Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 7130233" data-attributes="member: 6787503">I agree that more specificity is required. The bard wishes to win the favor of the king and his court, but it isn't clear whether that can be done with a concert performance. It may be that the king and his court can only be won over by feats of strength, for example, or by solving the king's riddles. But if it is possible to earn the favor of the king and his court with the type of performance the bard intends to give, her approach still needs to be clearly stated. Does she intend to charm them with her stage-presence and showmanship? Or is it a display of her virtuosity with the lute that she hopes will impress the king? It could be the king and his court are aficionados of technical skill, for example, in which case the bard's lute-playing ability will be under scrutiny, or maybe they have less refined tastes and will be star-struck by anyone with the mere trappings of an entertainer. So I think the question of whether an ability check is called for depends somewhat on whether the bard's approach touches on the ideals, bonds, and flaws of the king and his court. And once the DM has determined which ability score is being tested by the bard's approach, and what proficiencies might apply, that information may affect the DC of the check, or lead to it having advantage or disadvantage. Another thing to consider is the attitude of the king and his court. Trying to &quot;earn their favor&quot; sounds like their starting attitude towards the bard and her group is indifferent, and by touching on whatever ideal, bond, or flaw they have that relates to the bard's performance, the bard may be helping to change that attitude, at least temporarily, possibly affecting the DC of a CHA check that may be called for in the event the PCs attempt to influence the king and his court in some way.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hriston, post: 7130233, member: 6787503"] I agree that more specificity is required. The bard wishes to win the favor of the king and his court, but it isn't clear whether that can be done with a concert performance. It may be that the king and his court can only be won over by feats of strength, for example, or by solving the king's riddles. But if it is possible to earn the favor of the king and his court with the type of performance the bard intends to give, her approach still needs to be clearly stated. Does she intend to charm them with her stage-presence and showmanship? Or is it a display of her virtuosity with the lute that she hopes will impress the king? It could be the king and his court are aficionados of technical skill, for example, in which case the bard's lute-playing ability will be under scrutiny, or maybe they have less refined tastes and will be star-struck by anyone with the mere trappings of an entertainer. So I think the question of whether an ability check is called for depends somewhat on whether the bard's approach touches on the ideals, bonds, and flaws of the king and his court. And once the DM has determined which ability score is being tested by the bard's approach, and what proficiencies might apply, that information may affect the DC of the check, or lead to it having advantage or disadvantage. Another thing to consider is the attitude of the king and his court. Trying to "earn their favor" sounds like their starting attitude towards the bard and her group is indifferent, and by touching on whatever ideal, bond, or flaw they have that relates to the bard's performance, the bard may be helping to change that attitude, at least temporarily, possibly affecting the DC of a CHA check that may be called for in the event the PCs attempt to influence the king and his court in some way. [/QUOTE]

Verification