Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition skill
Psychology
Psychology is a skill in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition: Reading people to spot lies, buried motives, and the moment someone stops being themselves.
Last reviewed
Key facts
- Base Value
- 10
Overview
Psychology is the skill for reading the person rather than the statement. It tells you that the shopkeeper is frightened rather than rude, that the widow's grief is genuine but her account of the night is not, and that the man leading the town meeting is repeating words he does not understand. It earns its place in almost every Call of Cthulhu scenario, because most of the plot arrives through people who are lying, protecting someone, or already too far gone to explain themselves. Psychology never tells you what the truth is. It tells you where to push, which is usually enough to turn a dead interview into a lead.
How it works
Base Value: 10% Key Uses:
- Detecting that someone is lying or withholding
- Judging motive and emotional state during an interview
- Assessing whether a person is stable, drugged, or under duress
- Spotting a cultist behaving as though a script is being followed Special Rules: Psychology is normally rolled opposed against Fast Talk, Persuade, Charm, or Disguise when someone is actively working you. A Hard success (half your skill) is what a Keeper usually asks for when the target is trained or genuinely believes their own story. It reads humans; it does not identify a cause.
Tips and playstyle
Build Advice: A cheap, high-value investment. Even 40 to 50% changes how many interviews produce something, and it starts at 10% so a modest spend goes a long way. Occupation Synergies: Pair it with Persuade or Fast Talk so you read the target first and then choose the pressure. Psychoanalysis extends it from diagnosis into treatment, and Spot Hidden covers the physical tells Psychology misses. Character Concepts: Police detective, psychiatrist, journalist, clergyman, confidence trickster, parapsychologist.
Frequently asked questions
Can Psychology detect supernatural influence?
It can tell you a person is not behaving as themselves, but not why. A successful roll on a possessed or dominated victim usually reads as wrongness, blankness, or rehearsal, which is a clue rather than an answer.
How is Psychology different from Psychoanalysis?
Psychology reads someone in the moment and starts at 10%. Psychoanalysis starts at 1% and is the long treatment skill used over weeks to help an investigator recover Sanity or manage an insanity.
Does the Keeper roll Psychology for me?
Many do, in secret, so you cannot tell a failed reading from an honest witness. Ask your Keeper how they handle it, since it changes how much you should trust a clean result.