Quote:
Originally Posted by Unwitting Pawn
Can we clarify whether the player(s) decide to use reaction rolls, or the GM does? And are there official distinctions where this differs? Because, if we allow a PC to countermand one Influence attempt with another as the dialogue develops, but never to countermand a Reaction roll, then how many players are ever going to agree to a reaction result? Or are we also saying that officially only one roll (reaction or influence) should govern a whole dialogue, regardless of how the circumstances might change during the interaction?
This also raises a related question in my mind. What happens when the GM hasn't pre-decided on an NPC's attitude to the PC and decides to use a Reaction roll to guide them in this (as per p.B494 it appears to be the GM doing this, not the player)? Does not the official interpretation above imply that the PC should not be allowed to use Influence rolls to change this attitude? And if the GM is rolling for "first impressions" of the NPC in this way, that suggests to me that game-mechanically players must decide how they are going to "influence" an NPC before the PCs themselves have had a chance to get any impression of the NPC. Because, to get a feel for which approach would best work, requires that the GM has already rolled for the general Reaction of the NPC, in order for the PCs to have something to perceive, surely?
EDIT: to try and summarise my many bouncing thoughts here, it seems to me that the "official" EITHER/OR statement above is creating a "chicken and egg" situation, in some types of NPC interaction at least.
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My understanding from the rules and the general course of responses on the forum here is that the GM rolls reaction rolls secretly, but the players can decide to
replace that roll by using an influence skill. I'm not sure if that's what whswhs was trying to say, but it seems to be what is implied by Campaigns 495: if the players don't like their reaction result, they can "change their approach and try again" to replace that result. An Influence Skill attempt seems to me to be a "change in approach" from just hoping you're likable. ^_^
Note that I wouldn't give people a -2 penalty for
that "re-attempt," as you really can't say that the guy feels the PCs are becoming a nuisance when they've just tried to influence him for the first time.
And yes, the PCs should be able to decide to use an influence skill
after the reaction roll is in play--after all, to decide you need to influence someone, you need to first have time to recognize that you're not already getting what you need!