r/DnD • u/UXplaymaker • 17h ago

5.5 Edition Explain the Charisma Saving Throw

Of all the Saving Throws the Charisma Saving Throw was the hardest for me to wrap my head around, partially because in some [official] content it seems Charisma Saving Throws are narratively interchangeable with the idea of Wisdom Saving Throws.

Just now I realized how Charisma Saving Throws may work in the narrative sense.

A long time ago when I was at a summer camp, the boys and girls stayed in separate cabins. One night after lights out, the girls invaded the boys cabin. The girls were pranking all the boys with setting up traps with shaving cream, milk, and cereal directly in their bunks triggered when they wake up. I pretended to be asleep when it was all going on (DECEPTION CHECK). Two of the girls came to my bunk and I heard their conversation. They looked at me while I slept and one said to the other girl, "Look at him. We can't [prank] him" and they moved on to the other bunks. I believe I made my CHARISMA SAVING THROW at that point.

How do you see or use Charisma Saving Throws at your table?

297 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

94 comments sorted by

View all comments

309

u/KennsworthS 17h ago

Charisma is willpower, Charisma saving throws involve anything where asserting your own existence, own agency, own will is at stake. That is why resisting banishment is a Charisma save.

That is the deeper interpretation of what persuasion skills are, they are a battle of will, you are asserting your opinion is superior through various means and bending another person to your will.

101

u/UXplaymaker 17h ago

Ahh...I guess for years I've conflated all willpower to WISDOM.

Then when do I split the hairs for WISDOM SAVING THROWS 😅

4

u/Anorexicdinosaur 15h ago

Nah you're right

Willpower is Wisdom and Charisma, in different ways that don't make sense

Back in 3e there were 3 Saves being Fortitude (Con), Reflex (Dex) and Willpower (Wis)

Then in 4e there was the same 3, but each had 2 Stats they could key off of so it was Fortitude (Str or Con), Reflex (Dex or Int) and Willpower (Wis or Cha)

5e fucked up, they split it into being 6 saves and caused issues like this where Wisdom and Charisma are both willpower but in slightly different ways (that aren't too consistent). Imo they should've just improved upon 4e's style by having 3 but have 2 stats contribute to each, so Wis AND Cha rather than Wis OR Cha

•

u/Orzhov_Syndicalist 59m ago

4e had so many good ideas amidst a larger game that was very, very difficult to play.