D&D 5E Using social skills on other PCs

[Faolyn]

If you want to encourage players to portray characters with flaws, I recommend using background characteristics and awarding inspiration for acting in accordance with them.

Gosh, really?!

 

[HammerMan]

Correct. The function of ability checks, in my understanding, is to determine between two possible outcomes of your stated action:
1. Success at or progress towards your goal.
2. No progress towards your goal, or progress towards your goal combined with a setback.

so if the PC declairs there goal is "Know if they are lying" do you let it go or do you explain insight in your game can not say just give insight into it (pun intended)>

 

[Charlaquin]

Gosh, really?!

Yes, really. In this way, players have an incentive to play to their character traits, while still retaining their ability to decide what their characters think, feel, and do.

 

[HammerMan]

If you want to encourage players to portray characters with flaws, I recommend using background characteristics and awarding inspiration for acting in accordance with them.

I suggest instead of playing carrot and stick games (or with them I so use carrot and stick still) you treat your players with respect and just say right out the gate what type of games you like and what you don't. In a perfect world you will find a compromise to make everyone happy.

 

[Faolyn]

Yes, really. In this way, players have an incentive to play to their character traits, while still retaining their ability to decide what their characters think, feel, and do.

That was sarcasm. My players and I are quite good at playing our character's flaws, and have always known to do so.

 

[Charlaquin]

so if the PC declairs there goal is "Know if they are lying" do you let it go or do you explain insight in your game can not say just give insight into it (pun intended)>

I’d need an approach as well as a goal to rule on it. I might recommend observing the other character closely for nonverbal indications of their emotional state, or something to that effect. Assuming you did so, I might respond with something along the lines of, “You can determine his emotional state, but you’ll have to make a Wisdom check* against his passive perception, and on a failure he’ll notice you’re staring at him and might get hostile.”

Just off the top of the dome.

*I prefer just to call for an ability check and let the player decide if one of their proficiencies is applicable.

 

[Charlaquin]

I suggest instead of playing carrot and stick games (or with them I so use carrot and stick still) you treat your players with respect and just say right out the gate what type of games you like and what you don't. In a perfect world you will find a compromise to make everyone happy.

You’re assuming I don’t respect my players and say right out the gate what type of games I like (despite having ridiculed me earlier in the thread for setting expectations in session 0). Please don’t do that.

 

[clearstream]

I don’t know why you feel that way. Rules provide support. Guidance provides support. Both are contained within the text. Seems incredibly straightforward to me that when assessing what the text does or doesn’t support, both would be taken into consideration.

Okay, perhaps I misunderstand your position. You earlier seemed to differentiate between positions that I will call 'DM-decides' and 'prior-certainty', on the grounds that only the latter was supported by RAW. Rules as written.

If you are modifying that to say that prior-certainty is supported rather by rules and guidelines together - rather than RAW - then you have abandoned that razor. DM-decides is equally well supported by rules and guidelines together.

 

[iserith]

So why are you indicating that using Insight is tantamount to telling the PCs what to think?

Still don't know where you're getting that. There seems to be some fundamental disconnect somewhere. If you're not literally telling them "NPC is trustworthy" or "You believe the NPC" then you're probably okay. If you're honoring their action declaration as I laid out, then it's all good. If you're rolling Charisma (Deception) for the NPC because they lied, establishing uncertainty as to whether the PC is influenced, and expect the player to play as if they are deceived or telling the player they must do so, then that goes against the player determining what their character thinks, does, and says.

 

[HammerMan]

You’re assuming I don’t respect my players and say right out the gate what type of games I like (despite having ridiculed me earlier in the thread for setting expectations in session 0). Please don’t do that.

I was actually addressing your advice not your game