DM Rolls
There are some skills which the DM should make for the player. Appraise, Disable Device, Sense Motive, Search, sometimes Use Rope, sometimes Spot and Listen, sometimes Bluff.
When you use one of these skills, just tell me what you are trying to do, and I'll make the roll for you privately and tell you the results. The reason is that if you roll poorly, then you know in advance that you might have messed up the results, and that OOC info might bleed into the IC actions of your character. These skills are the ones which may provide you with false information if you roll too low. Anytime you are faced with a skill check for this,
So check the skill you are about to use and see if its one that the DM is supposed to make for you.
Thanks.
The following Skills are DM rolled:
Appraise
Bluff - For Secret Message, or Bluffing another PC only
Decipher Script
Disable Device - For Sabotage only
Disguise Check
Forgery
Search
Sense Motive
Sleight of Hand - Only when opposed by another PC
Survival - Predicting Weather or Determining Direction only
Use Rope - Securing Grappling Hook, Binding a PC Character, Tying a Special Knot only
For all of these, you can still specify to Take 10/20 on your own whenever such an option is available.