get done doing a instance. Can we just stop and say OK we rest for a full day, to regain daily powers? Kind of confused by this.

Thanks!
#2
CorranHornIsAwesome
Aug 24, 2012 11:06:19 1. I believe you can make a nature check as a minor action on your turn, dont have the books nearby.

What the DM tells you is usually either the Lore section under the statblock in the MM or a similiar setup of his own design. Essentially, it might look like this.
Wolf. The following can be determined with a Nature check.
DC10 Wolves are pack animals, known to hunt deer commonly among other wildlife.
DC15 Wolves may attack humanoids if startled or influenced by magic.*
DC20 Wolves are popular mounts for goblins.

If you made a DC15, he would tell you the info next to DC10 and DC15.

2. Yes.

Sorry I'm not terribly helpful on the first one, you'll get a more helpful answer if you post that in the rules Q&A, or if someone who's near a book or has it memorized takes a look at the thread.

* Yes, I know in real life wolves attacking humans is EXTREMELY rare. In fantasy it's common.
#3
Litmus
Aug 24, 2012 14:01:26 1. For any kind of knowledge check (nature, arcana, dungeoneering etc) your check counts as 'no action', which means you can do it any time for no cost, including during someone else's turn. This is because you either know something or you don't. Once you've made a check, your result stands, although if new information comes to light your DM might allow you another check.

1b. The DM is only required to tell you whether a monster is bloodied (i.e. half hp or less). Many DMs that I know (including me) tend to give players other hints through narrative such as whether damage has made a significant dent in the monster's hp ("you bathe the ogre in crackling flame, but he emerges barely singed") or if a monster is very close to going down ("the orc staggers, fighting to remain on its feet").

2. When you stop and take an extended rest is up to you (even after the first battle in an adventure for example). However, you'll only gain benefits from it once per day and there may be threats that make it unwise or even impossible to attempt to rest at certain points.
#4
WhisperMagellan
Aug 24, 2012 19:52:19 The other aspect of extended rests is that you are resting for 4-8 hours. That's 4-8 hours during which the enemy can advance his plots, rally reenforcements, and fortify defences. Unless everyone is down to only 1 or 2 surges, it is a good idea to press on unless told otherwise by plot.
Stopping just because everyone blew their daily powers in the first encounter is... silly, unless (again) the module's plot says otherwise.
#5
RedSiegfried
Aug 27, 2012 10:58:56
2. Daily Powers. Say we get done doing a instance. Can we just stop and say OK we rest for a full day, to regain daily powers?

Once you finish an extended rest you have to wait 12 hours before you can begin another one and each extended rest has to be at least 6 hours long. Other than that, the only limitations on how often you can rest would be those imposed by the DM and/or the story. But as WhisperMagellan indicated, a good DM will find ways to encourage you to not to an extended rest after every encounter. The game is really designed to work best when the PCs do at least four encounters between extended rests, but that number can vary a lot depending on difficulty of the encounters, the story and many other factors.

I've done a lot of sessions where there was only one encounter and an extended rest afterwards and as long as everyone's having fun it's all good.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 thefadedone11 Aug 24, 2012 10:54:48	1. Can someone explain the perception checks? If I'm fighting a natural creature, like a wolf. Can I do a nature check anytime during battle if I want? What does the DM have to tell me if I roll Easy? Medium? Hard? If I fail the check, can I just do it again? Starting out a battle, do I know anything about the creatures? Can the DM tell me how many Hit Points he has left? 2. Daily Powers. Say we get done doing a instance. Can we just stop and say OK we rest for a full day, to regain daily powers? Kind of confused by this. Thanks!
#2 CorranHornIsAwesome Aug 24, 2012 11:06:19	1. I believe you can make a nature check as a minor action on your turn, dont have the books nearby. What the DM tells you is usually either the Lore section under the statblock in the MM or a similiar setup of his own design. Essentially, it might look like this. Wolf. The following can be determined with a Nature check. DC10 Wolves are pack animals, known to hunt deer commonly among other wildlife. DC15 Wolves may attack humanoids if startled or influenced by magic.* DC20 Wolves are popular mounts for goblins. If you made a DC15, he would tell you the info next to DC10 and DC15. 2. Yes. Sorry I'm not terribly helpful on the first one, you'll get a more helpful answer if you post that in the rules Q&A, or if someone who's near a book or has it memorized takes a look at the thread. * Yes, I know in real life wolves attacking humans is EXTREMELY rare. In fantasy it's common.
#3 Litmus Aug 24, 2012 14:01:26	1. For any kind of knowledge check (nature, arcana, dungeoneering etc) your check counts as 'no action', which means you can do it any time for no cost, including during someone else's turn. This is because you either know something or you don't. Once you've made a check, your result stands, although if new information comes to light your DM might allow you another check. 1b. The DM is only required to tell you whether a monster is bloodied (i.e. half hp or less). Many DMs that I know (including me) tend to give players other hints through narrative such as whether damage has made a significant dent in the monster's hp ("you bathe the ogre in crackling flame, but he emerges barely singed") or if a monster is very close to going down ("the orc staggers, fighting to remain on its feet"). 2. When you stop and take an extended rest is up to you (even after the first battle in an adventure for example). However, you'll only gain benefits from it once per day and there may be threats that make it unwise or even impossible to attempt to rest at certain points.
#4 WhisperMagellan Aug 24, 2012 19:52:19	The other aspect of extended rests is that you are resting for 4-8 hours. That's 4-8 hours during which the enemy can advance his plots, rally reenforcements, and fortify defences. Unless everyone is down to only 1 or 2 surges, it is a good idea to press on unless told otherwise by plot. Stopping just because everyone blew their daily powers in the first encounter is... silly, unless (again) the module's plot says otherwise.
#5 RedSiegfried Aug 27, 2012 10:58:56	2. Daily Powers. Say we get done doing a instance. Can we just stop and say OK we rest for a full day, to regain daily powers? Once you finish an extended rest you have to wait 12 hours before you can begin another one and each extended rest has to be at least 6 hours long. Other than that, the only limitations on how often you can rest would be those imposed by the DM and/or the story. But as WhisperMagellan indicated, a good DM will find ways to encourage you to not to an extended rest after every encounter. The game is really designed to work best when the PCs do at least four encounters between extended rests, but that number can vary a lot depending on difficulty of the encounters, the story and many other factors. I've done a lot of sessions where there was only one encounter and an extended rest afterwards and as long as everyone's having fun it's all good.