| Katydid |
I'm somewhat puzzled over the wording of the rules here:
Attempting to deceive someone takes at least 1 round, but can possibly take longer if the lie is elaborate (as determined by the GM on a case-by-case basis).
In addition to this next rule:
Feinting in combat is a standard action.
In addition to one other rule:
Speak: In general, speaking is a free action that you can perform even when it isn't your turn. Speaking more than a few sentences is generally beyond the limit of a free action
So, feinting takes a standard action because it creates a mechanical benefit in combat. This suggests that while a Bluff takes at least 1 round, the amount of time expended should usually take less than a full-round action.
Next, the only limit I could find to speaking as a free action is no "more than a few sentences." So, according to the PRD, would it be legal to take your Swift, your Move, your Standard, and then add a simple Bluff that's not a feint (ie; it adds no direct combat benefit) as a free action?
If you spoke very loudly - for example, if you ran around and screamed "Fire!!!" - would it be possible to affect more than one target? I mean, this sounds reasonable enough, but I'm hoping a simple Bluff in combat could cost a swift action or less. Maybe even if a Move action or Standard action could be used as part of your Bluff (Laced Flayleaf? What Laced Flayleaf, officer? -Hide with Sleight of Hand-), but I don't see any rules accounting for that.
| MurphysParadox |
Conversational skill checks and associated activities are entirely up to the GM. In some cases, a diplomacy check may encompass many minutes of conversations, while a single shouted 'FIRE!!!' may represent a bluff check. The social skills (and specifically their social mechanics, vice something like slight of hand) are abstractions to separate a player's ability to actually act their character's part and the character's actual ability at talking.