Hey all, I wasn’t really a contributor over at r/dndmemes, but I was there at the end. Yikes. Anyway, here’s a small contribution to help this place grow.
Context (possible spoilers for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist):
Our party was trying to get information out of a locksmith about the installation locations of some extremely elaborate locks and generally not getting anywhere. Locksmith says something to the effect of making locks that “his type” (gestures to my Rogue) can’t get past.
I’m an introvert at a table with multiple extroverts that normally dominate the role play. I’m generally okay with it, but this is my moment and I’m taking it!
“Wanna bet?” I ask.
Locksmith looks at me.
“Bring me your best lock. If I can pick it, you tell us what we want to know. If I can’t, I’ll give you 10 gold”.
Challenge accepted! My Rogue has 20 DEX and proficiency in Thieves’ Tools, so I’m sitting at a comfy +8 to lockpicking challenges.
Natural. 1. FML.
No need to be a dick; improv can have a steep learning curve, because to get experience you have to, especially as an introvert, come out of your comfort zone. If they’re the planning type, they’ll have had an idea of how the interaction would go and have prepared for it, so to have the rug pulled out from under you is a hard thing to learn to roll with.
We should be encouraging people who struggle with role playing, not telling them they’re a bad player.