NPCs lying to PCs?

[ThisIsVictor]

Hey all,

I feel like this has come up before but my search-fu is failing me. So: How would you handle an NPC lying to a PC. Rolling the NPC's Falsehood against the PC's Will seems boring. But there's no "sense motive" skill for the PC to roll. Suggestions?

--Victor

[luke]

Tell the player as an aside, "This guy is lying to you."
It's not about acting of lying, it's about what the player does.

[ThisIsVictor]

Right. Though this case is a little trickier because the NPC was hired by one PC to lie to another PC. I think it should come down to a versus test between the PCs. #answeringmyownquestion

--Victor

[zabieru]

Well, in that case presumably the player already knows? Because if you guys are handing seeekrit notes around the table, seriously, stop it.

So again, it's about what the player does. So ask "Is this the interesting conflict?" Maybe it is: maybe there's real tension in whether Alice finds out that Bob betrayed her. But often it's not: Often Alice already knows Bob doesn't have her best interests at heart, or even if she doesn't know yet, the betrayal itself isn't dramatic. In that case, it's better to just let her learn that, and hold the conflict elsewhere (either in whether she can prove what she knows, or in what she's gonna do about it since she still needs Bob for reasons X, Y, and Z).

[ThisIsVictor]

Oh yeah, it's all out in the open. I have a serious no notes policy.

The tension is that the information being lied about will determine the parties next move. One PC wants to stay in town, the other wants to leave. The first hired someone to lie to the second. The lie is "What you seek is still in town". Hmm. I'll let you know how it plays out.

--Victor

[Rafe]

I'd just have the PC roll via the NPC's skill. The other player knows it's a lie, but it's within the framework of the rules. If the lie is successful, the other PC has to remain. Of course, he can simply walk away (or only for a DoW?) or be passive and use his Will as the NPC's Ob.

If it's about Belief-based decisions, do a DoW between them with BoA as unmodified Will a la "not a big deal" DoW.

[luke]

Why not let the character suspect something is fishy and let him make some tests to do some checking up? Circles and wises are excellent tools for catching someone in a lie.

[rafial]

I'm put in mind of a technique that Luke has used on me several times for this kind of "NPC rolls vs PCs Will" situation. He asks. "Hey, do you want to be persuaded/lied to/seduced/etc?" And then when I say yes, he rolls the dice and I've already bought into honoring the outcome.

Of course I can't recall saying no, so I'm not sure how that branch of the decision tree works...

[zabieru]

Actually, when Luke says "do you want to be seduced," the answer is almost always "yes." On the rare occasions when another answer is given, it is "Yes, daddy."