With Einkil having brought this up on another thread, I have decided that this week's Skills Review shall be Bluff. Even I had not considered how often this skill could be used. The synergy bonuses alone make it one of the single best thief skills, after disable device, open locks and Search. Even rangers get their favore enemy bonus applied to Bluff (and other skills) when dealing with that creature. Of course, I think certain characters, especially those who are Lawful Good or Paladins in particular should refrain from taking this skill, as there is a certain amount of dishonesty inherent in its use. Below is what the rules have to say about Bluff.

Bluff (Charisma related Skill)

You can make the outrageous or the untrue seem plausible. The skill encompasses acting, conning, fast talking, misdirection, prevarication, and misleading body language. Use a bluff to sow temporary confusion, get someone to turn his head to look where you point, or simply look innocuous.

Check: A Bluff check is opposed by the target?s Sense Motive check. Favorable and unfavorable circumstances weigh heavily on the outcome of a bluff. Two circumstances can weigh against you: the bluff is hard to believe or the action that the target is to take goes against the target?s self-interest, nature, personality, orders, etc. If it?s important, the DM can distinguish between a bluff that fails because the target doesn?t believe it and one that fails because it just asks too much of the target. For instance, if the target gets a +10 bonus because the bluff demands something risky of the target, and the Sense Motive check succeeds by 10 or less, then the target didn?t so much see through the bluff as prove reluctant to go along with it. If the target succeeds by 11 or more, he has seen through the bluff (and would have done so even if it had not entailed any demand on him).



The following are exa,ples of the bonus one woul get on their opposed Sense Motive check against you.

The target wants to believe you. ?5

?These emeralds aren?t stolen. I?m just desperate for coin right now,so I?m offering them to you cheap.?

The bluff is believable and doesn?t affect the target much one way or the other. +/- 0

?I don?t know what you?re talking about, sir. I?m just a simple peasant girl here for the fair.?

The bluff is a little hard to believe or puts the target at some kind of risk. +5

?You orcs want to fight? I?ll take you all on myself. I don?t need my friends? help. Just don?t get your blood all over my new surcoat.?

The bluff is hard to believe or entails a large risk for the target. +10

?This diadem doesn?t belong to the duchess.
It just looks like hers. Trust me,I wouldn?t sell you jewelry that would get you hanged, would I??

The bluff is way out there; it?s almost too incredible to consider. +20

?You might find this hard to believe, but I?m actually a lammasu who?s been polymorphed into halfling form by an evil sorcerer. You know that we lammasu are trustworthy, so you can believe me.?

A successful Bluff check indicates that the target reacts as you wish, at least for a short time (usually 1 round or less) or believes something that you want him to believe. Bluff, however, is not a suggestion spell. For example, you could use a bluff to put someone off guard by telling her his shoes are untied. At best, such a bluff would make the target glance down at her shoes. It would not cause the target to ignore you and fiddle with her shoes.

A bluff requires interaction between the character and the target. Creatures unaware of the character cannot be bluffed. A bluff always takes at least 1 round (and is at least a full-round action) but can take much longer if you try something elaborate.

Feinting in Combat: You can also use Bluff to mislead an opponent in combat so that he can?t dodge your attack effectively. Doing so is a miscellaneous standard action that does not draw an attack of opportunity. If you are successful, the next attack you make against the target does not allow him to use his positive Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). Feinting in this way against a non-humanoid is difficult because it?s harder to read a strange creature?s body language; you suffer a ?4 penalty. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2) it?s even harder; you suffer a ?8 penalty. Against a non-intelligent creature, it?s impossible.

Creating a Diversion to Hide: You can use Bluff to help you hide. A successful Bluff check can give you the momentary diversion you need to attempt a Hide check while people are aware of you (see the Hide skill).

Retry Restrictions: Generally, a failed Bluff check makes the target too suspicious for a bluffer to try another one in the same circumstances. For feinting in combat, you may retry freely.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 23, 2004 06:23 PM: Message edited by: Starshadow ]</font>