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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mearls" data-source="post: 4550781" data-attributes="member: 697">As someone up thread mentioned, roleplay and description are really important here. As a player, it feels a little weird to make skill checks to (essentially) decide how my character feels.You mentioned that the three contestants could have an impact on the rest of the campaign, so I'd focus on skill checks that help determine how those NPCs feel about the PCs.For example, let's say the PCs have to judge chili cooked by three important nobles. One noble makes really, really spicy chili. The PCs have to make Endurance checks to finish their portion or to avoid coughing, gulping down water, and tearing up when eating it.I'd use those checks to then drive how the NPCs feel. For instance, let's say the warlock blows his check and coughs, gags, and has to take a few minutes to recover. But, the warlock really likes that cook and votes from him. The other nobles feel snubbed, assume that the warlock voted on personal preference rather than chili quality, and hire ninja gourmets to assassinate him.The way I see it, a skill check should cover stuff that the players can't really control over their PCs. You could also use Bluff or Diplomacy for the characters, to see if their praise or comments ring true or arouse suspicion or hostility in the losers. Even the winner might harbor a grudge if the PCs' actions make him feel like his victory was ill earned.Another idea: the PCs skill checks could help them learn more about some of the issues at stake in the contest. Maybe one of the entries tastes terrible, but a successful Nature check allows a PC to recognize a spice in the chili that doesn't appear in the noble's description of his dish - someone added it to make the food taste horrible.</blockquote>

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