House Rules for Surprise and Secret Door Detection

[Demiurge]

The base mechanic is borrowed from posts in a recent discussion about surprise. In keeping with the "rolling higher is better" theme, you are surprised on a low roll and find secret doors on a high roll.

Surprise
Base - Surprised on 4 or lower (d12). Racial and class modifiers are cumulative.
Class Modifiers:

• +1 for thieves, assassins, rangers, & monks(?)

Racial Modifiers:

• +1 for elves, half elves, gnomes, dwarves (when underground only)

Secret Doors
Base - Find secret doors on an 11 or better (d12) Racial and class modifiers are cumulative.
Class Modifiers:

• +1 for theives & assassins

Racial Modifiers:

• +2/+1 for elves (active/passive)
  +1/0 for half-elves (elf lineage)
  +2/+1 for dwarves (active/passive) when searching stone work

I'm just beginning playtest so I don't have much to report on their efficacy just yet.

[Lord Dynel]

Looks good, Demiurge. Couple suggestions, though (which with $1 can get you a cup of coffee ).

I might give thieves a better modifier to find secret doors than assassins (maybe +2?). I would also give elves a +1 passive bonus for secret doors. Again, take it for what you will.

[serleran]

Seems strangely familiar.

For searching for secret doors, I allow a +1 modifier for use of specific gear like a bag of dust; magnifying lenses (which I have cost 100 GP per magnification factor above x1), when they exist, and with proper lighting (a torch is not enough) also usually add a +1 - +3 depending on how powerful they are (minimum of x10 enhancement).

[Demiurge]

Seems strangely familiar.

For searching for secret doors, I allow a +1 modifier for use of specific gear like a bag of dust; magnifying lenses (which I have cost 100 GP per magnification factor above x1), when they exist, and with proper lighting (a torch is not enough) also usually add a +1 - +3 depending on how powerful they are (minimum of x10 enhancement).

Yours was one of the posts I "borrowed" from.

I agree with the use of situational/equipment mods. They reward good play.

[Demiurge]

Looks good, Demiurge. Couple suggestions, though (which with $1 can get you a cup of coffee ).

I might give thieves a better modifier to find secret doors than assassins (maybe +2?). I would also give elves a +1 passive bonus for secret doors. Again, take it for what you will.

Good catch, LD. I had meant to give elves the passive bonus.

[Aramis]

An elegant and simple system

Let me muddy the waters a bit

What about relative HD level? It seems that a 20th level rogue would be better at surprising a foe, and avoiding surprise, than a 1st level rogue. And although HD seems too crude to account for the different "defenses" to surprise of the various monsters, it would seem some powerful creatures should be much more difficult to surprise than mere goblins and orcs

Similarly with secret doors. Presumably a 20th level elf has seen a wider variety of secret doors than a 1st level elf, and would thus have more of an innate "spidey sense" as he walks by a suspicious looking tapestry

Of course, taking relative level into account would probably break the elegant mechanic outlined...

[serleran]

When I factor it in, which is not all the time, I tend to go with +1 / 4 levels.