Cooperative skill and ability checks In many cases there will be points where several people work together on a skill or ability check. In these cases I will have everyone roll, take the best total of the group, and then check the remaining rolls as if they were assisting.
1) Responses: I am online a lot some days and some days on only once or twice during the day. When I get on I check all of the new posts and then post accordingly. Sometimes that will be individual responses or spoiler tabs, sometimes it will be a general post that addresses an issue or rolls made by several people, and sometimes it will be a PM to keep it secret. Be aware though, that I will be not responding if you fail to notice a change or I will respond with NPC dialogue that will require you to notice the effect. I also have everyone’s Perception and Sense Motive skills written down and, as you can see, I make d20 rolls with no explanation to see if you notice an effect as well. If, however, you feel I missed something you did, bring it up as a reminder (I already missed a couple of posted actions).
2) My dice rolls: I like the story to be as much a surprise as possible. One thing I do is not put modifiers in my d20 rolls so the skill level of an opponent is not as easy to determine. This, I believe, adds to the suspense and uncertainty of an encounter. It also does not make any changes (such as adding the advanced template, etc.) I have made obvious. This is why in combat it is very important for you to put the Status tab in your posts each round so I am aware of the current state of your AC and CMDs.
3) Ability rulings: Certain abilities are slightly modified to meet the thematic concept of the ability. I will let individuals know if this affects them and will be open to any discussion of changing my interpretation, just make sure you have a solid case for the change.
4) Combat modifiers and abilities: Combat Expertise, fighting defensively, and similar actions require you to attack before gaining the benefit. Attacks must be against active opponents (I.e. no “attacking the ground”, etc.). For instance you move up to a creature with reach and attack it, fighting defensively. The bonus to AC comes when you make the attack, so its AoO from reach will go against your regular AC. The AC bonus will then last until the START of your next turn, so plan your actions accordingly.
