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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 9287549" data-attributes="member: 20323">That's actually very similar to what the 5e 2014 DMG (which everybody reads) has to say under Social Interaction (pg 244-245) about "determining characteristics"!Typical Quickleaf response: it depends on the situation. I highlighted your two examples – court room debate & plea to the king – because those specific cases are structured, layered, and high stakes scenarios. These are not smooth-talking a city guard or intimidating a random captive. There's more happening here, the camera is zooming in, there's a gravitas the players can feel.In these sorts of structured, layered, high stakes social scenes, I use a homebrew Q&A system built on the bones of skill challenges. In brief, the "system" (which is more of a guideline with pleeenty of GM on the fly adjusting)...<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The NPC poses 3-4 questions (#1 to #3/4) of escalating importance (and difficulty) to the PCs. I typically prepare these in advance.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The PCs have a number of chances to respond equal to the current # of the question. This is narrated according to context & individual NPC, but think of it as a chime to the GM "and now it's time for the Baron to cut in and say something" to keep the scene moving and tense.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A "success" during a question can be a convincing argument intelligently playing upon characteristics/history that the player paid attention to, it can be a certain skill check, it can be use of a spell or special ability, it might be automatic based on results of a past adventure, etc. Generally, it needs to make sense in light of the current line of the NPC's questions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The outcome of the structured, layered, high stakes scene is determined by the total # successes accrued in a "degrees of success/failure" chart.</li> </ul>One of the GMing skills that is very much a "grey zone" is discerning when to pivot from talking to rolling dice insofar as PC-NPC interaction is concerned. There's tons of tools that can help with this (reaction rolls, knowing the rules for social interaction, social status/reputation/renown, etc), but ultimately it boils down to the person in the GM seat being able to make that discernment. At least speaking of modern D&D-ish games.</blockquote>

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