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Vladislav
2010-11-29, 12:52 PM
What creative cheating techniques have you encountered? Not just the "roll behind the book and get 19" technique, or "yeah, I did roll 19, I just knocked the die over" excuse, but something more original?

I can share one: a player I used to DM was wielding a greataxe, which, as we all know, does d12. Whenever he had to roll damage, he would "absent-mindedly" grab a d10. If the d10 result was high - he wouldn't say anything. If he rolled low - "Oops, I actually need a d12 here".

Once, I made sure there were no d10s on the table at all for the entire gaming session (the player wielding the Dwarven Waraxe didn't show up that day). Needless to say, he did a double-take the first time he had to roll damage. :smallbiggrin:

Dalek-K
2010-11-29, 12:54 PM
Someone told me that you can place dice in a microwave on a certain side so that it lands on 20 more often, however the only thing I use my microwave for is food and making plasma (4th state of matter).

Psyren
2010-11-29, 12:54 PM
That's not very creative...

Sipex
2010-11-29, 12:59 PM
I've seen players who, when they get stat bonuses at level up (4e) will add an extra point or two into stats which won't increase their modifiers on a single point so it's hard to notice (long term investment cheating)

WarKitty
2010-11-29, 01:05 PM
Forgetting how much gold you spent, or that the bonus you have is due to a ring so you can't wear another one. Presto - overwhelming loot.

Sipex
2010-11-29, 01:08 PM
Oh, a warrior who equipped a shield at the start of the adventure, changed to 2 handed weapons about 2 months later and never removed the bonus from her AC or Ref.

Mind, this wasn't purposefully cheating, she's kind of weak when it comes to numbers and crunch but it could easily be cheated in.

grarrrg
2010-11-29, 01:14 PM
*takes notes*
KIDDING!
Yes, yes, we should keep giving examples of how to cheat so, um, that we, um, know what to look for, yes that sounds good, so we know what to look for...

valadil
2010-11-29, 01:33 PM
We had a player who habitually forgot his character sheet but swore to us how he had the whole thing memorized. How one can have a good enough memory to know everything on a character sheet, but not good enough to bring the sheet with him is another matter.

Anyway, he'd set about reconstructing the character as we played so as to not slow down play. He always saved his skills for last and just happened to have them as he needed them. At least he wasn't playing a wizard.

Fitz10019
2010-11-29, 01:52 PM
In no way original, but I have seen a d20 with a second 20, replacing the 1, used in my gaming group. I have no idea how the DM spotted it.

Christopher K.
2010-11-29, 01:58 PM
The cleric in my group always wanted to go later in combat, so when I wasn't paying close attention he'd use a d12 for initiative instead of a d20. (Why he didn't just ask to delay is beyond me. :smallconfused: )

One group member at Encounters rolls her dice towards the DM's screen so that they end up in his blind spot.

Balain
2010-11-29, 02:14 PM
1. When rolling multiple dice roll them one at a time, if the die roll is low try to aim the next die at the previous one.

2. Bring the DM his favorite snack and let him have most of it, or order his favorite food. Compliment the DM on his wonderful ablities as a DM. Hopefully his rulings are ore favorable to you.

3. most dice are unbalanced so go to the local store and roll each die several times, like 100 or more if it comes up higher numbers more often buy those dice. A friend has a set of d6's that seem to always roll 15 or higher. They end up being used by anyone in our group that can grab them from him to make new characters lol

4. If you hold the die the right you can toss it so it lands on the number you want. So palm a die and toss that one or hold the die and make it look like you are rolling it in your hand but really hold it in way so that it doesn't move n your hand and then toss it.

5. If you have old d20's that only go from 0 to 9 twice.it's pretty easy to get higher numbers #wink wink*

6. The old school when rolling for percentage don't say which colour die is the 1's place and which is the 1o's place.

7. if you have dice with pips you can drill extra pips in each side.

8. if you are using playing cards, make sure you have a stripper deck.

9. if you are using laptops and random number generator or dice rolling programs, program your own number generator or dice rolling program, make sure it looks like the one everyone else is using or at least the one the dm uses or approves of.

10. along the lines of number 2, wear shirts with the dm's favorite band or singer, happen to have tickets to a concert the dm might like and no one else to go with.

11. Have so many source materials, books, dragon magazines, web sourses for some rule. If the dm calls you on it take your time looking for it, saying stuff like, "it's around here somewhere" if you take long enough the dm may just give in.

12. Make sure you read or own all published adventures from all editions and from other games of the same genre. Our group often uses publish adventures as fillers or alter them, etc. So if you have the same adventure you can just happen to know where all the secret doors are and the best treasure etc.

13. in the middle of large complicated combat get everyone talking and get the DM distracted. It makes it much easier to say things like, "Oh no I did x amount of damage not y", "no no no, I rolled a 16"

14. Limit the amount of crits you do. A roll that hits is still good even if you don't crit.

grarrrg
2010-11-29, 02:15 PM
In no way original, but I have seen a d20 with a second 20, replacing the 1, used in my gaming group. I have no idea how the DM spotted it.

There is a fairly standardized arrangement for the numbers on a d20.
On mine the 20 is surrounded by 2, 8, & 14
And the 1 is surrounded by 7, 13 & 19

So all the DM would really need to see is a 20 next to any non-2/8/14 number. This would probably be enough to raise suspicion.

HunterOfJello
2010-11-29, 02:27 PM
I've seen one of my players try to pretend he didn't cast a spell right after he did while playing a Sorcerer. I asked him which one he had cast, and he wouldn't tell me, hoping he could keep it. I just told him he could not tell me or invoke the wrath of the Dragon Gods and lose a spell cast from every spell level. Cheating in d&d is lame.

nedz
2010-11-29, 02:28 PM
One I saw once, a long time ago, involved rolling a d20 early.
If it was high, the player kept it and then said wht they were doing; otherwise they would re-roll after describing their actions.:smallfrown:

For reference this cheat adds +2.5 to the roll.

The Dark Fiddler
2010-11-29, 02:52 PM
One I saw once, a long time ago, involved rolling a d20 early.
If it was high, the player kept it and then said wht they were doing; otherwise they would re-roll after describing their actions.:smallfrown:

For reference this cheat adds +2.5 to the roll.

Haha, this one is so common at our table that it's common practice to deny any roll that occurs before the DM says "okay, roll initiative/attack/whatever". Sad but true.

MightyTim
2010-11-29, 03:09 PM
I think my characters get too much of a kick out of laughing at each other (and themselves) when they fail horribly to cheat.

Sipex
2010-11-29, 03:12 PM
The cleric in my group always wanted to go later in combat, so when I wasn't paying close attention he'd use a d12 for initiative instead of a d20. (Why he didn't just ask to delay is beyond me. :smallconfused: )

One group member at Encounters rolls her dice towards the DM's screen so that they end up in his blind spot.

A true DM stands so he has no blind spot.

Just sore legs.

valadil
2010-11-29, 03:42 PM
A true DM stands so he has no blind spot.

Just sore legs.

Or he ditches the screen altogether.

Vladislav
2010-11-29, 03:42 PM
A true DM's screen is a one-way mirror.

Sipex
2010-11-29, 03:46 PM
Or he ditches the screen altogether.

B-but, I like the screen.

Plus standing just makes running the game easier. Moving tokens (4e), grabbing supplies. I can't DM effectively unless I'm on my feet.

nedz
2010-11-29, 04:04 PM
B-but, I like the screen.

Plus standing just makes running the game easier. Moving tokens (4e), grabbing supplies. I can't DM effectively unless I'm on my feet.

Naah - you just need a taller chair than the players, with a screened area off to the side - just within arms reach.

Sipex
2010-11-29, 04:11 PM
Oooh, I like that.

Can I have a crown too?

Susano-wo
2010-11-29, 04:15 PM
I've seen one of my players try to pretend he didn't cast a spell right after he did while playing a Sorcerer. I asked him which one he had cast, and he wouldn't tell me, hoping he could keep it. I just told him he could not tell me or invoke the wrath of the Dragon Gods and lose a spell cast from every spell level. Cheating in d&d is lame.

not to mention mind boggling. I mean, if he wants to do that...why wouldn't he just say the spell and not mark his spells used? I guess he felt that this was capitalizing on the DM's mistake...or something...:smallmad:

Quietus
2010-11-29, 04:25 PM
We had a player who habitually forgot his character sheet but swore to us how he had the whole thing memorized. How one can have a good enough memory to know everything on a character sheet, but not good enough to bring the sheet with him is another matter.

Anyway, he'd set about reconstructing the character as we played so as to not slow down play. He always saved his skills for last and just happened to have them as he needed them. At least he wasn't playing a wizard.

I'm actually fully capable of doing this. I can quote almost any stat, off of damn near any character I'm playing even semi-actively. If I can't, I can work backwards and figure it out off of the stats I *do* remember. That being said, I bring my backpack to every game, and my sheets are in the binder that never leaves said backpack.

As for cheating, I find that if you do it in moderation, math fails are the easiest to get away with - but that could be because the groups I play with are notoriously bad with numbers. It's pretty easy to go "24.. wait, 26, flanking!"

Unfortunately for my players, my knowledge of character stats partially extends to THEIR characters. And I'm far better at math than they are. :smalltongue:

Kylarra
2010-11-29, 04:30 PM
Depending on how forgiving your DM is, there's always this tactic (http://agc.deskslave.org/comic_viewer.html?goNumber=453) of forgetting bonuses in order to narrow down target numbers.

Corwin_of_Amber
2010-11-29, 05:00 PM
Cheating isn't too bad, we let our party's Rogue change his die rolls if the DM is distracted (I've mentioned it to him, he doesn't mind). Of course, our party consists of a Warblade/Dervish, a Cleric/Bone Knight (me), my skeletal T-Rex, and a Sorcerer that keeps going invisible and hiding. If he makes his irl sleight of Hand check then he can usually keep up with the rest of us in combat.

Shademan
2010-11-29, 05:04 PM
once i needed to roll to not die of shock. I rolled too low, but the dm didnt notice. he went "did you roll?" and I said "no."
meh, no biggie, I even suspect he pretended not to have noticed

Vladislav
2010-11-29, 05:06 PM
I'm actually fully capable of doing this. I can quote almost any stat, off of damn near any character I'm playingMe too. My AC is 21 ... no, wait, it's 22 ... no, 23. Which AC did the Troll hit again? Yeah, my AC is definitely 23. Sure I'm sure. I have a great memory.

Eldan
2010-11-29, 05:22 PM
Well, I can do card tricks. Drawing stuff out of my sleeve. Palming dice. Or could. Haven't done it in... 8 years or so. Probably horribly out of practice, and always been pretty clumsy, so not too good at it.

Quite useful.

kalkyrie
2010-11-29, 05:35 PM
I'm another one who finds it far easier to memorise a character sheet (well, some sheets) then bring it.

Some are easier than others- the cloistered cleric with no real attacks and no real AC is basically just a bag of hps, a list of skills ('Everything a cleric should have by default, as well as Knowledge Arcana, Bluff/Diplomancy') and a list of spells (which I can pick at the table, since that campaign was a 'what are you doing this month' one).
Of course, I'm not going to memorise a near-epic level sorceror character any time soon.

Ernir
2010-11-29, 05:50 PM
We had a player who habitually forgot his character sheet but swore to us how he had the whole thing memorized. How one can have a good enough memory to know everything on a character sheet, but not good enough to bring the sheet with him is another matter.

One only really needs to remember the classes, feats, base ability scores, maneuvers/spells/powers, items, and (the most difficult part) skill ranks. Pretty much the whole rest of it is derived.

Theodoriph
2010-11-29, 05:54 PM
Why do you need creative ways to cheat? Just lie...no one really looks to0 closely at your character page...or counts the number of feats you should have, or whatever.

Hell, when I was just learning the game and didn't understand how spell penetration and greater spell penetration worked, I added them to my DCs for my spells and no one ever batted an eye at when I gave the DCs for the saves.

graeylin
2010-11-29, 05:55 PM
Like Balain, i have to go way back to some old school tactics that i have seen.

1) the early roller is classic: roll while others are doing their actions, and keep it if it's good. claim you are just practising if not.

2) We old timers had to color our own die. we bought monocolor die, and then with a crayon or wax pencil, colored in the numbers. On a typical D20, you had 0-9 twice... You were supposed to color in one set white, perhaps, and the other red. You chose which was "high". Folks would switch their high color throughout the night, to keep the odds in their favor.

2b) Same thing, but you colored more than one of a pair in your high color (and never switched high). Idiots painted both 0's the same, so they had two 20's. The smarter players knew the DM would look to see if both 0's were the same color, so they painted their 8's or 9's the same instead... twice as many 18's is almost as good as twice as many 20's, and harder to catch.

2c) Once you painted your pips, we often sealed them in, so we wouldn't have to repaint them when the color got worn out/knocked out. Simple clear nail polish gave the die a high gloss and shine, and kept the wax in the pips. And, if you had lots of time, you could apply the polish to the die, then carefully put a dozen extra layers on the high numbers, leaving the lower numbers "flat", and not rounded with layers of clear polish. Die were less likely to land and stay on a rounded surface, and more likely to stop on a flat one, so... if the die tended to stay on your 1's and 2's, then the side opposite them more often came up.

memories...

Princess
2010-11-29, 06:24 PM
B-but, I like the screen.

Plus standing just makes running the game easier. Moving tokens (4e), grabbing supplies. I can't DM effectively unless I'm on my feet.

Cast off the yoke of oppression! Screen free D&D!

These cheating tactics are hilarious.

AshDesert
2010-11-29, 06:54 PM
One I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen yet, but using a Spindown life counter from a M:TG Fat Pack. For those who don't know what it is, it's a d20 that starts with an expansion symbol as 20 and goes down to 1 in order. With a d20, you can roll it so it will always land on one hemisphere. On a normal d20, this doesn't matter as much, but with a Spindown, you can guarantee that you'll get an 11 or higher on every roll.

J.Gellert
2010-11-29, 07:26 PM
One of the simplest is to "forget" to cross out spells you cast. A friend of mine was doing it to another DM - and it was well-deserved, too, I dare say.

Now if you really want creative, you need a complicated scheme that will benefit you without annoying the DM, and at the same time shifting the blame to another player. Haven't seen any of it though. Or I have, and it was great, and that's why I failed to notice it.