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Message: <blockquote data-quote="77IM" data-source="post: 7029590" data-attributes="member: 12377">Here's how I've been handling social checks lately:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I decide how the NPC reacts based on what the PCs say. 80% of the time, it's obvious. The outrageous lie? Won't be believed. Intimidating a captive after he just watched you kill all his friends? He'll do what you want. Etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Then I call for an appropriate skill checks to capture the degree of success. The outrageous lie? If you do well on the check they'll think you're dumb or joking; if you do poorly, they'll think you're being malicious. Intimidating a captive? If you do well on the check he spills his guts; if you do poorly, he tells you the bare minimum that he thinks he can get away with.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Check result only determines actual success/failure of the interaction in those 20% of cases where I'm actually not sure how the NPC would react. Humans are complex; sometimes it's easier to just set a DC and let the dice decide.</li> </ul>Checks are meant to resolve uncertainty. What I've come to realize is that a lot of times, success/failure is certain; it's only the degree of success/failure that is uncertain.We do this already in other areas of the game. If you fall, the DM might let you make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to mitigate some of the falling damage, but it's certain that you're taking the falling damage. If you hide, it's certain that you are hidden, but you get a Dexterity (Stealth) check to see how well you are hidden (you might be hidden from some creatures but not others because of the differences in their passive Perceptions). When you forced march, it's certain that you press onward, but you make a Constitution check to see whether you exhaust yourself or not. And of course, the elephant in the room, is saving throws for half damage: It's certain that you get scorched by the fireball, but make a Dex save for half damage. (Unless you've got Evasion, in which case, the scorching itself becomes uncertain.)It works especially well for social interaction because it keeps Charisma relevant, but avoids absurd and un-fun scenarios like some of the ones you describe (the impassioned speech, backed by evidence, that still flubs on a poor roll... we've all been there).</blockquote>

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