Hello, I'm new to the server (and enjoying it very much!) and curious. While adventuring in Wiltun, my character found a secret door with a search roll. I thought this was really cool as I've not seen many online servers bother using the secret door code and as my character has a few skill points left over, I am wondering to myself, just how prevalent are secret doors in the module? I'm not a rogue so I'm not dripping in skill points and I'm not really keen on maxing search to search for doors that don't exist anywhere else (esp since a non-rogue can't even find traps with a detect DC of 36+). So I guess what I'm asking is, if I invest a lot of points into search hoping to find lots of secret doors in my exploring, will I be pleased with this? Or disappointed? Should I consider another skill instead?

All in all, great server and looking forward to adventuring with all of you!

I think the only answer to this question is that you should take the Search skill if it fits your character's RP to do so.

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Yah. Not many secret doors and passageways, but a helluva amount of traps here and there. It will definitely come in handy in RP I would say. If it fits your character, go for it.

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Welll......all I can say is this....they are secret for a reason...lol.

If it fits your RP then 100% yes.

If you are thinking purely mechanics....50/50...depending on what other skills you would put them in instead.

If you are looking for ways to RP with Skills....then 100% yes.

Search is not just for finding traps and secret doors...it can be used for "tracking" and other things in a good RP.

For example, Krugan is my "roguish" PC...he has alot of PP...I have never pick pocketed anyone and Krugan really has no inclination to try to either...he just doesn't feel like trying to steal loose change from folks.

However, during some RP...he HAS used his PP skill to PLANT something on someone...HEH HEH HEEEH.

Now...not saying that was something you could do with search but, think outside the box some too.

And yes...it was funny as hell when the person was going NO..No I don't have anything like that on me only for the DM controlled guard to do a search and find it...the explanation of how the item came into the marks possesion was fun as hell to watch...and that was the limit of my RP involvement...doing the plant and watching the ensuing RP.

And no, it was nothing illegal but...you try to explain to a guard who is questioning your "Me tuff barbarian" fellow about being drunk...and having more alcohol on you and having them find a few bottles of milk....them going..oh, you drink milk...the barbarian is now trying to insist the milk is NOT theirs because "tuff" barbarians don't drink milk..etc...

And yeah, the DM was even nice enough to add a few bottles of milk to the victims inventory so I can imagine what the player was thinking....

And yes...sadly this will let the cat out of the bag that it was not just the nice DM that came up with it....and Krugan MAY just get a certain "tuff" barbarian hanging around him now..hehehehe....but so be it...it was worth it.

Maybe next time I should specify SKIM milk too....YOINK!

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Ya see, long time ago, me father taught me somethin that be right true.
An amateur practices until they get it right. A professional practices till they can't get it wrong.
Dwarves are professionals at what we do.

While that is a very fine answer and I agree with taking skills for roleplay, but it misses the point. If I am wishing for my RP to be 'very good at finding secret doors and passages' it's reasonable to ask 'do secret doors and passages actually exist?' just as much as if you wished to roleplay a dragon-hunter in a campaign, it would be wise to ask the DM if dragons even exist in the setting. My character cannot roleplay being great at finding secret things if those things do not exist to interact with.

I cannot very well wander around a place with a group, emoting about doors and passages no one else sees (because they do not exist) just to make myself feel better or justify 33 wasted skill points.

I think you may be missing the point, actually. If I wanted to make a dragon-hunter character, I would do so whether or not there were dragons in the module. It may very well become an old job and he'd have to learn new tricks very quickly, but that's what happens as a character grows with the setting and characters around it. They learn new things. They become something more.

Roleplay in a persistent world cannot be scripted. You come up with a character concept and play that character. You don't go into it with expectations and preconceived notions about whether that kind of character or the kinds of skills the character possesses will work perfectly with the setting. You go in wondering what the world will allow your character to become, what the interactions and stories that thrive and keep the world afloat will teach your character. If the skills the character has prove useless, then he can learn new ones, or focus on others. Some of the best characters I've ever interacted with have been experts in very niche fields, where application on a mechanic level has very little impact on their stories.

It's not about whether he can find the treasure on a tropical island, or a secret passage in a cellar. It's about whether he has honed his senses to detect visual cues that others may miss. It's about his ability to pay attention to the little details, and to delve further into little signs that could be something more. Such skills have a broader spectrum of use than just running around all over the place looking for traps or secret doors. They can be used in the simplest of RP, where the greatest of character growth takes place. Perhaps he's a servant of the Grove, and his specific skills help root out a doppleganger who would have gone unnoticed for months. Perhaps he is a Cordorian Guard, and his special training assists him in finding the proper clues needed to determine once and for all the identity of the arsonist who took out the Orphanage.

Whatever the application, the skills on that character sheet do far more than make your life easier while exploring new areas. Never ask whether skills or abilities that you might apply to a character have a place in the setting. Never ask other people if you'll be OOC'ly displeased with the results of the character you've created. A character in its most raw form, at the very beginning of its journey, is the purest instance of the character. It will grow and change as it interacts with others and with the setting.

The only question you should be asking is whether or not your character is the kind of person who would go through specialized training to be able to find the minute details that would alert him to any number of surprises, whether good or bad. It takes a degree of intelligence, and it is testament to vigilance and determination. If these things do not make up the character you wish to create, then no. I would say you shouldn't take points in Search.

At least, that's how I've always looked at building characters in persistent worlds such as Amia.

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