Stealth Variant Rules

Rules as written make stealth missions near impossible. If you're playing with a map, then the stealthy members of the party are undone by the poor stealth of their companions. Alternatively, the stealthy characters go on ahead, leaving the other players with little to do (i.e. bored).

I have a variant rule that I run that speeds stealth missions up and keeps the rest of the party interested. The way it works is that as long as the party stays 10' behind and don't stray onto a square that hasn't already been covered by the scout, they inherit the stealth roll of the scout.

How does this work?

The players that want to be scouts roll their stealth rolls. The rest of the party follows behind, forming a kind of conga line. As the DM you only need to consider the scouts. If the rest of the party steps out of line, I ask them to make a stealth roll.

Everyone gets to move concurrently, which is why the 10' exclusion zone helps. Perception is generally only rolled by the scouts, but doesn't have to be.

I typically allow everyone to move one or two squares at a time, giving a sense of creeping forward.

Are there down sides?

The advantage or disadvantage of this approach, depending on your perspective, is that if combat starts, the party is together. I personally prefer it this way because to me D&D is a social game centered around a shared experience.

But if you change the rules you aren't playing the game!

If you think this rule breaks the game, you'll hate the no initiative rules!