Need a GM trick for feint!

[Athanbeli]

While I tailored and put together my own GM screen, I use it to hide only minis, props and - of course - my campaign notes.
I make all my NPCs' combat rolls openly, right there amidst the players' own rolls. So far, we've been fine with that.
Still, this leaves me in an awkward position when I try feints. Most of the times, I use them as part of AoA or other multi-attack turns; no problem about that: the effect of the feint takes place immediately. Then, a couple of times, I was able to make up a convincing explanation for the NPC missing his attack, describing how he took excessive risks (penalties) to land some kind of crippling blow.
Sooner or later, I'm going to have to fudge some good feint roll (say, a 8 or 7) turning into a successful ordinary attack.
I can't think of any trick to roll dice openly and stick to my hidden true intentions at the same time!

[mlangsdorf]

I roll all the dice openly, but when it comes to feints, I just declare "he's making a feint". I don't roll the dice at that point.

If the target of the feint is still around when the feinter is ready to attack, then I roll the dice. Sometimes that means a feint works really well and sometimes it doesn't but neither the feinter nor the target know until the attack is pressed home.

If your PCs play their character such that they run away whenever anyone feints them... having that kind of control over their movement is a huge tactical advantage and I'd roll with it until they learned to stand their grand and risk getting feinted.

[nanoboy]

There are certain rolls worth hiding, and feints are included. I sometimes roll for player characters when I think it adds to the suspense and whatnot. For example, I always make a hidden roll for Detect Lies. When I do so, I generally follow these rules:

When the NPC is saying the truth:
PC Succeeds or Wins Contest: "NPC is telling the truth."
PC Fails or Loses Contest: "You don't know whether the NPC is telling the truth."
PC Succeeds Critically: "You just rolled a Critical Success. You know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the NPC is telling the truth."
PC Fails Critically: "The NPC is lying."

When the NPC is lying:
PC Succeeds or Wins Constest: "The NPC is lying."
PC Fails or Loses Contest: "You don't know whether the NPC is telling the truth."
PC Succeeds Critically: "You just rolled a Critical Success. You know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the NPC is lying."
PC Fails Critically: "The NPC is telling the truth."

Feints are less complicated. If the NPC critically succeeds or fails, I might tell the player that the NPC critically failed, and they will have no defenses next turn. In the case of the critical success on the part of the NPC, this can lead to disaster, especially if the PC makes an All-Out Attack with that knowledge. Basically, Feints are mind games. I like to treat the metagame around Feints in the same way.

[Athanbeli]

Originally Posted by nanoboy

There are certain rolls worth hiding, and feints are included.

I certainly do agree. I keep checking a huge list of pre-rolled results that the players made during the campaign stop last summer.

Yet, I cannot simply tell the players '...for a change, I'm going to roll next attack secretly...'. I might just as well tell them I'm making a feint!

[kpram]

Could you mix it up with evaluate and wait and other no-roll actions? So you tell the player the NPC holds back a bit, bringing his weapon out of line.

Maybe that is a wait, maybe an evaluate, maybe a feint, maybe a mental stun from some unknown source.

[Xplo]

There's really no particular reason why the GM should make his rolls openly unless the players don't trust him not to fudge the rolls. (Or if he's the kind of GM who thinks plot protection is a bad thing, and that if dice are rolled at all, their results should be accepted without question, the better to raise the level of tension around the table.) If this is a concern for you, you should probably declare and roll feints openly as well.

[younglorax]

Originally Posted by Athanbeli

I certainly do agree. I keep checking a huge list of pre-rolled results that the players made during the campaign stop last summer.

Yet, I cannot simply tell the players '...for a change, I'm going to roll next attack secretly...'. I might just as well tell them I'm making a feint!

Or you could just throw that in occassionally. Roll secretly in some attacks and not in others. They'll know that the odds are better that you're making a feint if it's hidden, but they still won't know for sure.

[Stormcrow]

I'm not sure I understand the original question. Are you saying you don't want the players to know the difference between an NPC's attacks and feints? You don't need to do that; once the feint is made, the character knows it is a feint. Feints are obvious after the fact.

A player can't react to a feint to nullify it; he can only hope to roll a better Melee Weapon skill than you—or try to get away before your next attack, if he can. Whether or not you know about the penalty to your active defense, you still have it.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

I roll all the dice openly, but when it comes to feints, I just declare "he's making a feint". I don't roll the dice at that point.

I think Kromm also suggested doing this at some point. Lets see if I can find the post.

[edit] Ah it wasn't actually in a post. MA suggest doing this. Although I did find a post where Kromm mention said suggestion in MA; here.

[Agramer]

If youre making single attack manoeuvre: Feint
Just say NPC is feinting...and roll contest next turn.

If youre making AoA manoeuvre Feint + Attack,
Than declare NPC actions:He is making Feint + swing attack to your leg
Now PC announces what his defence will be...
...than roll dice

If PCs start to "take advantage" of knowledge that they will be feinted and are always AoD or/and retreating ... than start using that habit of theirs against them by making feints with mooks(skill 10) to guide them into unfavourable position.