RP and Conversation Skills

[Side]

Hello! I'm back (finally) with a whole new set of questions rolling around in my head, and the first one out is an RP problem. We all know we're supposed to play what is on our character sheet, but how exactly do our conversation based skills translate to RP? No I'm not talking about making skill rolls and all that, I mean does having a high diplomacy skill make you a diplomatic person, or just a person who is good at diplomacy? Does intimidate make you seem imposing, or does it make you very direct and combative while talking? Does bluff make you a skilled liar, or prone to telling lies?

What's everyone's thoughts on the matter?

[Passiflora]

It means you're skilled in it, not that you MUST do it.

That kind of thing is about personality, and personality is the player's decision. It's not because you have 60 in bluff that you MUST lie, BUT if your character knows he can, then you can chose if in his mind he'd be prone to lie more often.

The skills themself are... skills, not attributes that are visible all the time.

[Nomster]

In essence it is skill and not personality, as Passi said. Although I do decide skills after the character's personality. A good peaceful character is more likely to have Diplomacy than Intimidate, a Paladin would for example not have Bluff as they are sworn to be honest. (They could be skilled in it from their background but it would be rather pointless, as they cannot use it.)

An example of skill vs personality,
My druid character had several conversation skills, including Diplomacy. Her personality was fairly rude and uncouth, she may have used it only a handful of times. So she knew how to be diplomatic when it -really- mattered but most of the time, she didn't bother to.

My sorcerer on the other hand, has several conversation / RP skills and I have chosen to have them be part of her personality & background. Some skill points in Diplomacy to reflect politeness, for example.


Because someone has maximized Diplomacy, doesn't mean that they are Diplomatic at all times. That smile can falter and their eyes turn cold, and suddenly they use their Intimidate - which they also invested points in. Or how about weaving in a threat in a highly Diplomatic manner to reflect both skills...?

It must be kept in mind that most of the social skills are per PnP made to be used with NPC's and not with fellow players. So on the server, another player can never force someone to make a roll, only a DM can (stated in server rules). A skill of 60 in Diplomacy doesn't mean everything a character says sounds like honey and is to be followed, opposing rolls should be made with proper DC's and.... a dice roll should always have a purpose!

Don't say one sentence and roll Diplomacy. Emote what the character is trying to do. Are they attempting to make someone more friendly towards them or are they trying to stop a fight between two other characters? Does their voice change and do they incorporate the use of body language? This has a higher chance of making other players respect your dice rolls. I've walked past other people who roll skills when they make no sense, without a word or emote at all and then act slighted when their rolls are ignored...

It may have been a bit more than what was asked but I hope it may be useful for some of the new players we have.

[Side]

Thanks for the input, definitely clears things up. I have a fighter focused on intimidate, but was never quite sure how I should act when the conversation isn't an aggressive one.

[Unastine]

On this note I would like to ask a question about my very charismatic but a natural evil warlock. She is a character that is not scared of committing evil deeds but while being free willed in committing crime she doesn't go mad with them, preferring to stand in clear of too much trouble. But being seen negotiating with evil outsiders every now and then puts her in trouble at times.

My question is, sometimes some other characters are quite keen to attack her. Can she use her high charisma to her advantage to make aggressors just drool warm saliva looking at her?

[Steve]

My question is, sometimes some other characters are quite keen to attack her. Can she use her high charisma to her advantage to make aggressors just drool warm saliva looking at her?

Does your Warlock have the Charm invocation? You could possibly negotiate with another Player that allowing your Warlock to Charm another PC, as a first move in any antagonistic endeavor, would cause what you desire, that "drool warm saliva," at least for a time, one that even could extent beyond the mechanical limit of the spell (again, negotiated between you and the other Player).

But otherwise, the Server Rules explicitly state that there is no forcing of Skill Roles between Players, and that any PvP encounters need to be RP'd and given RP Outs, as well as OOC outs, in order to be enacted.

[wangxiuming]

Incidentally, if you try to Charm someone and fail, that would likely forgo your RP out.

[electric mayhem]

Being diplomatic doesn't mean you are inherently acting 'good' and 'nice'.

A quick internet search reveals what diplomacy is naturally about.
"Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of states."
"Diplomacy, the established method of influencing the decisions and behaviour of foreign governments and peoples through dialogue, negotiation, and other ..."
"Diplomacy definition is - the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations. "
There's many more.

The NWN2 definition: Diplomacy involves etiquette, social grace, tact, subtlety, and a way with words. This skill represents the ability to give others the right impression of yourself, to negotiate effectively, and to influence others.

But the underlying premise appears to be "dialogue and negotiation to achieve a point of view based outcome".

I don't know about other foreign politicians, but in my own backyard, the professional 'diplomats' operate on all marks of the morality curve. From what I'd call, good through to evil. But they are all well and truly skilled 'diplomats' in their own right. Except for a few, that are just numpty muppets.

What I'm trying to say is, a person/character's goal may be inherently evil, but the way they can handle a negotiation and steer dialogue and decisions, 'working the networks', all under the umbrella of 'diplomatic relations'.

Now, Intimidation... comes in many forms. And intimidation can actually be a powerful tool in the 'diplomacy toolbox'.