Case Target

[Captain_K]

How does one do this? I get the ability, but seems like it should be a secret CK roll and the player gets info. If you make the roll, you get the info, if you miss, you only get what is obvious and if you fumble you get erroneous info. You don't know, so both ends of the roll you get specific detailed info in the middle you little info... so that is logical and you would do this naturally with every person you talk to for more than 10-30 minutes.

If you let the player roll, then they know the three cases above and "roll play" around player knowledge vs character knowledge.

If you fail the roll on say the bartender within the first 30 minutes... can you try again the next day? The next hour? Or forever this person is a mystery? This is key for your own party members... "knowing them better than they know themselves".

[Lurker]

Well I'm not DMing (well not except for my girls and they haven't gotten into those intricacies yet) but back in the day I'd do thing like this 2 ways

1 roll it for the player , ask them a few questions, and narrate it from there

2 have the player roll at random times in the game & note down the rolls, ( they would not know why and get a little paranoid which is good) then when they ask for a check like that, I'd use one of the rolls (either in order of the roll, or reverse roll order depending on the night) and ask them the bonus applicable . Than again narrate it from there.

For times to use it again, I'd go for at least a couple of hours if not until conditions change. Plus, subsequent attempts make it easier for the target to notice they are being watched. They may not know exactly who is watching them, but they could start to 'feel' it.

That said, I would use a perception type rolls for a player to notice things (and anyone can use it). Things like 'case target' were thief and assassin only, and it was usable to get specific info to plan a robbery / murder .

[Captain_K]

I think of a reformed thief as a bartender.. or a fence or even the local "private eye"... uses it to know who he or she is dealing with.. a very useful ability.

[Treebore]

Been a couple of years since I last had to adjudicate it, but pretty sure I rolled, secretly, and told the player what their character could discern at that time. I never had to worry about how often they could do it, but did think about the possibility, and determined enough time had to pass for things to change significantly for the target, so in general, a month had to pass. If it is publicly known that the NPC just experienced a major change in their life, such as death of a loved one, loss of their business, robbed, etc.... a new roll can be made even sooner. Yes, this meant the PC could endeavor to "rattle" the target by making such events occur.

[Captain_K]

Think of that recent movie, I think it was "The Jones' " or some such where they were both hitmen? Anyway, they lived together and took a long time to figure out who each other really was.. but each week or each month with lots of face time they could figure it out. So PCs usually know other PCs but its really the players know the PCs, not the PCs... a 5th lvl fighter is not too complex, but the assassin in the group is just a thief, would they ever admit otherwise?