"Gather Information" and Investigation. A technique for it.

[kitteninablender]

So in DnD3.5 "Gather Information" is an actual skill. And it has various DC's, etc, and it takes TIME.

However, one of the things about Investigation is that it is also feasible that it takes place "Off Camera", while the player is logged out.

This is my suggestion for an effective means to do this, and it will give a guideline set in writing for how both Players and DMs should handle it.

If the DM team likes this idea, please contact me and I'll even work to help iron this out.

Basically: I just bought 15% ownership in a legal marijuana dispensary in Portland.

I'm making more money now than I know what to do with.

So, it turns out, I have a lot more free time, and I enjoy this game a lot, so....anyways!

There are several steps to this method, and while it's not OVERLY complicated, requires just a bit of work. But this is meant to affect long-term campaigns, not single conflicts.

This is meant to be something that spans the course of several events, etc.

Ergo, every "Step" in this will be a different response to this. I would ask that noone comment on this until all of the steps are written. There are 5 in total.

Thank you!

[kitteninablender]

Step one of Investigation: "The Starting Roll."

Player A makes Player B aware, OOC, that Player B is being investigated.

Player A meets Player B in the Nexus.

Player B Rolls all Intimidation, Bluff, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy rolls. The results are recorded, and a "Difficulty Class" is established, which is the result of Player B's "Defense roll."

Player B may use all spells, Bardsongs, and "Buffs" to make this difficulty class as high as possible, for it is believed that over time they would have continuous access to such skills. Only worn magic items may be used. No scrolls or single-use items.

What this does is that it begins the basis for the "Contested Roll."

Essentially: if Player A wishes to use any NPC connections to gain information on another Player Character, the Investigating PC can request a DM Event in order to garner the information.

During the DM event the DM already has the results of Player B's "Contested Roll."

Meaning that, in order for Player A to get anything useful out of attempting to Bribe, Intimidate, Coerce, or Goad an NPC into giving up information they have to meet the "Defender's" Difficulty class.

Here's an Example:

John and Jim are on opposing sides of the Law. John is a Sheriff, and Jim is an outlaw.

John wants to arrest Jim, and he's going to go around questioning the Locals on Jim's wherabouts.

Thing is: Jim is a notorious Outlaw. People are scared of him. At the beginning of the "Conflict" Jim rolls his Intimidation: A result, with all modifiers, of 25.

What this means is that John MUST make at least a DC 25 Intimidate check in order to "Get anything" out of the NPC.

The DM is, of course, allowed to add any conditional modifiers that may apply.

For example: Jim is very rich ( One million plus gold. ) Ergo, he gets a +5 on his Intimidate check, because Rich People are harder to Intimidate.

Jim is also an Epic Character, which grants him a +5 Conditional Modifier.

So now John makes an Intimidation check against the NPC. John rolls a 25. Normally, John would make the DC. However, because Jim is A) Very Rich and B) An Epic Character...John has to make a DC of 35.

Ergo, during the Interrogation, John is unable to make Jim's worker back down. Because Jim's worker is more afraid of Jim than of John.

Does that make sense? (( Free to comment now, condensed into single post. ))

[ARHicks00]

I made a comment about the skill is not need but it got erased. The skill you propose is much like the msny forms of lore, which are useless outside Arcans, manly because they aren't used in game except in conservations and even then I rare see people use those skills. This is doing nothing more than contributing to DnD's over-specialization and skill saturation. I know are trying to recreate the PnP in NWN-verse, but isn't working due to the skills were created specifically for small PnP groups. DnD was not meant to be played by 50 players at a time. Campaigns were designed around one solo player or to 6 players. The server attempts to accommodate for 10 times that.

With that being said no, it is not skill you need. If player A is conspiracy against player C with player B being the spy, player b doesn't need that skill to relay information to player C, especially if there is visible evidence he can give him like the poison he had pkan to use or lead him to area where he is holding the poison. Most players put points towards skills they can actually apply both rp and mechanically like Diplomacy or Perform.