So my games always have a good intrigue flavor in them. So a discussion on Intrigue games in 5th edition would be nice.
One thing I found to be a great aid in adding Intrigue to a game is Backgrounds. By having some skills not tried to class and having a easy way to get a bonus language, even the intrigue challenge classes can have some decent numbers in rolling.
But there are different amount of usefulness of classes, races, and primary ability scores in intrigue games in 5th. Bards and Rogues can easily start with proficiency in Deception, Insight, Intimidation and Persuasion. And get expertise in 2 of them early. Plus magic. This can set them up for the face aspect of intrigue easily. Most classes just get 1 or 2 of these skills and are lucky if their race or prime ability matches. Though with the bonuses being so low, it isn't always too bad.
Splitting the Party is a great way to get everyone involved. The mechanics also make it feel less like a purposeful wrench thrown by the DM. In my last game, I let the party attempt to gather patron for their quest and sow doubt in the goals of others who would bog down the money stream. But they had to split up to cover more ground and secure patrons before they are tapped out.
In the past, this little game of "snag the patrons" fell into two strategies that no one seemed to like because some classes were no good at intrigue but the players wanted to run characters of that sort. Either they sent the "weak links" to the patrons they didn't care about.
"Sir Ogden, you can handle the bakers. If you don't secure the food, we'll just eat berries or something."
Or the violence method of just killing or hurting the right people. Unfortunately, this is tricky as it can lead to the desired amount of violence to escalate more the the group desired as the DM slowly becomes GRRDM. For chivalrous knights, courtly nobles, and ambassadors of barbarian tribes to "Face-axes or Horses." repeatedly.
5th edition is betting good however. A fighter, barbarian, or other combat type can easily stick a a 14 in a mental score and snag a pair of mental without destroying their combat prowess. A +4 to a check isn't bad at low levels. It'll be lower that a rogue with expetise, a spellcaster with an 18, or bards but it isn't bad. Plus archetypes can make the ability scores with are big in intrigue but not a character's primary better. A fighter can get something out of Insentience or Charisma from eldricth knight or battlemaster.
As for bards. They're really good in intrigue in 5th edition. A DM either has to make sure the bard player tones down, spread out the skill and language usage or just tone down the intrigue in the campaign. The bard player was giving the verbal and magical diplomatic beatdown on those poor NPCs as his allies stood around in amazement. Luckily I split the party up enough so they could all have turns at meaningful tongue lashing.
So what are your thoughts on running intrigue in 5th edition.
One thing I found to be a great aid in adding Intrigue to a game is Backgrounds. By having some skills not tried to class and having a easy way to get a bonus language, even the intrigue challenge classes can have some decent numbers in rolling.
But there are different amount of usefulness of classes, races, and primary ability scores in intrigue games in 5th. Bards and Rogues can easily start with proficiency in Deception, Insight, Intimidation and Persuasion. And get expertise in 2 of them early. Plus magic. This can set them up for the face aspect of intrigue easily. Most classes just get 1 or 2 of these skills and are lucky if their race or prime ability matches. Though with the bonuses being so low, it isn't always too bad.
Splitting the Party is a great way to get everyone involved. The mechanics also make it feel less like a purposeful wrench thrown by the DM. In my last game, I let the party attempt to gather patron for their quest and sow doubt in the goals of others who would bog down the money stream. But they had to split up to cover more ground and secure patrons before they are tapped out.
In the past, this little game of "snag the patrons" fell into two strategies that no one seemed to like because some classes were no good at intrigue but the players wanted to run characters of that sort. Either they sent the "weak links" to the patrons they didn't care about.
"Sir Ogden, you can handle the bakers. If you don't secure the food, we'll just eat berries or something."
Or the violence method of just killing or hurting the right people. Unfortunately, this is tricky as it can lead to the desired amount of violence to escalate more the the group desired as the DM slowly becomes GRRDM. For chivalrous knights, courtly nobles, and ambassadors of barbarian tribes to "Face-axes or Horses." repeatedly.
5th edition is betting good however. A fighter, barbarian, or other combat type can easily stick a a 14 in a mental score and snag a pair of mental without destroying their combat prowess. A +4 to a check isn't bad at low levels. It'll be lower that a rogue with expetise, a spellcaster with an 18, or bards but it isn't bad. Plus archetypes can make the ability scores with are big in intrigue but not a character's primary better. A fighter can get something out of Insentience or Charisma from eldricth knight or battlemaster.
As for bards. They're really good in intrigue in 5th edition. A DM either has to make sure the bard player tones down, spread out the skill and language usage or just tone down the intrigue in the campaign. The bard player was giving the verbal and magical diplomatic beatdown on those poor NPCs as his allies stood around in amazement. Luckily I split the party up enough so they could all have turns at meaningful tongue lashing.
So what are your thoughts on running intrigue in 5th edition.
