Secret identities and hidden allegiances

When an NPC is being deceptive, it is possible that the PCs never discover the NPC’s true allegiance—even in the case of a recurring villain, as such an NPC’s exceptional Навыки may render his Хитростиs undetectable until later in the campaign. While Внимание and Проницательность checks are often used to oppose Маскировка and Блеф checks, sometimes another skill might be more useful in discerning an impostor. For example, someone pretending to be a noble of a certain house  could accidentally reveal his Хитрости through his ignorance of facts that the noble should know. The PCs themselves may also be interested in using secrecy and trickery. A PC may even be present at a Крупный social event under more than one identity at the same time. All participants each typically attempt a Проницательность and Внимание check upon first encountering a Хитрости and can attempt another check only if new lies or маскировкаs are introduced during the event. However, each Время a PC makes a claim or takes an Действие that seems implausible for the person she claims to be, nearby opponents can attempt another opposed check.

 

DIVIDED PARTIES

In general, this influence system assumes that the PCs share roughly the same goals, and that the party shares the total number of successful influence checks. Games developed around intrigue can produce unusual situations, though, and it is possible that the PCs may be split into groups working at cross-purposes, or, more likely, toward unrelated goals, where each purpose is separate but not in direct conflict. For example, Valeros and Seelah may want to influence the NPCs in the king’s court to support a Сфера Войны against the necromancer queen of a neighboring land, while Kyra and Ezren want to influence those same NPCs to gain support for Kyra to marry the princess. In such cases, each groups’ number of successful influence checks should be tracked separately; if their goals are unrelated rather than conflicting, one group’s influence over an NPC doesn’t take that NPC out of play for the others, as it would for an opposing group.

 

BENEFITS OF INFLUENCE

In a single encounter, the goal is often to convince an NPC to выступление a specific favor. In longer-term social engagements, the PCs may need to build toward Крупныйr goals. Each Время the PCs sway an NPC using the influence rules (gaining the number of successes listed in the NPC’s social stat block), they increase their influence level over that NPC by one step. For instance, if the PCs are unknown to an NPC who requires 3 successes to influence, after 3 successes, the PCs succeed in winning some of their target’s trust and thus increase their influence level from no sway to minor sway. An NPC the PCs have not yet influenced typically treats them as stследопытs.

No Sway: The NPC treats the PCs as any group of stследопытs.

Minor Sway: The NPC might выступление Небольшой favors for the PCs that do not involve a significant Расходiture of resources. The NPC speaks favorably about the PCs to others. The NPC does not interfere in the PCs’ plans unless they Conflict with her goals.

Moderate Sway: The NPC might выступление favors for the PCs that require some of her own resources or are time- consuming, as long as they do not threaten the NPC’s overall interests. The NPC actively seeks to convince people to work with the PCs. If the NPC’s plans Conflict with the PCs’ goals, the NPC tries to work with the PCs to find a mutually acceptable resolution to the Conflict.

Major Sway: The NPC assists the PCs with tasks that pose a significant risk to her position or Состояние, and depending upon the ситуативныйs, may risk her safety for them. The NPC advocates for the PCs, even when doing so is unpopular, and she undermines the PCs’ enemies. The NPC concedes a personal goal in Орден to allow the PCs to move forОпекун with one of their plans, as long as they provide a suitable alternative.

Not all favors are reasonable, no matter how much sway the PCs gain over an NPC. For example, asking a жрец to betray her deity typically falls outside of the bounds of influence. Similarly, reaching the higher levels of influence should become increasingly difficult; the check DCs and the number of successes required increases by 2 for each progressive level of influence. Just as some NPCs are impossible to influence in a certain encounter, some NPCs воля never become particularly friendly with the PCs, who cannot exercise more than moderate or even minor sway over them.

GMs also can Использование the influence system instead of Дипломатия to modify NPC attitudes. In this case, rather than using influence levels, each Время the PCs successfully sway an NPC, the NPC’s attitude toward the PCs improves by one step. Most NPCs start at indifferent or unfriendly. An NPC whose attitude is not at least indifferent воля always refИспользование requests for Помощь.

 

COUNTERING INFLUENCE

A character can attempt an influence check with the goal of lowering an enemy’s influence level over an NPC rather than raising her own. The DC for this kind of influence check is based on the enemy’s influence level with the NPC in question. The sabotaging character gains a +2 bonus on these checks if she has minor sway over that NPC, a +4 bonus if she has moderate sway, or a +6 bonus if she has major sway. Sabotaging an NPC’s influence level requires as many successes as the enemy would need to increase his influence level with that NPC. A sabotaging character who knows of an NPC’s strengths can Использование that знание to ascribe unfavorable characteristics to the enemy she hopes to sabotage. If these disparaging descriptions are true (or if the NPC believes them to be true), the saboteur gains a +2 bonus per Сила on influence checks to counter the enemy’s influence.

This mechanic is appropriate when the saboteur and the enemy she is trying to sabotage are on roughly equal footing, or when the saboteur has a higher level of influence. A saboteur Желаниеing to erode the influence of a far more trusted individual, such as a group ищущее to convince a queen that her closest advisor is betraying her, either cannot attempt to lower the trusted individual’s influence level without first gathering substantial evidence against the advisor, or might not be able to lower the advisor’s influence level at all in some ситуативныйs.

For example, suppose Merisiel has achieved moderate sway over the mayor, and Ezren has achieved minor sway over the mayor. The DC for Ezren to influence the mayor with Дипломатия is 23, with two successful checks required, and the DC for Merisiel to influence the mayor with Дипломатия is 27, with three successful checks required (since it is harder for her to move from holding moderate sway to major sway). If Merisiel wanted to lower Ezren’s influence over the mayor from minor sway to no sway, she would need to succeed at two DC 23 Дипломатия checks, with a +4 bonus from her moderate sway, to make a Убедительность case that Ezren should not be trusted. Since the mayor is deeply religious, Merisiel reminds the mayor of Ezren’s detachment from religion to gain another +2 bonus. On the other hand, if Ezren wanted to lower Merisiel’s influence level with the mayor, he would need to succeed at three DC 27 Дипломатия checks, with a +2 bonus from his minor sway.

 

NEGLECT

Over time, a PC’s influence over an NPC is likely to wane if the PC doesn’t keep in contact with her (and continue making influence checks every once in a while), depending on the influence’s nature. Generally, the higher the influence level, the more effort the PC must commit and thus the faster the influence degrades with neglect. However, if the PCs achieve major sway over an NPC because she becomes deeply indebted to them, at the GM’s discretion their influence level may not degrade until the NPC feels she has repПомощь that debt, making it a matter of favors rather than time.

 

SOCIAL STAT BLOCK

For social encounters, GMs should build social stat blocks for important NPCs. Social stat blocks are very flexible, and can include any information relevant to the encounter, though most include the information below. Examples follow on pages 108–109.

Name: The NPCs’ name, alignment, and established class.

Affiliation: This notes the NPC’s loyalties.

Secret Identity: Some NPCs have secret identities. There may not be any skill checks that would allow the PCs to detect such a secret identity (in which case no checks are listed), but if the NPC is маскировкаd or the PCs have met this NPC before under another name, the skill check necessary to uncover the truth is listed here.

Background: This is a brief description of this NPC’s history and how she is relevant to the PCs.

Recognize: This is the check required to recognize the NPC by reputation or fame.

Appearance: This is a description of the NPC, including any characteristic features.

Introduction: This section describes how the NPC introduces herself to the PCs (or perhaps, how a herald or mutual acquaintance introduces them). The introduction should generally include hints about which Навыки are used for influence checks against this NPC, and may include an in-character quote, if that is helpful.

Personality: This is a short description of the NPC’s personality and demeanor or a list of adjectives that describe the NPC’s behavior. The more NPCs are present in a social encounter, the more important it is to make them distinctive so that the players can keep them straight.

Goals: This is a list of the NPC’s public goals.

Hidden Agenda: If your game utilizes intrigue, it’s unlikely that all NPCs are entirely up front about their goals. Any particularly secret objectives are found in this section, rather than in the goals entry.

Biases: Some NPCs have biases—subtle attitudes that influence an encounter. For example, an NPC may think favorably of полу-орки and be suspicious of эльфы. If the NPC’s biases affect a PC, apply a +2 or –2 ситуативный modifier on that PC’s influence checks, depending on whether the bias is in the PC’s favor or not. If an NPC is strongly biased for or against a PC, the modifier may be even greater, but such strong biases are readily apparent. PCs can detect a bias with a successful DC 20 Проницательность check.

Навыки and Saves: Only a few of the NPC’s Навыки are likely to be relevant. Проницательность and Внимание are almost always necessary. If the NPC is hiding something major from the PCs, Блеф and Маскировка are also important. This section should also include Колдовство and likely saving throw modifiers if the spellcasting might occur during the event; Воля испытания are the most common for intrigue- related spells such as Приворот (Гуманоид) or Чтение Мыслей.

Analyze: A PC who succeeds at the listed check learns details about what Навыки or checks can influence the NPC. Each sentence should contain the information a single successful Открытие check reveals.

Strengths: An NPC may be particularly resistant to certain tactics; such Тактики are referred to as that NPC’s strengths. For example, a person with little patience for flattery may think less favorably of someone who showers her with compliments. The Навыки and DCs required to discover these strengths are listed here. A PC who incorporates an NPC’s Сила into an influence check takes a –4 penalty on the check. Знание of an NPC’s strengths can be a powerful tool for sabotaging someone else’s attempt to gain influence over her—see the Countering Influence section on page 107 for more information.

Weaknesses: Most NPCs have at least one weakness. A weakness could be a deep-seated secret or insecurity, or a hobby that the NPC can talk about for days on end. The Навыки and DCs needed to discover these weaknesses are listed here. For each weakness a PC incorporates into her influence check, she gains a cumulative +2 bonus.

Influence Skills: The Навыки and DCs for each influence check are listed here. If a skill isn’t listed, it normally doesn’t work at all, but if a player presents a strong narrative reason why a skill should work, his GM can add it to the list. Дипломатия and Блеф are usually on the list of possible skills. If Дипломатия isn’t on the list of skills, there should be a reason in the NPC’s personality. For example, an NPC who intensely dislikes Небольшой talk and only Желаниеes to converse only about Скрытнсти theory may not respond to Дипломатия. However, Дипломатия is rarely the best skill with which to influence someone; the DC of Дипломатия checks to influence an NPC is typically higher than the DC when using Навыки tailored to the NPC’s personality or interests. GMs should keep the PCs’ Навыки in mind when designing a social encounter so each PC has a way to contribute. Not every NPC can necessarily be influenced, in which case Открытие checks reveal that the NPC is a lost cause.

Successes Needed: This lists the number of successful skill checks the PCs need to sway an NPC’s opinion.

Favor: The NPC might ask a favor of those he trusts. If so, a short description of the favor and what the PCs must do to accomplish it is listed here, as well as the benefit the PCs gain from successfully performing  the favor.

Events: This is the place to describe external events that affect the PCs’ ability to influence this NPC, anything from the NPC leaving an event early to the NPC becoming suspicious of the PCs after someone robs her manor.

Benefit: This section details what the PCs gain if they sway this NPC.

Penalty: This section details what the PCs lose if they antАгония this NPC (if antagonizing her is possible).