Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 6736201" data-attributes="member: 2629">Same discussion, new edition.  Players dictate the voluntary intended actions of the PCs.  Dice handle the things that are out of their voluntary control.  A PC may do something involuntarily as an immediate response to a stimulus - a response dictated by the DM after a roll - but how they respond once they get their wits is up to them.  Deception vs Insight: If the Deception is higher, then there is no outward indication that the listener picked up on that indicates there was a lie - no 'tells'.  That doesn't mean there is no logic gaps in the statement that makes the lie unbelievable.  You could roll a high deception and have a PC or NPC disregard what was said because - even though the lie was told very believably - it just doesn't make sense.  If a PC lies to a guard and tells them that the  PC was with the mayor when the murder took place and rolls a high deception, the guard might find the statement very believable - unless the guard was standing next to the mayor at the time.  If so, he might respond, "Excuse me, but are you sure?  I was with the mayor and I did not see you there.  In fact, I'm sure you were not there."  Had the deception roll been lower, the guard might have responded, "You can't even look me in the eye while you lie!  Arrest him!"NPC Persuasion vs a PC: The magistrate tries to convince you to take a quest.  You're hesitant.  He tries to persuade you... and rolls a 20!  The DM should give you a bunch of good arguments, tell you find the magistrate likable, remind you that people will suffer if you don't take the quest - but the decision is yours on whether to take the quest.  The DM might tell you that you feel a bit of guilt (an involuntary feeling) - but the decision on whether to act or not is the player's.NPC Intimidation versus a PC: The magistrate tries to convince you to take a quest.  You're hesitant.  He tries to intimidate you... and rolls a 20! The DM tells you that you cower back involuntarily.  You sweat.  You blurt out an agreement to the quest without realizing it - then the moment passes and you have a chance to respond to the involuntary agreement you made.  Your PC is still intimidated by the magistrate - but the player now decides how the PC wants to act.  If the player says, "I don't back down - I tell him I refuse!", the DM responds with, "You attempt to speak, but find that all you can muster is a squeaking whisper.  You try to look him in the eye... but find your gaze dropping.  You squeak out some words, unsure whether he understood your refusal... until he responds, 'Did I stutter?  You're taking this quest.  Now get out of here.'  You find your feet moving towards the door before you realize what is happening.  You know you shouldn't be intimidated by this blowhard, but there is something about him that got to you..."  If the player says, "I stop myself and refuse to take the quest!", the DM should say something like, "You steel your nerve and stand your ground ... shakily.  You manage to utter, 'No'.  You feel like your heart is going to burst from your chest.  You turn your gaze to the magistrate and see fire in his eyes. "You're going to regret your disobedience.  GUARDS!!!!!!"</blockquote>

Verification