Bluff or Spellcraft check?

[juliaromero]

I have a ruling question. In my DragonStar campaign it's illegal to be an unregistered psion. So the psion in the group pretends to be a wizard. He walks around with a stick and pretends to cast a spell when using his powers if he thinks someone is watching who shouldn't know he is a psion. I'm wondering what sort of skill check people would use to see if this works.

The way I'm doing it now is he makes a Bluff check against anyone who can't cast arcane spells (vs. sense motive now, but should it be spot?) and a spellcraft check against anyone who can cast arcane spells (opposed by their own spellcraft check for now ... or should that be sense motive or spot?).

If you think this is a reasonable way to do it, would he get a synergy bonus on his spellcraft checks for this for enough ranks in bluff? (and vice versa for that matter?)

 

[James McMurray]

Spellcraft can't hide the manifesting of apower. Bluff would be necessary, but only against people with spellcraft. He would also have to use the hide power feat, otherwise anyone with spell (psi) craft will know that he is using a power because spells don't generally cover you in ectoplasm while setting off alarm bells in your head.

For the bluff portion I would suggest letting him use bluff plus half his skill total in spellcraft (or vice versa, his choice). It would be opposed by the same method (opposer's choice of which skill gets halved).

 

[WCrawford]

I have a ruling question. In my DragonStar campaign it's illegal to be an unregistered psion. So the psion in the group pretends to be a wizard. He walks around with a stick and pretends to cast a spell when using his powers if he thinks someone is watching who shouldn't know he is a psion. I'm wondering what sort of skill check people would use to see if this works.

The way I'm doing it now is he makes a Bluff check against anyone who can't cast arcane spells (vs. sense motive now, but should it be spot?) and a spellcraft check against anyone who can cast arcane spells (opposed by their own spellcraft check for now ... or should that be sense motive or spot?).

If you think this is a reasonable way to do it, would he get a synergy bonus on his spellcraft checks for this for enough ranks in bluff? (and vice versa for that matter?)

This is how I'd do it. Use this or not as you will.

The Psion would roll his Knowledge (Arcana) modified by his Charisma bonus. The viewing character woudl roll Knowledge (Arcana) modified by his Wisdom Bonus. I would also allow any character with 5 or more ranks of Spellcraft to get a +2 Synergy bonus to either roll.

The reason I suggest Knowledge (Arcana) over Spellcraft is that Spellcraft, IMO, is more general and applies equally to Arcane or Divine spells.

This alternate use is described in the DMG 3.5, iirc. I'll have to go back and double check to be certain.

 

[Al]

Against non-Spellcraft users, it's probably a Bluff vs. Sense Motive, with a variable bonus or penalty depending on how much about magic they know from their experience. A small-village farm-worker who's never seen magic in his life would probably get a SM penalty; an orderly at a mage's guild is likely to get a bonus.

Against those with Spellcraft, there is no opposed roll. The game is up. Spellcraft is book learning. It's not subjective, or prone to be bluffed: trying to bluff someone with Spellcraft into thinking a spell isn't a spell is analagous to trying to bluff a demolitions expert into not recognising an explosion.