Torture Should Not Work in Dungeons & Dragons

ThePlanarDM · Jun 6, 2019

If you haven't run into this problem, great--my goal with the article is to help people who have experienced the problem find a way to solve it. And no, definitely have not run any scientific polls or controlled studies. But I have listened to a ton of different actual play podcasts and played in many games, and while many counters do not result in physical or mental torture at the end, it's come up enough that I view it as a trend or common tendency.

Ragmon · Jun 6, 2019

Why shouldent it work? Most interaction rolls are abstract anyway.

Roll Intimidate, *success*, you torture the target for "X amount of time" and get some info you were searching for. On a *fail*, the target gives you the incorrect info. As DM make it a hidden roll.

Dausuul · Jun 6, 2019

The OP missed one other thing that makes torture highly effective in D&D: The zone of truth spell. Unless the enemy has access to extremely high-level spells (glibness), zone of truth is an infallible lie detector. Even if the target makes their saving throw, you know they made the saving throw, and you can cast the spell again until they fail. Their only defense is refusing to talk*, and torture is real good at breaking that defense down.

I ban zone of truth anyway due to its capacity to wreck intrigue plots (along with its little brother detect thoughts), and I encourage my players to run heroes instead of vicious murderhobos, so I don't run into this issue; but if playing by the book, it is the torturer's best friend.

[size=-2]*Giving evasive answers is equivalent to refusing to talk. Unless the DM is extraordinarily skilled at dancing around the truth, it's really, really obvious when someone is trying to dodge a question. The PCs will just demand a straight answer and tighten the thumbscrews until they get one.[/size]

jaelis · Jun 6, 2019

ThePlanarDM said:
If you haven't run into this problem, great--my goal with the article is to help people who have experienced the problem find a way to solve it. And no, definitely have not run any scientific polls or controlled studies. But I have listened to a ton of different actual play podcasts and played in many games, and while many counters do not result in physical or mental torture at the end, it's come up enough that I view it as a trend or common tendency.

That seems quite reasonable, but your OP includes a much broader statement that "the rules of 5th edition D&D encourage keeping a bad guy alive and then torturing him for information." If that isn't something you are setting out to defend, you might not want to include it.

Michael Silverbane · Jun 6, 2019

I always thought it was most effective to kill them and consult their corpse via speak with dead.

TwoSix · Jun 6, 2019

Personally, in my games we have never tortured a prisoner. We just call it enhanced Intimidation checks.

Bitbrain · Jun 6, 2019

Michael Silverbane said:
I always thought it was most effective to kill them and consult their corpse via speak with dead.

Except that according to the player's handbook "the corpse is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer if you are hostile to it or it recognizes you as an enemy".

DEFCON 1 · Jun 6, 2019

Speaking of real-life torture...

BAYYYYYY-BEEEEE... SHARK! DO-DO-doDO-doDO...
BABY SHARK! DO-DO-doDO-doDO...
BABY SHARK! DO-DO-doDO-doDO...
BABY SHARK!

You are all welcome.

Raunalyn · Jun 6, 2019

DEFCON 1 said:
Speaking of real-life torture...

BAYYYYYY-BEEEEE... SHARK! DO-DO-doDO-doDO...
BABY SHARK! DO-DO-doDO-doDO...
BABY SHARK! DO-DO-doDO-doDO...
BABY SHARK!

You are all welcome.

What does the fox say?