Acting skill, hiding Disadvantages?

[KarlKost]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

For many such traits, Acting is superfluous. If you are passing your self-control rolls you don't need Acting; if you fail, Acting won't help.

Without acting, a sociopath with Callous would scoff at the thought of helping anybody else without any gains.

"Oh my God, there's a baby crying over there, we need to help!"
"Why? What could I possibly gain from it?"
"You're not serious, right dude? Comon, it's a baby"

Withou acting those sociopaths and psychopaths would have their psycho faces for others all the time.

Acting is essential for narcissists with Bully.

[bocephus]

The way I rule it is:

Disadvantage/Self control role = to DO or not do "disad"

Acting (or similar skill) would be to conceal the effects of having done it.
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I wouldn't additionally penalize Acting for the disadvantage, if you make the self control roll then you aren't doing the "disadvantage". Having a control roll is enough penalty for most PCs.

I would penalize Acting (or similar skills) for the situation that the PC created and then tries to present it as something else.

Example
Bad Temper - you barely make your control roll, I might let someone who's actively observing you see you conceal it. If you make the control roll by more than "2" I would just rule that there was no outward appearance that anyone who didn't know you well would have a chance to catch (like a poker tell). You made your control roll, anything more strikes me as double jeopardy. ** I could see assessing a cumulative bonus for someone that is around you often enough to witness multiples of control rolls, but thats more a bonus to their observation than a minus to your acting **

NOW if you fail your Bad Temper control and slap someone, but then try to play it off as "I thought you were hysterical and that would help", thats Acting, and you would have a penalty assessed based on the situation.

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So the control roll lets the PC suppress the instinct to DO the disad.

Acting (and similar skills situationally) might let the PC get away with the repercussions but not as though it didn't happen.

Similarly *I* wouldn't add penalties to the Acting roll because of the Disad. HOWEVER I would add penalties based on what an NPC might have seen.
Its already happened or not, based on the control roll.
Having DONE it (failed the control roll) the PC may have a hard time explaining it in a way that conceals the disad but, the situation may be such that quick thinking could make people think it was a legitimately normal response and impose no bias to future interactions.

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If you fail your Pyromania something is going to burn. How you deal with that after its burning is Skill rolls.

Do you NEED to light the building on fire - Failed control roll = YES
As I'm standing there enjoying the fire I think someone saw me, can I pretend to be a concerned citizen just passing by and wanting to help? Skill roll (might be a secret penalty to see if you notice some one watching you while you are mesmerized by the fire)
Can I explain to the Police why this homeless guy thinks he saw me come out of the alley behind the building shortly before the fire? Skill roll
Can I convince the Investigators that this building needed to burn because it was a Chinese spy station? Skill roll.

A Disad doesn't apply a negative to the skill roll, unless it actively opposes the skill, IE Honesty would for sure screw with your ability to lie. But Pyromania wouldn't modify you acting like you didn't do it.

[bocephus]

Originally Posted by KarlKost

Without acting, a sociopath with Callous would scoff at the thought of helping anybody else without any gains.

"Oh my God, there's a baby crying over there, we need to help!"
"Why? What could I possibly gain from it?"
"You're not serious, right dude? Comon, it's a baby"

Withou acting those sociopaths and psychopaths would have their psycho faces for others all the time.

Acting is essential for narcissists with Bully.

Actually "Sociopath" implies a suite of Disads, but for simplicity lets assume Callous in a bubble.

Your example is likely exactly how it happens, inside the PCs head. Regardless of "Skill checks".

Callous doesn't say you aren't aware of how others feel or experience emotions, just that you don't care about it. It even specifically says that you will use emotions to manipulate people.

Acting is the ability to make others believe your behavior is normal, even desirable. Acting does not make you appear not to be callous, it just puts a better face on it. However most behaviors don't require an acting check as this would be "default".

If you wanted to be super dice rolly and picky I suppose your example could be bad acting, below could be good acting.

"Oh my God, there's a baby crying over there, we need to help!"
"We have a mission, stay on point"
"You're not serious, right dude? Comon, it's a baby"
"Mission first, if you want to come back for that baby after we're done I don't give two farts. Right now move on."

Great soldier, crappy humanitarian... but you can't use Acting to change the outcome of the decision. No matter how it plays out Callous PC is not going to divert to help the baby. How they manage to paint the decision to other PCs/NPCs may color things significantly.

"Oh my God, there's a baby crying over there, we need to help!"
(Callous makes acting roll by good margin)
"Not a baby, been here before its a lure"
"You're not serious, right dude? Comon, it's a baby"
"You can go if you want, your just walking into a trap. Im going to continue to the house"
"Really!?! That's messed up. If your sure... lets go"

**Edited to add and clarify**

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by bocephus

I wouldn't additionally penalize Acting for the disadvantage, if you make the self control roll then you aren't doing the "disadvantage". Having a control roll is enough penalty for most PCs.

It's not RAW, but for some disadvantages the GM might rule that a failed self-control roll by 1-2 means the PC can delay their bad behavior or control it in some fashion. For example, a Bully or Bad-Tempered person doesn't lash out instantly, but waits until they can privately ambush their victim or deflects their wrath onto a more socially acceptable target.

That would allow an Acting skill to hide their obvious emotions when they fail their Self-Control roll and another Acting roll to justify their subsequent behavior.