In my campaign I play with a variant "On Death's Door Rule" in which you are staggered from 0 hp to a negative of your Constitution modifier and die when you reach negative hitpoints equal to your Constitution score (-10 minimum) (e.g. a Fighter with a 15 Constitution is staggered from 0 to -2, dies at -15). The normal rules for staggered or unconscious apply. This has come in to play many times and is, frankly, responsible for several characters being alive when they normally wouldn't be. My players love it.
It's come up multiple times in recent sessions that a character in melee is staggered without being knocked unconcsious. They choose to fall prone instead of remain standing in hopes the villain doesn't pursue them but goes after a more tempting target. Alternatively, they're unconscious but healed enough to be brought back to staggered condition.
Often times my players want to play possum so that they don't attract attention, giving them time to either quaff a potion, avoid injury, or launch a sneak attack.
My question is this: What's a good way to represent this in the rules? I've been using a Bluff check opposed by a Spot or Sense Motive roll - this works as a quick resolution but favors Rogues and often hinders NPCs with low social interaction scores who are otherwise incredibly cagy combatants.
What's a good way to incorporate playing possum into the rules? What skills do you think would represent it? What are appropriate modifiers? How can I turn this against the players?
Suggestions are much appreciated.
My question is this: What's a good way to represent this in the rules? I've been using a Bluff check opposed by a Spot or Sense Motive roll - this works as a quick resolution but favors Rogues and often hinders NPCs with low social interaction scores who are otherwise incredibly cagy combatants.
What's a good way to incorporate playing possum into the rules? What skills do you think would represent it? What are appropriate modifiers? How can I turn this against the players?
Suggestions are much appreciated.
Bluff + BAB vs Spot/Sense Motive + BAB.
Expert combatants would be good at playing dead and telling who is playing dead.
Possibly a heal check or perform (acting) check too. Heal to see that they are bluffing and not dead, perform to really act dead.
Just alternatives otherwise I would stick to the bluff sense motive as well.
Just a thought but I've played in games where the villain has used the magic equivalent and is promptly coup de graced so how do your players handle the situation on the other foot as it were?
If they do what the people I played with do is it about time they got a reputation for ruthlessness to merit the same in return?
Same way: Unless they make that sense motive or heal check they think he is dead. Depending on their alignment further action by them could cause themselves problems. There are a couple of spells that actually teleport you away and leave a duplicate of some kind behind to trick those that where attacking you, so that might be an option too.
And if your players insist on beating up the "corpse" to "be sure" just make sure you Coup d grac them next time they play dead in front of a monster.
This should be one of those sparingly used things that gives the players (or villains) the chance to live through something they may not have... if PC's start abusing it in some fashion the DM should feel free to smite them for it.
There are several skills which seem appropriate here, as others have already mentioned: Bluff and Perform (acting) to play dead, Spot, Heal, or Sense Motive to detect the ruse. However, I must say I think SmiloDan's inclusion of the BAB into the roll is good. Looking at the skills suggested, why don't we take those skills out (which would favor certain classes to an extreme degree, or may be pretty rarified skills in other cases) and make it a combination of ability modifier and BAB?
Play dead: d20 + BAB + Cha modifier vs. d20 + BAB + Wis modifier.
Classes with high BAB tend not to have as high of Charisma or Wisdom modifiers, but classes which tend to have high Charisma or Wisdom modifiers tend to have lower BAB, too. So, it should be pretty equitable overall.
There are several skills which seem appropriate here, as others have already mentioned: Bluff and Perform (acting) to play dead, Spot, Heal, or Sense Motive to detect the ruse. However, I must say I think SmiloDan's inclusion of the BAB into the roll is good. Looking at the skills suggested, why don't we take those skills out (which would favor certain classes to an extreme degree, or may be pretty rarified skills in other cases) and make it a combination of ability modifier and BAB?
Play dead: d20 + BAB + Cha modifier vs. d20 + BAB + Wis modifier.
Classes with high BAB tend not to have as high of Charisma or Wisdom modifiers, but classes which tend to have high Charisma or Wisdom modifiers tend to have lower BAB, too. So, it should be pretty equitable overall.
The inclusion of BAB holds appeal for me as it resolves my main problem with my current system. I don't want rogues or trickers to be the only ones who can play dead - it adds another "feint" trick to their arsenal without giving it to anyone else.
Rather than hamper their attempts to bluff, I'm inclined to go this way: You can make a check to play dead if staggered. It can either be a Bluff Check of your BAB + Charisma modifier. Thus a hardened fighter can play dead quite well, but so can a sneaky sorcerer. Obviously once down certain actions will give you away - these will only be concealable with a Hide or Bluff check.
The opposing roll would then be either Spot or Sense Motive, with a +2 synergy bonus available from Heal. Your skill with a weapon isn't going to let you know when someone's playing possum, but opening it up to several skills will make it harder to fool someone.
I also want to allow players to play dead even if not staggered. To fake falling from a blow is the same system above, but it adds a +10 to the DC. The logic behind this is that, even with the abstraction of hitpoints, a combatant would realize that their glancing blow wouldn't drop an opponent like that.
Thoughts?
Some sort of BAB bonus to tell they are faking makes sense to me, as the fighter realises, "Wait a minute, I didn't get you hard enough to make you drop yet."
However adding it straight would of course be too much IMO... unless it's just a Wisdom and BAB roll versus their bluff/acting/whatever.
For undetectable potion-quaffing, I would recommend an opposed Sleight of Hand/Spot check.