Writing

[cmosier]

Thank you all for the input! I think I will simply email what I am going to write about said individual to said individual first. If you feel it is hurtful to you on an ooc level, for whatever reason, then I will not post it. All you need to do is bust out the red line primary school style. Maybe make a polite note like, "This Sucks! " Or something along thoses lines and kindly send it back. This way there are no feelings that I, as the player, am attempting to ruin anyone's RP because of some weird ooc thing.

You all have been so awesome again, I really appreciate the input.

This can be both good and bad. Remember. You are writing from your character's point of view. So, if your character thinks something negative about somebody, you should state that. Three examples as I see it. We'll use Kindra and Byrun as examples.

1. Kindra had the feeling that Byrun wanted more than dinner. - This isn't modding. It may or may not be true, but it's how your character felt.

2. Kindra could see the hate in Byrun's eyes. - Could be modding. Probably should get permission.

3. Kindra and Byrun stayed up late into the night plotting against the Legion. - Modding for sure, especially without permission. You had my character take an action he didn't take.

[greypawn]

I really have no problem with people writing about my characters. Its from their prespective and they should feel free to write whatever... feel free to even lie about my actions. Its role play, not 'OH MY GOD DON'T TALK ABOUT MY CHARACTER LESS ITS 100% THE TRUTH... i got logs!' play. now if we are in game and you start god modding on me then I'll probably not be too happy and walk away.

also, roleplay > roll play. hold the dice back less actually needed, please. I am slowly becoming tired of telling people my motive for being at the inn is to get rest and warm up at the fire.

[Elusa]

also, roleplay > roll play. hold the dice back less actually needed, please. I am slowly becoming tired of telling people my motive for being at the inn is to get rest and warm up at the fire.

Yeah, people have a tendency to use bluff and sense motive in particular like a battering ram. Less often with diplomacy. The problem is that these skills were made for PnP, when there may not be a whole lot of dialogue to go by. Even then, I would put conversational skills as against a DC rather than an opposed check.

[wangxiuming]

I think I've had some relative success using bluff v. sense motive in RP situations. Sometimes it's fun to let chance decide whether you're successful or not, and adapt your actions/reactions accordingly.

Regarding writing about other people's characters, I generally try to write about only the things my character was present for and had witnessed. Unless it's dream sequences, in which case I figure - it's a dream!

I will admit to taking a few liberties though, and if that's not okay please let me know. I'd be happy to edit/remove them if the affected characters' players so wish.

1. In paraphrasing some events, I will never make up dialogue that was not actually spoken in game. I will, however, sometimes omit certain lines dialogue, usually to save on word count and if (using my best judgment) the dialogue was not integral to the narrative. =X

2. In writing combat, I take a lot of liberties because otherwise I would have to write things like: "Esmond attacks Slutty Fiend. Esmond does 37 physical damage, 5 divine damage, and 9 awesome damage to Slutty Fiend. Esmond killed Slutty Fiend." Although, now that I read that, maybe that would be more entertaining ...

[Shadechild]

Just because I feel that I didn't contribute to the actual thread.

I'd like to make note that I've seen FuzzieBunnies writing from a different server and had my own character written about in her journal or 'thought' entries (BloodRiki can say the same).

She does very well to stick to her characters perspective, narrating almost on-key what actually happened. She does not in any way shape or form abuse another characters outtakes or manipulate them to a different action or perspective.

I think you will all like it, she used to write four to five paragraphs in little stories. I enjoyed reading them when the three of us used to play Drow together a long long time ago.

[ManUtd4Ever]

Yeah, people have a tendency to use bluff and sense motive in particular like a battering ram. Less often with diplomacy.

I've seen this recently... it was painful. I had to move along.

Cheers!

[cmosier]

My understanding... you don't have to respond to a Sense Motive or Diplomacy roll unless a DM asks you. Just like you don't have to go with a Bluff roll. If I recall it was up to the PC what influences his actions and what he believes.

I tend to be pretty generous with these things for the sake of Role Play. If a player, such as Abby or Alice, decides to put that much effort into it, I'm up for it.

On the flip side, I sacrificed a power physical build for Byrun to give him a good balance of mental stats. He's extremely clever with how he words things. So... if a certain half-elf individual thinks he "left himself wide open" in might be safer to assume... he did so on purpose. :-)

[Fury]

on the flip side, i sacrificed a power physical build for byrun to give him a good balance of mental stats. He's extremely clever with how he words things. So... If a certain half-elf individual thinks he "left himself wide open" in might be safer to assume... He did so on purpose. :-)

hey! I...

[Elusa]

My understanding... you don't have to respond to a Sense Motive or Diplomacy roll unless a DM asks you. Just like you don't have to go with a Bluff roll. If I recall it was up to the PC what influences his actions and what he believes.

Bluff, sense motive, and diplomacy have all been rendered kind of moot in standard RP anyway because of stat increasing equipment. Not uncommon to see +40 to +50 modifiers.

[Fuzziebunny]

I get sense motive rolled on me at least once every 15 min in RP maybe more at times. I don't really mind but it does seem to be used excessively. I think I am pretty accommodating of it, but I wish it was used as more of a tool for when a character is actively watching for tells in a conversation and not for every little thing.

Bluff I see less often and this seems to be the direct result of everyone and their dog rolling sense motive if someone says hey there instead of hello at the second wind. Really, why bother to ever roll bluff.

I will just come out and say I hate diplomacy rolls. I hate that I am going to get a lame argument as to why I should work with someone or do something then get smacked with a diplomacy roll. I don't mind that your character is persuasive I respect that but put a little thought into the argument. It feels so ... Forced sometimes.

[Lotus]

I will just come out and say I hate diplomacy rolls.

ou can change the attitudes of others (nonplayer characters) with a successful Diplomacy check; see the Influencing NPC Attitudes sidebar, below, for basic DCs. In negotiations, participants roll opposed Diplomacy checks, and the winner gains the advantage. Opposed checks also resolve situations when two advocates or diplomats plead opposite cases in a hearing before a third party.

It does not / is not meant to work on other PCs. People roll it. It doesn't matter.

[Lotus]

Sense Motive
Hunch
This use of the skill involves making a gut assessment of the social situation. You can get the feeling from another’s behavior that something is wrong, such as when you’re talking to an impostor. Alternatively, you can get the feeling that someone is trustworthy.

If you have no reason to suspect something other than what's said/shown, you shouldn't be rolling Sense Motive unless the target is acting suspicious.

Likewise, if you're tossing innocent-enough lies out there (e.g., "I killed orcs yesterday" when you really killed gnolls), that doesn't demand a bluff check. I can walk up to the world's greatest detective and tell them all about my (completely fabricated) yesterday, and if everything in the telling is plausible and they have no reason to suspect otherwise, they have no reason to think I'm lying; they have no reason to roll Sense Motive, so I have no reason to roll Bluff.

Sense Motive /= I DETECT ALL LIES. It measures your ability to see through a ruse if you have reason to suspect a ruse.

Bluff is your ability to sell a lie that people would suspect is a lie.

[and break 12345]

This is a great motivational thread for you aspiring author-geeks : Feedback.

Ha, geeks.

The writing itself : So long as it's presented in such a way that it is from the point of view of your own character, then it shouldn't really matter 'what' is written - it's your character's own thoughts, own perspective, own story.

However, where things get a little dicey is when an author decides it upon him or herself (not always a bad thing) to write in another characters' actions and words, due to an event or little RP session, that does not belong to them.

Here's an example taken from roguethree's wonderfully written The Winding Stream. r3 had my 13th Legionnaire William Shepard down pat, amazing really, to a fine key. With one exception - SHEPARD NEVER SAID THE WORD 'YEAH' WHAT DO YOU THINK HE IS, SOME KIND OF HIGHSCHOOL DEGENERATE JESUS CHRIST ALMIGHTY IMA HAVE AN ANEURISM.

Anyways, little things like these can always be addressed before or after the fact with all parties involved, and adjusted accordingly. And if it's not too big of a deal, then it goes unsaid (I should have brought this up a year ago, the character defaming bastard).

End state: Writing only serves to further the RP within the community, so why hesitate?

Nerds.

[Elusa]

It does not / is not meant to work on other PCs. People roll it. It doesn't matter.
...
Sense Motive /= I DETECT ALL LIES. It measures your ability to see through a ruse if you have reason to suspect a ruse.

I hope you don't mind me quoting you on this next time someone tries to bludgeon me with a Sense Motive roll.

[Tamha]

It does not / is not meant to work on other PCs. People roll it. It doesn't matter.

That makes the skill completely worthless on the server if you can't use it on PC's. It doesn't do anything to the NPC's. That's like saying people can't roll intimidate checks on other PC's.

A diplomacy roll, used properly, should be following up a well stated argument or request, and the check is merely to let the other player know that you seem reasonable enough to encourage them to share your viewpoint.

Sure, sometimes people ignore skillrolls. But a DM saying it's not supposed to work on other PC's when the description in game says otherwise in a server which 99% of the time the only people you're being diplomatic with are other PC's seems off.

If the DC's are incorrect, then what is the math for the DC so that this skill can be used appropriately? There are many skills that do not either have a built in contested roll or are incorrectly calculated. A list of the proper DC calculations would be useful.

Your source also doesn't seem to make sense (that it would only be against NPC's) for the fact that most tabletop games are composed of a single group of allied PC's and they wouldn't roll diplomacy on each other in most cases. In a persistent world where both factional and diplomatic contention is commonplace, this skill becomes more and more valid.