Grivenger's page

if no one is doing a Search activity i would just describe what's in plain sight.

if something needs a Perception check to be noticed it means it's hidden, so that would take a dedicated Search to be found.*

Keep in mind though that at any point the players can simply stop their march and switch around what they are doing, so if they end up in an interesting room and decide to search it, you're still in exploration mode.

In short, exploration mode is just a tool when the "order of acting" is irrelevant.

It's there so the one "stealthing" doesn't have to roll 10000 stelth checks in between when he starts stealthing and when something can potentially see him. The searcher doesn't have to roll Perception after every single move, and the one doing the investigation to not have to roll Recall knowledges on every piece of stone they come across.

As for switching in between the two modes, that's when initiative is rolled basically. If players move close enough to enemies that they could be potentially spotted, then it's initiative.
If in a social activity time and order suddenly become relevant, then you roll initiative for a social encounter.
If unlocking that door suddenly becomes time sensitive (example: guards are approaching/patroling) then it's initiative.
and etc

The "grab an edge" is more cut and dry, it even says that the -30ft calculation is for "distance dropped already"

that's more for very long drops that could potentially grant additional rolls or that there's no edge until after the drop has started.

If there's an edge right when the fall starts and the players critical succeed on the first try the...

Thanks for reaffirming some ideas I had. For some reason, I just started to doubt the way I interpreted the Grab an Edge reaction. You also helped in making the Exploration Mode a bit more clear for me. I think I just need to gain a bit more experience running the game and just refresh my knowledge every week until it gets a bit closer to second nature.

@BPorter,

You've hit a few nails on their head, I reckon. In hindsight, I should've set expectations rather than wait for the session to hit and give them the new manor. You've offered a lot of advice that'll leave me thinking. Especially the out-of-game check-ins! It's something I intended, but I've been apprehensive about bombarding my players with questions outside of the established play-time.

Perhaps sandbox was an overstatement. There's an overall arch the players are supposed to follow, but the second part was supposed to be more about getting familiar with nearby NPCs and the city's factions next to fixing up the tavern.

@The Gleeful Grognard,

Busted! You're absolutely correct. I'm using the Waterdeep Dragonheist's framework as an overall narrative but dressed in my own world's coat.

@Ascalaphus

I don't know why I considered asking the players beforehand what their plan was next session based on parameters I could offer them. It also echoes BPorters advice on zooming lens and time.

@Kennethray

It seems so obvious, but I often find it hard to combine different players ' goals. This is something I have to practice. It's really clever to have them indirectly further the goals of the rest of the group.

All in all, everyone chipped in with fantastic advice and I can't express how grateful I am. If I manage to incorporate some ideas that fit my playstyle best, I'm sure my sessions will experience an improvement.

Castilliano, Wheldrake your advice has been fantastic too. I should leave myself more time to prepare sessions in advance.