D&D (2024) Influence Action

[DEFCON 1]

It certainly shouldn't default to Wisdom as the stat... because the wise person wouldn't let themselves get drawn into the stupid argument in the first place.

It's only the really smart but unwise person who thinks they're going to "out-argue" the opponent and get them to see things their way, LOL.

 

[Reynard]

guess that recycling 3.5e skills table DCs and modifiers is back on the menu...

If only. Detailed lists of DC help GMs set appropriate DCs for stuff not on the list. Four vague categories with no real examples is less than useless.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I also don't like the static DC. At least provide mods for hitting the NPC's bonds, ideals and flaws.

I though BIFs were gone now.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It really feels like leverage should make a significant difference here. Like, what are you offering/threatening/promising, and how are you doing it. I guess DMs could apply Advantage/Disadvantage, but it seems like varied DCs should be a thing too, not just INT scores.

That would require the ability to interpret a situation, and clearly they just want you to follow rules.

 

[Micah Sweet]

How does that track? Not all actions are combat actions.

I kinda think they are, mostly, in 5.5.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm glad there's a clear statement that some requests don't require checks and some are impossible. It's absurd, though, to make every request that falls between those extremes equal in difficulty.

From a player perspective, a fixed DC of 15 makes it difficult for an average character to achieve even modest concessions through diplomacy, while at the same time limiting the rewards for high levels of specialization in diplomacy. From a DM perspective, it makes it much harder to account for NPC personalities and relationships and the nature of PC requests in a nuanced way.

Nuance, like interpretation, appears to be on the way out, in favor of strict mechanics.

 

[Quickleaf]

It's great to see them designing in new problems to support the longevity of the game – got to have some things to fix with much ado when 6th edition comes out!

 

[Shiroiken]

Does it say anything about that?

No, but I sadly suspect that Bonds/Traits/Flaws won't even make it into 5.5

 

[Reynard]

I though BIFs were gone now.

Are they? I legitimately have no idea.

 

[Lanefan]

Again, my only issue with the rule is that Int is the deciding factor. I have argued with too many people on the internet to believe intelligence is the deciding factor...

Could this simply be a case of the designers needing to give Intelligence more work to do in the game as a stat, and thus shoehorning this in there?