With linear reasoning, we can look at the spell book in the evil wizard’s lair we mentioned above and see that True Polymorph plus Wish plus Soul Cage equals ambitions of dracolichdom. This distinction works for ability checks such as Investigation and Perception, but when it comes to Insight versus a knowledge check such as Arcana or Religion, what we are really talking about here is the difference between linear and interconnected reasoning. The Dungeon Master’s Guide will tell you that the difference between Intelligence and Wisdom is a character’s ability to notice what is around them (wisdom) and knowing what the signs mean (intelligence). Instead of an Arcana check, ask these players for an Insight check to put it all together. Perhaps the wizard is a Dragonborn or a Kobold, and they have said things like, “Curse this living flesh,” or something equally creepy. They have also seen this Wizard in the past casting polymorph and become a dragon. They search the room and they find lots of tomes and trinkets of dragons, vampires, undead, and special skin creams (you know, for keeping the body fresh). No one can walk through the lab and roll a decent Arcana check to figure out the Wizard is researching alchemical processes to make themselves into a dracolich by first polymorphing into a dragon and then using a special phylactery.Īt least, they can’t look at the notes and the ritual book to find that out.īut let’s say, for instance, there is a Druid or a monk in the party with a high Insight score. Let’s say your players are making their way through the lair of an evil wizard, and they do not have a single arcane spellcaster in the party. When that happens, understanding when to use Insight is determined by when to use Wisdom instead of Intelligence. When this type of trust and communication occurs, all kinds of uses for Insight open up. Ideally, if you can describe what you are doing and suggest a roll for the DM, they will set the DC and let you roll it. You can also grant the player advantage on any ability check, reducing the chance of a bad die roll foiling the character’s plans.īy the same token, a bad plan or unfortunate circumstances can transform the easiest task into an impossibility or at least impose disadvantage. At any time, you can decide that a player’s action is automatically successful. They’re tools to help keep the action moving. Remember that dice don’t run your game – you do. There’s nothing so frustrating as being up to your chin in rule books when you really just wanted to do some parkour and pickpocket a guy after studying him for a round to determine the best moment.ĭungeons and Dragons avoids that with this neat little rule here: If Wizards of the Coast wanted, they could have made a rule for everything, like the guys over at Paizo did with their amazing game, Pathfinder.īut they didn’t, opting instead for the players and the dungeon masters to have the freedom to do what feels right and improvise in order to let the play continue instead of getting bogged down in research. The beautiful thing about Dungeons and Dragons is that it really is a simple game. Will they shoot the hostage? Will they try to run away? Will they dive for the macguffin or try to shoot me instead?Īnswering questions like this can help you decide what your best course of action is. Secondly, Insight can help you guess an NPC’s next move. A good Insight check would have changed that whole situation. He even threw my rations down a cliff and made me turn my back on my best friend in the world. It’s probably a safe bet to make an Insight check the first time you meet an NPC or the first time they state their agenda.įirst, I can’t tell you how I’ve been led astray by a little guy with a bad cough who was supposed to be showing me where I can melt down some precious jewelry, but instead, he got me trapped by a giant spider. How often have you been double-crossed by an NPC (I’m looking at you, Strahd)? What do these rules offer us, then? Quite a bit, actually. Yet hidden inside this seemingly meager tool is a hidden gem that you can leverage, both as a player and a DM. It seems that outside of these specific situations, Insight is not a useful mechanic in which to base a character, especially when, as a player, you can figure things out without needing to be told. This is all you get from the Basic Rules when you look it up. Your Wisdom (Insight) check decides whether you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone’s next move.ĭoing so involves gleaning clues from body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms.
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