D&D 5E (2024) Rank 5e skills from most useful (1) to least useful (18)

[Hussar]

But often the DM just doesn't want you to succeed at that check.

I find that this is pretty much the standard line. There's not much point in even making the attempt because, again IME, it's just not going to work.

 

[Hussar]

In practice, no, I'm not going to let you frighten Orcus into giving up and begging for his (un)life because one person made a high roll and now my climactic fight is scuttled.

This isn't a problem 4e really dodged, btw. Though it limited the valid targets to being creatures you've already bloodied, I still don't think many DMs would, in practice, let you force the bloodied ancient dragon to surrender just because you made a good skill check. Talk about an anticlimax. Intimidate was arguably better in 4e (I'd argue that!), but it did have problems.

And this plays pretty much straight into @Benjamin Olson's point. Because, as a player, you never really know if THIS encounter is DM proof or not. It might be, it might not be. But, why waste the action on pointless attempts. The fact that the DM is invested in making this encounter a climactic fight means that the players are pretty much forced to play it out the way the DM wants to play it out.

You've bloodied the ancient dragon. Ancient dragons become ancient dragons specifically because they know they don't have to fight to the death. The player made the attempt and manages to win one for the team. Great. Because there's one thing about it, I've never, EVER seen a DM decide that a monster was magic proof in the middle of an encounter. You end the encounter with a spell? Great. High fives all around. Beat the enemy because of a skill check? Oh, that's anti-climactic.

The game is a lot better if DM's stop thinking in terms of "this encounter must be climactic". I have infinite encounters. If they beat this one a bit easier than they would have otherwise? Great! I'll get them next time because there is always a next time.

 

[Parmandur]

Sorry, hunting for it, but, can you point me to a page number?

P. 47-48 in the DMG, ending fights before lethality is one of the suggestions for keeping the game moving quickly, amd roleplaying NPCs who want to live. It gives some DCs and triggers for initiating flight or negotiation.

In the PHB, the Influence A action is on p. 379.