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If an NPC is telling the truth, what's the Insight DC to know they're telling the truth?
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<blockquote data-quote="WaterRabbit" data-source="post: 7583830" data-attributes="member: 2445"><p>So despite claims to the contrary, you cannot tell if a person is lying just through body language unless you have a baseline of their behavior to compare it to -- and even then, it isn't certain. You can tell if someone is under a cognitive load based upon their body language, but it is generally not possible to tell why.</p><p></p><p>So baring magic like a Zone of Truth, and Insight check should not be able to determine if someone is telling the truth one way or another. And even Zone of Truth provides a large amount of wiggle room. The only way to be certain if an NPC is telling the truth is to confirm their information. Overtime, you can then determine if an NPC is trustworthy or not. </p><p></p><p>So, the DC for a "truth" check for an NPC that is a stranger to a player should be very high -- like DC 30 or something. Generally, I prefer to create ahead of time a chart that reflects the amount of information a check gives (insight, history, investigation, etc).</p><p></p><p>Check 5 or better gives x</p><p>Check 10 or better gives y</p><p>Check 15 or better gives z</p><p>etc.</p><p></p><p>Even if the PCs don't make a check it give you as the DM a better idea as to what information an NPC has they can impart.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WaterRabbit, post: 7583830, member: 2445"] So despite claims to the contrary, you cannot tell if a person is lying just through body language unless you have a baseline of their behavior to compare it to -- and even then, it isn't certain. You can tell if someone is under a cognitive load based upon their body language, but it is generally not possible to tell why. So baring magic like a Zone of Truth, and Insight check should not be able to determine if someone is telling the truth one way or another. And even Zone of Truth provides a large amount of wiggle room. The only way to be certain if an NPC is telling the truth is to confirm their information. Overtime, you can then determine if an NPC is trustworthy or not. So, the DC for a "truth" check for an NPC that is a stranger to a player should be very high -- like DC 30 or something. Generally, I prefer to create ahead of time a chart that reflects the amount of information a check gives (insight, history, investigation, etc). Check 5 or better gives x Check 10 or better gives y Check 15 or better gives z etc. Even if the PCs don't make a check it give you as the DM a better idea as to what information an NPC has they can impart. [/QUOTE]
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If an NPC is telling the truth, what's the Insight DC to know they're telling the truth?
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