How can you tell if someone is lying to you? In popular media, it seems so simple. In real life, it's much more complicated. That said, we're not playing life here, we're playing games! If a player asks whether their character sees any signs that the NPC they're dealing with is lying, we can roll some dice to deliver some clues (or red herrings)!
Are they lying?
I assume that you, as the Referee, know whether the character in question is lying or not. We're going to roll some dice in a minute but let's look at what sort of lies are being told. We can use this to modify the dice we roll.
Lies of Omission
I rate this as the easiest sort of lie. Rather than fabricating any details, the character just conveniently leaves certain details out. No modifier.
Small Lies
The devil is in the details, and this character is engaging with their little devil by fabricating one or more of them in their testimony. +1 modifier.
Large Details
Great swaths of their story are being cut from whole cloth. +2 modifier.
If the character is engaging in multiple types of lies at the same time, add another +1 modifier.
Lie Detection
Roll on the table below. If the NPC is higher level than the PC, roll 2d6 and take the lower result; if the PC is higher level, roll 2d6 and take the higher result.
| 1d6 | Deception Tells |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | No visible signs. |
| 4 | Hand gestures. |
| 5 | Fidgeting. |
| 6 | Defensive posture (crossed arms, stiffness, physical distance, etc.) |
| 7 | Facial cue (losing color, avoiding eye contact, staring, pursing lips, etc.) |
| 8 | Itching and scratching. |
Are they lying or just nervous? Don't come out and tell the player that their PC notices lying. Deliver the tell and allow them to interpret it as they will. The target will also notice the PC's study and will react accordingly.
Are they lying or are they nervous?
Liars act nervously because they are lying but anyone under pressure might react nervously, even if they're telling the truth! When an NPC is telling the truth, roll on the table above but subtract a -1 modifier to the die roll. They also might react negatively to being doubted! A PC studying someone in this way should suffer a penalty to their reaction with the target.
