My group played another session last night, and on the whole things went pretty well. One thing I was a bit unsure of in retrospect is when the wizard decided to investigate a vial of mysterious green oil they had found earlier. He described in detail how he was holding the vial to the light, sloshing the liquid, unscrewing the top, carefully wafting and smelling the air above the opening, etc.
This seemed to me like a clear Discern Realities trigger, so he rolled, it was a 10+ — and at that point I of course realised that it was pretty much impossible for me to, within the fiction, describe how the answers to his three questions would map to something that could come to him from investigating that vial of oil. In the end, I decided to go with:
– Q: What here is useful? A: This oil will give you defensive lizard scales if you rub it on your skin.
– Q: What is about to happen? A: It is a very ethereal oil, so better get the vial closed again or it will all evaporate before you know it!
– Q: What should I be on the lookout for? A: Don’t ever apply this to your eyes or other body orifices, not unless you want a mouthful of reptile hide…
Fictionally not too bad, I suppose, and the players were satisfied — but the more I think about it, the more it annoys me.
Should DR not have been triggered? Would you have chosen other ways of answering these questions? How do you guys handle these kinds of DR rolls?
