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Message: <blockquote data-quote="zago" data-source="post: 6614845" data-attributes="member: 6794539">hmm. Yeah we are talking in circles. Merchant has a basic item price (longsword:15g). Merchant also has a price that is the lowest he 'willing' negotiate to (Longsword 10g). Merchant has a certain prices he would never sell an item for weather it be for pride, or because he would lose money on the deal (let's say longsword 9g-free). When I say normal, I mean somewhere within 15g-10g. In a barter society it would actually NOT be normal to sell an item for it's actual 'list' price. I only say normal in the sense that D&D doesn't assume all deals are bartering. All skill checks are, in my impression, used to determine the result of something possible although difficult. My players don't make a check to perform something impossible. The benefit of friends is that it allows you to gain adv on charisma checks, that is its stated purpose. It's a short term benefit, but the size of the risk greatly depends on who you use it on. You might say that 'hostility' is a negative, but 'hostility' is the logical conclusion of a lot skill uses. If I choose to intimidate, deceive, or pick pocket, the result is likely at some point hostility. If a player uses Guidance, minor illusion, prestidigitation or other abilities to swindle, unfairly negotiate, or trick someone and the target is aware that they are doing it,  they will become hostile. If friends were better, it would be more or less broken imo. The idea of using it to to 'make someone hostile' is actually the weirdest use I have seen, although plausible. In the sense that making someone hostile should be pretty easy, and definitely does not require a cantrip. Guard 1 becomes hostile with Guard 2 because -A- He thinks Guard 2 used a cantrip to unfairly manipulate him or -B- Guard 1 is under the impression that Guard 2 has been Boasting about his 'accomplishments' last eve with his daughter. Even if I had a player say he was using that cantrip for the 'anger' purpose, I would be like, well.... What do you say that really gets him angry? The purpose of the hostility is to keep in check the usage, using friends on the king is a bad idea, using it to barter for equipment, gather rumors amongst townfolk, slip past a guard on entrance to a large city, or just to stall for time while party members surround a camp are all great, simple, logical uses.Either way, you say it's not useful, and I am saying, I have used it to great effect many times. Your suggestion, I guess, is that if I can make it useful I am somehow doing it wrong. I think you just need to get into the trenches and use it, it might change your mind.</blockquote>

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