D&D General Styles of Roleplaying and Characters

[Oofta]

So how do you guys handle the DM deciding if your character knows or doesn’t know something?

Appropriate skill check unless I think it's common knowledge or something the PC would know based on their history.

 

[Hussar]

Because there aren't any. 5e has not one single mechanic to tell my character what he thinks or feels that isn't magical in some way.

Insight - tells you that you believe what you are being told.

Numerous non-magical fear effects.

Any knowledge skill tells you EXACTLY what your character thinks.

Sanity (to be fair, that one's an optional module, but, it does exist in the 5e mechanics).

Piety (same)

Flaws tell you EXACTLY how your character feels about certain things. Granted, you are free to ignore this, but, it does exist.

I'm sure there are more.

 

[Hussar]

Appropriate skill check unless I think it's community knowledge or something the PC would know based on their history.

So, just to be clear, you have no problems with the mechanics telling you what your character knows.

 

[Hussar]

And then we could also add a mechanic to determine "your character does this thing because of this Doing roll". At which point we're playing an RNG game where the dice determine everything. Might be fun for some but I'm pretty sure at that point we're not engaged in a TTRPG anymore. See, some people - including the 5e designers apparently - draw the line at the player controlling how the character thinks, acts, and talks (with some exceptions for enchantment and supernatural effects). Having a "Feelings" roll is antithetical to that basic premise.

Ahh, slippery slope, how I've missed you.

See, this would hold a LOT more water if there weren't a shopping list of games that DO have mental mechanics that are considered to be RPG's. Unless you consider games like FATE to be not RPG's, And, again, can we please, please stop with this "it only happens with magic" thing in D&D? That's just not true. There are several mental mechanics in the game RIGHT now.

 

[Oofta]

So, just to be clear, you have no problems with the mechanics telling you what your character knows.

Knowing something is completely different from an emotional response.

But you'll never accept that, so I'll just ignore your responses from now on.

 

[Hussar]

Oh, and in case anyone thinks that there are no mental mechanics in D&D, I assume that you remove the Leadership feat from play right? After all, there's a non-magical mind control effect right there that carries mechanical implications.

And, I assume that you also ban Battlemasters as well right? After all, that character might take the Rally maneuver and that's a mental effect right there.

But... I thought that 5e didn't have any mental mechanics. I was told over and over and over again that they don't exist in 5e. I guess my book just has a different printing.

 

[Hussar]

Knowing something is completely different from an emotional response.

But you'll never accept that, so I'll just ignore your responses from now on.

How so?

They are both entirely internal processes for the character. They are both entirely mental processes. So, how are they "completely different"? If the mechanics can tell you that your character does not know something (or conversely, know something), they why can't the mechanics tell you that you are impressed by a fellow character's oratory?

Oh, wait, they can. 5e Leadership feat. 5e Battlemaster Rally. Oh, yeah, Mastermind Rogue can make you a better you any time he wants. I'm sure if I started going through some of the other classes, I'd find more.

So, again, how are two mental processes "completely different"?

 

[Maxperson]

So how do you guys handle the DM deciding if your character knows or doesn’t know something?

I move on based on whether I know the information or not.

 

[Oofta]

How so?

They are both entirely internal processes for the character. They are both entirely mental processes. So, how are they "completely different"? If the mechanics can tell you that your character does not know something (or conversely, know something), they why can't the mechanics tell you that you are impressed by a fellow character's oratory?

Oh, wait, they can. 5e Leadership feat. 5e Battlemaster Rally. Oh, yeah, Mastermind Rogue can make you a better you any time he wants. I'm sure if I started going through some of the other classes, I'd find more.

So, again, how are two mental processes "completely different"?

Whether a PC knows something, came across it in their studies, happened to read the correct book or listened to the bard back home is uncertain unless it's been previously established that they know something or it's common knowledge. Knowing that a 4 legged beast of burden is a "horse" is not telling people what they think. Just that they've encountered horses before.

As far as "leadership" it's not in my book. Rally is IMHO a supernatural ability and a holdover from 4E mechanics. It only grants temp HP, doesn't affect what my PC thinks.

 

[Maxperson]

Insight - tells you that you believe what you are being told.

No it doesn't. It just tells you that you either aren't sure or confirms if the person is lying It does not tell me what I believe. A failure only indicates that you don't know for sure if the person is being truthful or not. I can still have my PC come to the conclusion that the PC is lying on my own based on game circumstances, but he might be wrong.

Numerous non-magical fear effects.

Which are still "magic" like dragon fear, which while being "magic," is not magic. The game makes a distinction between supernatural/magical effects that are not overtly magical, and those that are overtly magical. I don't care for the distinction myself, but it exists and confuses the hell out of things.

Any knowledge skill tells you EXACTLY what your character thinks.

No. It just tells me if I know something or not. I does not tell me what my PC thinks about it. Knowledge =/= thinking. I know what a duck is. I think they're smelly, but beautify birds. There's a difference.

Flaws tell you EXACTLY how your character feels about certain things. Granted, you are free to ignore this, but, it does exist.

The bolded part contradicts your first sentence completely. Flaws give the player an aid when DECIDING how the PC feels and nothing more.