Influence: decide whether a check is needed

SRD 5.2.1 · Actions

At the table

1. Describe the request and method of communication; the GM determines willingness.
2. A willing creature complies in its preferred way. An unwilling creature does not comply; neither response needs a check.
3. For hesitation, the GM chooses the check. The default DC is 15 or the creature’s Intelligence score, whichever is higher; attitude affects the check.

Example decision

A hesitant creature has Intelligence 18. No special DC has been established. What is the default Influence DC?

18, the higher of 15 and the Intelligence score.

Use the higher of the two numbers. Choosing a DC is only one step: the GM first determines that the creature is hesitant rather than willing or unwilling, then chooses a check suited to the method. If the check fails, the same urging must wait 24 hours or another duration set by the GM before being tried again.

Watch for this mistake

A successful social roll is not permission to disregard what the action says about unwilling requests. Also keep the creature’s attitude separate from its response to this particular proposal.

Ask the table

What is being asked, why is the creature hesitant, and which method could address that hesitation?

Source rule

With the Influence action, you urge a monster to do something. Describe or roleplay how you’re communicating with the monster. Are you trying to deceive, intimidate, amuse, or gently persuade? The GM then determines whether the monster feels willing, unwilling, or hesitant due to your interaction; this determination establishes whether an ability check is necessary, as explained below. Willing. If your urging aligns with the monster’s desires, no ability check is necessary; the monster fulfills your request in a way it prefers. Unwilling. If your urging is repugnant to the monster or counter to its alignment, no ability check is necessary; it doesn’t comply. Hesitant. If you urge the monster to do something that it is hesitant to do, you must make an ability check, which is affected by the monster’s attitude: Indifferent, Friendly, or Hostile, each of which is defined in this glossary. The Influence Checks table suggests which ability check to make based on how you’re interacting with the monster. The GM chooses the check, which has a default DC equal to 15 or the monster’s Intelligence score, whichever is higher. On a successful check, the monster does as urged. On a failed check, you must wait 24 hours (or a duration set by the GM) before urging it in the same way again.

Source: SRD 5.2.1, 184. Online guide.