RP Skills Vs Players

The skills in question that we are going to clarify in this post are the following:
 * Bluff
 * Intimidate
 * Barter
 * Sense Motive
 * Diplomacy

Before we get into the details, one thing to keep in mind is that the DM Team does not want to get into a habit of needing to "police" each Roleplay encounter. If we were to operate strictly to PNP, we would need a DM watching each player around the clock and it simply isn't realistic to be able to hand down judgement on each situation that involves social RP Skills. RP Skills are not to be expected to force someone to change their behavior and act out of character for their personality. Simply because a character has maxed Intimidate, the idea of them intimidating someone into stabbing a guard is unrealistic. RP Skills are meant to be inherent 'suggestions', however we leave it up to the players to act within the spirit of the roleplay when losing (and winning) a roll.

Please be aware that the two situations where the DM Team will become involved in making rulings on RP Skills are: 1) If a DM is running an event and initiates a roll for everyone to use. and 2) If there is a clear situation of egregious abuse of the RP Skills. These mechanics are meant to act as a guideline for interactions, not a rulebook in which we hand down judgements on RP-Skill Usage.

Furthermore, Meta-Gaming due to a Player's roll check is strictly against the spirit of this server. Becoming immediately hostile, questioning motives, etc (IC or OOC) simply because someone makes a Bluff role (for example) is considered Meta Gaming. For clarification on what is appropriate from a roll standpoint, see the algorithms below.

How the skills would be used against one another:
NOTE: "Defenders" when it comes to an RP skill roll have the option to "opt out" of a Skill Roll situation if it would be clearly damaging to the nature of their character to the point of near-gimping. This does not mean that players can freely ignore skill rolls constantly. If you feel that someone is cheesing their way out of a skill roll situation, allow the situation to take place (to the best of your ability) and report it to a DM immediately. Players who opt out should be completely prepared to advocate for their decision to a DM when asked about the situation. -- Finally, if you find yourself needing to "opt out" frequently, it is likely in your best interest to reassess how you are conducting yourself within the setting.
 * A Character Lies: Bluff vs Sense Motive (Sense Motive = Defender)
 * A Character Attempts to use a Disguise: Bluff vs Sense Motive (Bluff = Defender)
 * A Character attempts to Intimidate Someone: Intimidate vs 10 + Will (The 10 + Will = Defender)
 * A Character Attempts to Barter: Barter vs Barter
 * A Character Attempts to convince someone of their argument: Diplomacy vs Diplomacy
 * Spot and Perform may act as replacements for Sense Motive and Bluff in specific situations, at the discretion of players and DMs.

Skill rolls and their impact:
Clarification of below: +-1 = If the roll is separated by 1 number. +-2 = Separated by 2, etc. (These examples are listed in regards to a Bluff vs Sense Motive roll, however the themes can be applied to the other Skills)

Sense Motive vs Bluff Roll:

 * (-1 to -2): The losing PC (rolling Sense Motive) believes the winning PC, however has suspicions.
 * (-3 to -4): The losing PC believes the winning PC, however has personal doubts.
 * (-5 to -9): The losing PC believes the winning PC, with minor hesitation.
 * (-10 or lower): The losing PC believes the winning PC.
 * (+1 to +2): The winning PC (rolling Sense Motive) does not believe the losing PC's story, feels there is more going on.
 * (+3 to +4): The winning PC does not believe the losing PC's story, feels that there is intentional deceit going on.
 * (+5 to +9): The winning PC does not believe the losing PC's story, believes clear deceit is at play.
 * (+10 or greater): The winning PC does not believe the losing PC at all and feels that the losing PC is clearly lying for some unknown purpose.

Intimidate:

 * (-1 to -2): The losing PC (rolling Will) is made somewhat nervous by the winning PC, however behavior may not change.
 * (-3 to -4): The losing PC is moderately uncomfortable by the winning PC, behavior change is possible.
 * (-5 to -9): The losing PC is made uncomfortable by the winning PC, behavior change is likely.
 * (-10 or lower): The losing PC is significantly uncomfortable, behavior is almost certainly changed.
 * (+1 to +2): The winning PC (rolling Will) is unnerved by the losing PC, however feels uneasy about the attempt to intimidate.
 * (+3 to +4): The winning PC is not impacted by the losing PC, however may be frustrated at the attempt.
 * (+5 to +9): The winning PC understands that the losing PC is clearly attempting to intimidate them, behavior may change due to this understanding.
 * (+10 or greater): The winning PC is completely unfazed by the losing PC's attempt. The winning PC may be interested in why the losing PC is attempting to Intimidate and react accordingly.

Note on "Disguises":

 * For the time being, we are not supporting a Disguise skill or spell. This is partially due to some coding challenges, the other part is related to the excessive amount of metagaming that can take place even in an innocent circumstance which can break immersion significantly. I, for example, rely heavily on PC names to pick people out of a crowd, primarily because I DM more often than play. Having to watch the specific physical appearance (which can change player to player) is a difficult task in the NWN-setting, and a key reason behind our decision to not support Disguises.

If all participants wish to use a Disguise, the following should be adhered to:

 * The person in Disguise rolls one Bluff Check.
 * The person observing the Disguise rolls one Sense Motive Check.IF the person in Disguise is speaking, the PC observing the disguise also rolls a Listen.
 * For a readout of consequences of winning/losing Disguise-based skill rolls, please reference the Bluff/Sense Motive list above and act within the same spirit.. (I.e. If Listen is the winning check, use Listen as to how you recognize the person, if you succeed with two checks, RP that way.)

Examples of Meta-Gaming Disguise include:

 * Running from a fight, throwing on different clothes immediately, and then attempting to act as if you are another person entirely.
 * Completely disregarding a player's attempt to use a Disguise (where possible) in an effort to demonstrate some type of superiority.