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If an NPC is telling the truth, what's the Insight DC to know they're telling the truth?
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<blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 7583747" data-attributes="member: 16814"><p>So, you require a standard approach and then question why others ask for an appriach? I don't get it. If there wasn't a standard approach, what would you do?</p><p></p><p>There's some additional principles behind goal and approach that may help here. They are "don't ask for a roll if there are no consequences for failure" and "telegraph danger." The first quickly dispenses with no trap situations and prevents the dreaded "metagaming" when there is (because a failure will have a consequence). The second tells players ahead of the interaction that there's simething to interact with. Let me give you examples from my last session.</p><p></p><p>The scout is moving through a dungeon known to have traps, and so is being careful. He comes to a long corridor with two doors on the walls at the midpoint. Nothing special. As he approaches the doors, he does not notice either the scratches in the floor in front of the doors or the lip of a pressure plate just beyond due to using darkvision (his passive was below threshold but would not have been with bright light). He did not stop to examine the doors, but pressed on, stepping on the plate and causing the doors to snap into the hallway and seal it closed at the halfway point. This illustrates goal and approach in a natural play method. The goal was to scout for dangers, the approach was to move cautiously with no light source. The result was a failed perception test and the triggering of a trap. A different approach would have had different results. I use thus example because I'm pretty sure you'll recognize it from your own play.</p><p></p><p>The second instance was a staue of a man with a shark's head with an open mouth. A closer approach revealed the mouth had a cavity behind it that you could reach into, but, due to the height of the statue, you couldn't see into it. The statue blocked a secret door and the catch was a handle in the back of the staues throat. The "trap" was that the statue was unsteady and attempting to climb it would cause it to topple. The two PCs investigating declared one climbed on the other's shoulders for a better look, and so saw the catch clearly. They then reached in to feel if there was a mechanism that would cayse the mouth to close. There wasn't (no consequence for failure) , so I said so. The catch was pulled and the secret door revealed. They entirely bypassed the "trap" by approach. </p><p></p><p>My player felt confident that his PC reaching into the mouth of the statue was not going to be a gotcha because he knew I resoect both goal and approach. It was risky, yes, but I wasn't going to gotcha trap him without a roll that honored both his approach and his goal. Had there been a trap, I would have lowered his DC for finding it due to getting right in there where the mechanism would be, but that would have balanced with the trap going off on a failure.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ovinomancer, post: 7583747, member: 16814"] So, you require a standard approach and then question why others ask for an appriach? I don't get it. If there wasn't a standard approach, what would you do? There's some additional principles behind goal and approach that may help here. They are "don't ask for a roll if there are no consequences for failure" and "telegraph danger." The first quickly dispenses with no trap situations and prevents the dreaded "metagaming" when there is (because a failure will have a consequence). The second tells players ahead of the interaction that there's simething to interact with. Let me give you examples from my last session. The scout is moving through a dungeon known to have traps, and so is being careful. He comes to a long corridor with two doors on the walls at the midpoint. Nothing special. As he approaches the doors, he does not notice either the scratches in the floor in front of the doors or the lip of a pressure plate just beyond due to using darkvision (his passive was below threshold but would not have been with bright light). He did not stop to examine the doors, but pressed on, stepping on the plate and causing the doors to snap into the hallway and seal it closed at the halfway point. This illustrates goal and approach in a natural play method. The goal was to scout for dangers, the approach was to move cautiously with no light source. The result was a failed perception test and the triggering of a trap. A different approach would have had different results. I use thus example because I'm pretty sure you'll recognize it from your own play. The second instance was a staue of a man with a shark's head with an open mouth. A closer approach revealed the mouth had a cavity behind it that you could reach into, but, due to the height of the statue, you couldn't see into it. The statue blocked a secret door and the catch was a handle in the back of the staues throat. The "trap" was that the statue was unsteady and attempting to climb it would cause it to topple. The two PCs investigating declared one climbed on the other's shoulders for a better look, and so saw the catch clearly. They then reached in to feel if there was a mechanism that would cayse the mouth to close. There wasn't (no consequence for failure) , so I said so. The catch was pulled and the secret door revealed. They entirely bypassed the "trap" by approach. My player felt confident that his PC reaching into the mouth of the statue was not going to be a gotcha because he knew I resoect both goal and approach. It was risky, yes, but I wasn't going to gotcha trap him without a roll that honored both his approach and his goal. Had there been a trap, I would have lowered his DC for finding it due to getting right in there where the mechanism would be, but that would have balanced with the trap going off on a failure. [/QUOTE]
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If an NPC is telling the truth, what's the Insight DC to know they're telling the truth?
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