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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 7635535" data-attributes="member: 6816692">But in a game with INT/WIS/CHA this would be then the DM's fault, wouldn't it? Telling a dork to "persuade that baron" in character while ignoring his stats or skills and the tell him how he failed because he didn't use his "obvious weakness for cute kittens and love of being addressed with at least three positive adjectives" is bad DMing. At least in a game where your PC's mental stats can be different from your own. And I like to keep it that way. Why? Because I don't see why people are totally cool to let their PCs be the buffest, most agile or toughest guys on earth while being unfit weaklings themselves while having problems allowing that one autistic or shy player to play as a social genius. Other than trying to satisfy some perceived superiority in terms of their own "mental stats". I do see a problem with mental stats when it comes to "dump stats" though. As I've rarely seen anyone playing a less intelligent, wise or charismatic PC in a sensible way. Especially if they (players) are on the more intelligent side of the mental spectrum. Limiting yourself isn't fun, I understand that. But then maybe don't dump INT. Okay... this is a bit anecdotal, but I guess it will be more or less prevalent in less homogenous groups groups. As a DM, you usually use your own knowledge and experience when creating a world of your own. NPC are based on behavior patterns you know, archetypes you've read about or often characters from books or shows you like. This applies to other aspects of the world as well, like whether or not you could cut a rope with a knife or whether buildings made of marble make sense, but these usually tend to be covered by the rules. Now, if I, as a player, get to talk to an NPC or get some clues from others, I get my own picture of said person. If I tend to watch the same shows, read the same books  or come from the same culture as my DM, then my mental image and his will more likely align and I will more likely "push the right buttons" (in the DM's eye) when it comes to interaction. And it is the other way round when my and the DM's socio-cultural backgrounds don't align. So even if I'm a) an intelligent player and b) do my very best to logically describe my PC's actions and how and why this could work in a given situation, my DM could still be not convinced simply because "it isn't plausible" as his and my image of the situation don't align.In a world with mental stats and skills, I would still describe what I'm trying to do, roll the dice and, should I succeed, would be told by the GM that I should maybe try to use a whole different approach based on his image (that's what the insight skill should do IMO). This situation still isn't as ideal as it could be, but it would still allow me to succed despite the non-match.</blockquote>

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