[RPG] Do reactions that trigger on saving throws give knowledge of saving throws that would otherwise be secret

class-featurednd-5emetagamingreactionssaving-throw

Preliminaries.

Some reactions have triggers which are tangible events in the fiction of the game. For example, feather fall's casting time is:

1 reaction, which you take when you or a creature within 60 feet of you falls.

This is something tangible within the fiction: feather fall's trigger is something perceived and understood by both the player out of game and the character in game.

On the other hand, some reactions have triggers which are intangible within the fiction of the game: they are perceived only by the player out of game, and do not actually reflect anything about the character's knowledge in game. For example, the Artificer's Flash of Genius ability says:

When you or another creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an ability check or a saving throw, you can use your reaction to add your Intelligence modifier to the roll.

Another example is the Oath of the Watchers Paladin's Vigilant Rebuke ability:

You’ve learned how to chastise anyone who dares wield beguilements against you and your wards. Whenever you or a creature you can see within 30 feet of you succeeds on an Intelligence, a Wisdom, or a Charisma saving throw, you can use your reaction to deal 2d8 + your Charisma modifier force damage to the creature that forced the saving throw.

Both of these abilities allow the character to take a reaction in response to another character making a saving throw.

But passing, failing, or even attempting a saving throw are not something characters know about. Characters don't even know what saving throws are. This is clear from the spellcasting rules in the Player's Handbook:

Unless a spell has a perceptible effect, a creature might not know it was targeted by a spell at all. An effect like crackling lightning is obvious, but a more subtle effect, such as an attempt to read a creature's thoughts, typically goes unnoticed, unless a spell says otherwise.

These two questions go into more depth about detecting saving throws:

The Scenario.

Suppose the evil Archmage casts scrying on one of our party members, in an attempt to secretly spy on them. Scrying calls for a wisdom saving throw. The party (in the fiction) would normally have no idea this was going on, no idea someone was making a saving throw, and no idea if that saving throw succeeded or failed (see rule about perceptible spell effects quoted above).

But what if we have an Artificer or Watchers Paladin around?

Rules as written the artificer or paladin would be able to use their respective reactions in response to the saving throw for the Archmage's scrying.

Do the artificer and paladin characters know in game that they used their abilities in response to the saving throw against the scrying spell?

Obviously, they don't know what a saving throw is, and won't know that it is a scrying spell at work. But do they know that something is afoot and that they used their ability?

I am asking this from the perspective as a DM trying to help my players manage player meta-knowledge as they make decisions in character.

Best Answer

How it reads, Rules-As-Written

Nothing in the rules for reactions indicates that the trigger must be perceptible:

Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to take a special action called a reaction. A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else's. The opportunity attack, described later in this section, is the most common type of reaction.

In fact, Flash of Genius and Vigilant Rebuke can both trigger on saving throws, which are inherently not perceptible. The only perception requirement for both abilities is that you can see the creature that is making the saving throw (or ability check).

Both abilities are active abilities that the characters choose to use, not just the player on a meta level (emphasis mine):

Starting at 7th level, you gain the ability to come up with solutions under pressure. When you or another creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an ability check or a saving throw, you can use your reaction to add your Intelligence modifier to the roll.

You’ve learned how to chastise anyone who dares wield beguilements against you and your wards. Whenever you or a creature you can see within 30 feet of you succeeds on an Intelligence, a Wisdom, or a Charisma saving throw, you can use your reaction to deal 2d8 + your Charisma modifier force damage to the creature that forced the saving throw.

So, as written, there is no restriction against using the abilities in this case, and because of the active nature of the abilities, the character would know they used their ability (i.e. not just player meta-knowledge) even if it is unclear what it was used for.

How I would rule it

The above is the rules as I see them, but to me it just seems a little ridiculous for cases where the character would have no clue something was going on, such as the example with the scrying in the question.

Because the abilities referenced are both used actively, the character (not just the player) must choose when to use it. If the event causing a saving throw has no way to be known to the character, they have no information to go off of in order to choose to use the ability at that time.

So, I would personally rule that unless the character has reasonable knowledge that the saving throw happened (or in-game context that something is wrong, a perceptible spell being cast, trap triggered, etc.), they would have no way to know to use their ability in that instance. RAW successfully saved spells do not have perceptible effects unless specified in the spell's description, so this would obviously be up to the DM's discretion to determine when something is perceptible/noticeable to the character, but it seems like a more logical approach to me.

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