Sense Motive vs a written lie

[Hypersmurf]

People believe stuff they read in their Email all of the time.

Home --> Crime --> Criminal Intent --> Successful Mission

Mook Beats Party of PCs​

Claim: A lowly minion managed to eliminate a group of powerful adventurers, despite his superiors being killed.

Status: False

Example: [Collected from BBEG's personal files]

Hey Boss,

Ran into a bit of trouble with the City Guard, but targets have been dispatched.

Regret to report that all the boys were killed in the process.

Yours,
Cutthroat Bob.

Origin: This message was sent to the BBEG by one of his minions to report the successful completion of a mission to eliminate an entire high-level PC party.

Scrying on the minion revealed a faint aura of enchantment, however; combined with the fact that the PCs showed up at the BBEG's stronghold not long after and slaughtered him and all his household guards suggests that the initial message was not, in fact accurate... probably coerced from the minion with the aid of a spell from the Charm subschool.

We have little hesitation in suggesting that any BBEG demands independent corroboration of any far-fetched reports from NPC mooks.

Barbara "works like a charm" Mikkelson

 

[MithrasRahl]

well...

In a Bluff check, you're usually speaking directly to the person, and there is little room for error.

With this written check, the party can spend time coming up with a plausible letter, and make sure they aren't giving anything away. My suggestion would be to do something like this:

Make a Knowledge Local (or whatever works best) for information about the bad guy. A successful check will give a bonus to the Bluff check.

The bad guy makes a Sense Motive check, with 3 categories. On a failure by X amount he accepts it as true, on a roll just under success or just over he sends a henchman to look into it, and on a success by X amount he believes it's a fake and takes appropriate action.

 

[Phlebas]

for what its worth i'd go with bluff vs sense motive, but with some circumstantial modifiers

prisoner takes 10 on bluff (not pressurised as charmed and can take time)

+5 to bluff for being written
(IMO, if you can't see non-verbal clues, it should be higher than +2)

+2 to sense motive for circumstances (low level survived, high didn't)

+2 to sense motive if BBEG knew prisoner / situation well
OR
-2 to sense motive if BBEG didn't know prisoner except by name or wasn't aware of situation

I'd use forgery if someone else was writing it, not if its actually written by the right person

if the BBEG rolled very high (maybe DC +10) then he might work out that the prisoner was being manipulated / charmed. other than that he'd just be suspicious that someone was lying to him (ie whats been reported does not sound accurate and should be checked, sometime)

Sounds a very clever idea by the PC's so i'd give them a chance of it working - and one roll off stage by BBEG to decide what he does next seems the easiest way of progressing the story

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I love Hypersmurf so very, very much at this moment.... (If they had coerced the letter rather than charming it, there could have been a note under the stamp!)

Yes a sense motive, possibly two (for sensing enchantment and the lie) yes, bonuses to the bluff for removing in person cues.

As noted by others, a followup might be done even if the BBEG believes the sincerity of the note just because of the non-standard report method.

 

[Wolfwood2]

Sounds a very clever idea by the PC's so i'd give them a chance of it working - and one roll off stage by BBEG to decide what he does next seems the easiest way of progressing the story

Well, technically the easiest way would be for the DM to just decide if it works or not.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Hypersmurf wins again!

 

[pallandrome]

decipher script vs forgery, FTW!

That's what I usually use in these circumstances, anyways. I was horribly shocked one day when a PC showed up with maxed out forgery ranks!

 

[Lord Zardoz]

As a PC, I have actually done the maxed out Forgery thing. As long as a player is willing to come up with situations where it may be used, it can be great fun (and a great headache for the DM). Eberron campaigns in particular are fun. I think I may be the first ever D&D player to have a character thrown in jail for attempted mail fraud (long story, very off topic).

However, this is not exactly a forgery. The note is written by the minion, and has every expected que that the note is legitimate. And ultimately, the villain will find out about the ruse. What this may do for the players is buy them some time without having to look over their shoulder. The thing is that the circumstances just are not very likely, so it is a matter of how much time this will buy them.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Phlebas]

Well, technically the easiest way would be for the DM to just decide if it works or not.

true, but when I DM i quite like these little one off rolls where i can't quite decide what outcome will work best with the plot (or it doesn't make that much difference) and let the dice decide

'course, if the BBEG believing the note changes the plot/story completely i doubt i'd bother with the roll either.....

 

[Hypersmurf]

I love Hypersmurf so very, very much at this moment....

Yarrh... I be gettin' that a lot!

-Piratesmurf.