Realms of Chaos
2009-11-14, 09:17 AM
Hey, there everybody. I just finished looking at the description for the Sense Motive skill and I noticed something really nifty keen that I wanted to share with you guys. Although this might be obvious to the gaming world at large, I just wanted to share it for the benefit of any schlubs like me who’ve missed it until now.
How many of you out there have been sent on wild goose chases or into traps by NPCs just because they’re a doppelganger… or are wearing a lead hat… or have undetectable alignment… or have glibness… or just a plain high bluff modifier?
What if I told you that there was a simple way to notice these people; a way that no feat, class feature, or racial ability appears to stop?
All you need is a DC 20 Sense Motive skill (DC 30 for those with mask of gentility) to get a hunch. Among the listed benefits for using Sense Motive in such a way is learning if the target is trustworthy.
Unless I have missed something pretty major, there is no way around this.
Shape-shifters: Although a doppelganger or phasm can change their physical appearance, Sense Motive does not assess others based on appearance (in fact, no skill check is needed to judge a book by its cover). Rather, sense motive judges the character of the target through 1 minute of interaction. This is something that shape-shifters cannot alter.
Bluff checks: Bluff checks, when used to lie, are used to make specific lies believable. However, unless we are operating on bizarre-logic, the ability to lie convincingly at will does not make you a trustworthy person. Furthermore, the bluff skill doesn’t let you change your personality any more than it lets you hide your surface thoughts (hint: it doesn’t).
Divination Protection: Sorry to tell you that this doesn’t work either. No amount of nondetection, undetectable alignment, glibness, and mind blank spells will protect you from the Sense Motive skill. They specifically list what they can protect you and mundane skill usage isn’t on the list.
Disguise Checks: Okay, this one is a bit weird. 5 ranks in bluff gives you a +2 synergy bonus to disguise checks that are made to act in character. Some people may feel that this would qualify as some sort of odd protection against Sense Motive. Oddly, it doesn’t. Getting a hunch isn’t an opposed roll. No matter what ranks your opponent has in whatever skills, all you need to do is beat the DC. Actually, consider this argument retroactively added to that for bluff checks as well.
Edit: I just reread the Sense Motive skill and it gets better. Getting a hunch also lets you learn if you are speaking with an imposter. This means that no matter how high your disguise modifier is, a DC 20 Sense Motive check (made by someone paranoid enough to attempt it) can pierce through any impersonation attempts.
The REALLY fun part: If you receive a bunch of plot exposition from an NPC, normal uses of sense motive will only detect whether or not they actually lie. When using this, you learn whether they are worthy of your trust (hence trustworthy). Therefore, if they fully intend to sacrifice you to their dark god later on, you learn that they are not trustworthy (rather than having them claim not to have such intentions and rolling an opposed check). Trying to scam you? Not trustworthy. Trying to lead you into a trap? Not trustworthy! This, my friends, is fun.
Weaknesses:
Of course, this strategy is not perfect. I can several flaws off of the top of my head, listed below for your convenience.
Interaction Requirement: Technically, you need 1 minute of interaction with a target to get a hunch about them. If they are unbelievably curt, use innocent intermediates, or send written orders, the skill check cannot be made.
No Redoes…Ever: This is a bit of a problem. The Sense Motive skill doesn’t allow redoes under any circumstance. Therefore, if someone becomes less trustworthy overnight (such as if you draw the rogue from the deck of many things), you won’t be able to detect it. Furthermore, if someone you know is replaced by a doppelganger, you likely won’t think to make such a check against your “ally”. Lastly, if your DM rolls on your behalf and you roll a natural 1, you may get the wrong impression of people and never be able to correct your perception.
The Mask of Gentility feat (Exemplars of Evil): Meet the one feat in existence that is a potent defense against this use of Sense Motive, increasing the DC up to 30 if I remember correctly.
Exception to the Rule: Unfortunately, though this lets you get a general understanding of the target, it doesn’t reveal the specifics of the situation. An otherwise honest peasant forced to rob for the sake of his family might be found trustworthy while a thief desperately trying to tell the truth for once would seem untrustworthy.
Arriving at… The Point:
Many people are at least vaguely aware of what this usage of the Sense Motive skill does. Yet, I have seen few who fully acknowledge its use. At least half of all plots involving treacherous employers (at least that I have seen or played through) could have been avoided through the use of this skills. I have seen many quests given out in person by doppelgangers, secretly evil priests, corrupt lawmen, simple con men, shapechanged dragons, and even disguised succubi who have then taken time to answer questions, giving players more than enough time to sense motives.
I’m not sharing any secret combo or any groundshaking discovery of mine. All that I wanted to do is remind players that they have an often-overlooked tool at their disposal.
How many of you out there have been sent on wild goose chases or into traps by NPCs just because they’re a doppelganger… or are wearing a lead hat… or have undetectable alignment… or have glibness… or just a plain high bluff modifier?
What if I told you that there was a simple way to notice these people; a way that no feat, class feature, or racial ability appears to stop?
All you need is a DC 20 Sense Motive skill (DC 30 for those with mask of gentility) to get a hunch. Among the listed benefits for using Sense Motive in such a way is learning if the target is trustworthy.
Unless I have missed something pretty major, there is no way around this.
Shape-shifters: Although a doppelganger or phasm can change their physical appearance, Sense Motive does not assess others based on appearance (in fact, no skill check is needed to judge a book by its cover). Rather, sense motive judges the character of the target through 1 minute of interaction. This is something that shape-shifters cannot alter.
Bluff checks: Bluff checks, when used to lie, are used to make specific lies believable. However, unless we are operating on bizarre-logic, the ability to lie convincingly at will does not make you a trustworthy person. Furthermore, the bluff skill doesn’t let you change your personality any more than it lets you hide your surface thoughts (hint: it doesn’t).
Divination Protection: Sorry to tell you that this doesn’t work either. No amount of nondetection, undetectable alignment, glibness, and mind blank spells will protect you from the Sense Motive skill. They specifically list what they can protect you and mundane skill usage isn’t on the list.
Disguise Checks: Okay, this one is a bit weird. 5 ranks in bluff gives you a +2 synergy bonus to disguise checks that are made to act in character. Some people may feel that this would qualify as some sort of odd protection against Sense Motive. Oddly, it doesn’t. Getting a hunch isn’t an opposed roll. No matter what ranks your opponent has in whatever skills, all you need to do is beat the DC. Actually, consider this argument retroactively added to that for bluff checks as well.
Edit: I just reread the Sense Motive skill and it gets better. Getting a hunch also lets you learn if you are speaking with an imposter. This means that no matter how high your disguise modifier is, a DC 20 Sense Motive check (made by someone paranoid enough to attempt it) can pierce through any impersonation attempts.
The REALLY fun part: If you receive a bunch of plot exposition from an NPC, normal uses of sense motive will only detect whether or not they actually lie. When using this, you learn whether they are worthy of your trust (hence trustworthy). Therefore, if they fully intend to sacrifice you to their dark god later on, you learn that they are not trustworthy (rather than having them claim not to have such intentions and rolling an opposed check). Trying to scam you? Not trustworthy. Trying to lead you into a trap? Not trustworthy! This, my friends, is fun.
Weaknesses:
Of course, this strategy is not perfect. I can several flaws off of the top of my head, listed below for your convenience.
Interaction Requirement: Technically, you need 1 minute of interaction with a target to get a hunch about them. If they are unbelievably curt, use innocent intermediates, or send written orders, the skill check cannot be made.
No Redoes…Ever: This is a bit of a problem. The Sense Motive skill doesn’t allow redoes under any circumstance. Therefore, if someone becomes less trustworthy overnight (such as if you draw the rogue from the deck of many things), you won’t be able to detect it. Furthermore, if someone you know is replaced by a doppelganger, you likely won’t think to make such a check against your “ally”. Lastly, if your DM rolls on your behalf and you roll a natural 1, you may get the wrong impression of people and never be able to correct your perception.
The Mask of Gentility feat (Exemplars of Evil): Meet the one feat in existence that is a potent defense against this use of Sense Motive, increasing the DC up to 30 if I remember correctly.
Exception to the Rule: Unfortunately, though this lets you get a general understanding of the target, it doesn’t reveal the specifics of the situation. An otherwise honest peasant forced to rob for the sake of his family might be found trustworthy while a thief desperately trying to tell the truth for once would seem untrustworthy.
Arriving at… The Point:
Many people are at least vaguely aware of what this usage of the Sense Motive skill does. Yet, I have seen few who fully acknowledge its use. At least half of all plots involving treacherous employers (at least that I have seen or played through) could have been avoided through the use of this skills. I have seen many quests given out in person by doppelgangers, secretly evil priests, corrupt lawmen, simple con men, shapechanged dragons, and even disguised succubi who have then taken time to answer questions, giving players more than enough time to sense motives.
I’m not sharing any secret combo or any groundshaking discovery of mine. All that I wanted to do is remind players that they have an often-overlooked tool at their disposal.