Just how long would it take to roll a Bluff?


Rules Questions


I'm somewhat puzzled over the wording of the rules here:

Paizo PRD wrote:
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:

Paizo PRD wrote:
Feinting in combat is a standard action.

In addition to one other rule:

Paizo PRD wrote:
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.


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.

Grand Lodge

Different uses of Bluff require different actions.

There is no one universal action type for all uses of Bluff.

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