Observation
SkillVAE CORE · p.47
Open source p.47When talking to another person or spending time in their presence, you can use OBSERVATION to understand what they are thinking, feeling, or planning. If you pass the skill test the Gamemaster describes the impression you get from them. For example, the Gamemaster may tell you that they are lying or reveal whether they mean you harm. You have the right to ask specific questions and have them answered. Each extra success adds to a test where the information is useful to you. Failing the test means that you give yourself away to the opposite party and must disclose your player character’s thoughts, feelings, and intentions.
Sidebar: Honest Information.
Several skills give the player characters access to information. It is the Gamemaster’s responsibility to provide information that is accurate and useful. A successful skill test should not result in vague answers or ones that “protects” the truth or an NPC. What makes the story interesting is what the player characters do with their information – not leaving them ignorant and unable to act.