I can share a negative experience from when I was just starting out as a DM. However, "how not to do it" is also a good thing. In my case it was the other way around: the PCs were the ones being interrogated by a local quasi-inquisition cult. So, this comment will focus more on the topic of "interrogating PCs" rather than NPCs. One character was tortured while in captivity, but the player decided the hero wouldn't break, and their decision was final regardless of failed saving throws. I realized the NPC wouldn't get any information from the character unless I stripped the player of their agency. Back then, I didn't know how to do that - and I refused to adopt this technique later on, even when I realized that some DMs consider it acceptable. Yet I hastily found a solution that was just as clumsy: I pointed out to the player that their character could be tortured to death this way - "so be it," he replied. It was sad, and no one enjoyed it. The story didn't develop further, as it was a one-shot, but for me, it was a lesson. Firstly, straightforward coercion via failed saving throws doesn't work well against players. This leads to a more fundamental idea: the behavior of PCs and NPCs isn't symmetrical (it seems obvious now, but that was my first time running a game). Secondly, mechanics-based coercion only works in two cases: 1) Magical coercion caused by artifacts or spells (such as "Zone of Truth") - players usually accept this temporary loss of agency: "Okay, my character is enchanted now, I'll play it out." 2) Forced narrative (which negatively impacts the atmosphere): "You listened to the preacher and failed a Religion check - now your character believes this deity is the best." I encountered the second case much later as a player; the impression was so negative and lasting that I’ve included it here, even though it’s not strictly about interrogations.

@Tristan Fishel Thank you for your appreciation! And I'm sorry that I rarely get a chance for discussion. There were no playtests yet, though friend of mine actively promotes this homebrew among his players, and intends to play himself and give feedback on the balance. Removing critical hits from the smite was of utmost importance to me, although I made this rule optional (for those who are too drawn to the crit-fishing mechanic, even though I personally don’t like it). At this point, I understand that the main drawback of this homebrew is its bulkiness* - but on the other hand, I would not want to reduce the variety of new abilities for the sake of brevity of the document. *P.S.: Also, as I discovered to my surprise, neural network art is a drawback too. But that happens - a rookie mistake. I naively assumed it would be more honest to spend a few days creating what I considered "perfect" images (with pop culture and meme references) than to "steal" other people's art from the internet. In practice, it turns out that neural network images are now banned in many communities, which has unexpectedly reduced the number of possible publication platforms. (Not a big deal, though—I'll fix that in future iterations.)

@Alex Newman Thanks ;D I also used to shorten it to Alex, but when another Alex (with the full name Alexey) joined our company, I had to find a new nickname.