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What counts as a detailed enough, permissible action declaration?
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<blockquote data-quote="Ruin Explorer" data-source="post: 8298083" data-attributes="member: 18"><p>I mean, it seems like the hunter there was a very suggestible individual, because you're bordering on "social skills as mind-control" with what you're describing there. People can be persuaded to new viewpoints, sure, but unless they're highly suggestible and/or already looking for a massive life-change (and just not sure what), it usually takes a number of conversations over days or weeks with them having time to consider the ideas for themselves.</p><p></p><p>So unless your characters were known for their extreme persuasiveness and frequently made the arguments you described re: vegetarianism etc., as a DM I'd need to hear a lot more detail on your precise tack, and unless the Hunter was keen to be persuaded (i.e. maybe he's just undergone a tragedy or crisis of faith, and seeks a change) or was just incredibly suggestible, I simply wouldn't have allowed that. A success would have him seriously considering the idea, not swallowing it hook, line, and sinker.</p><p></p><p>In some RPGs of course the fact that the roll did succeed would imply the hunter <em>was</em> seeking change or highly suggestible and it would be, depending on the RPG, up to the players and/or DM to say that. But in many, perhaps most, it would simply not work unless the DM had already decided that.</p><p></p><p>Equally with the follow-up re: "living of the leaves and the fruit", I think that unless the PC in question frequently used this tack, and/or was of a background which would strongly indicate he knew this sort of line, I would want to hear some more details on this.</p><p></p><p>In general I think what your description of the process is missing is the back-and-forth between the players and the DM - I often find myself asking for more detail on certain actions - like "I jump over the gap", I'd probably ask if they did a standing or running jump, for example.</p><p></p><p>Re: your OSR example with searching, I think the issue there is a little more about tradition than anything else. Traditionally, old-skool RPGs like early D&D and a lot of OSR games which ape it simply haven't had a roll-able "search" mechanism. Hence the demand for descriptions of how people search, which of course can turn into the dreaded "pixel-hunt", but can also be enjoyable if the players do hit on just the right thing to search. Personally I tend to ask for more details simply because a good description can short-circuit the need for a roll (as long as it's remotely justifiable that the character would do what was described - but with searching that's almost always going to be fine). Whereas with Tracking, it's typically a specific ability that the character possesses, with an actual mechanism for rolling, hence people tend to demand less detail. Also, let's be real - 99% of D&D players and DMs don't know anything at all about tracking specifics. They only have the vaguest notion about foot/hoof/paw-prints and broken twigs and the like, so asking for more detail doesn't help anyone - at best a player could totally naughty word the DM because the DM has no idea.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ruin Explorer, post: 8298083, member: 18"] I mean, it seems like the hunter there was a very suggestible individual, because you're bordering on "social skills as mind-control" with what you're describing there. People can be persuaded to new viewpoints, sure, but unless they're highly suggestible and/or already looking for a massive life-change (and just not sure what), it usually takes a number of conversations over days or weeks with them having time to consider the ideas for themselves. So unless your characters were known for their extreme persuasiveness and frequently made the arguments you described re: vegetarianism etc., as a DM I'd need to hear a lot more detail on your precise tack, and unless the Hunter was keen to be persuaded (i.e. maybe he's just undergone a tragedy or crisis of faith, and seeks a change) or was just incredibly suggestible, I simply wouldn't have allowed that. A success would have him seriously considering the idea, not swallowing it hook, line, and sinker. In some RPGs of course the fact that the roll did succeed would imply the hunter [I]was[/I] seeking change or highly suggestible and it would be, depending on the RPG, up to the players and/or DM to say that. But in many, perhaps most, it would simply not work unless the DM had already decided that. Equally with the follow-up re: "living of the leaves and the fruit", I think that unless the PC in question frequently used this tack, and/or was of a background which would strongly indicate he knew this sort of line, I would want to hear some more details on this. In general I think what your description of the process is missing is the back-and-forth between the players and the DM - I often find myself asking for more detail on certain actions - like "I jump over the gap", I'd probably ask if they did a standing or running jump, for example. Re: your OSR example with searching, I think the issue there is a little more about tradition than anything else. Traditionally, old-skool RPGs like early D&D and a lot of OSR games which ape it simply haven't had a roll-able "search" mechanism. Hence the demand for descriptions of how people search, which of course can turn into the dreaded "pixel-hunt", but can also be enjoyable if the players do hit on just the right thing to search. Personally I tend to ask for more details simply because a good description can short-circuit the need for a roll (as long as it's remotely justifiable that the character would do what was described - but with searching that's almost always going to be fine). Whereas with Tracking, it's typically a specific ability that the character possesses, with an actual mechanism for rolling, hence people tend to demand less detail. Also, let's be real - 99% of D&D players and DMs don't know anything at all about tracking specifics. They only have the vaguest notion about foot/hoof/paw-prints and broken twigs and the like, so asking for more detail doesn't help anyone - at best a player could totally naughty word the DM because the DM has no idea. [/QUOTE]
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