SOCIAL CONFLICT
Sometimes, you can make things go your way without resorting to violence. Instead, you trick or convince your opponents without drawing your weapon. This might even be possible in the midst of combat, if the GM judges it plausible. For non-violent conflicts, you use the MANIPULATION skill. What you ask of your opponent or what you want him to do must be within reason no NPC will agree to do anything or act completely against their own interests, no matter how good your roll is. | MONSTERS : Many monsters are so savage or dim-witted that they simply cannot be swayed by words, no matter how silvery your tongue is. Read more about monsters in the Bestiary in the Gamemaster's Guide. |
RESOLUTION When you try to convince or bluff someone, make an opposed roll of MANIPULATION versus your opponent's INSIGHT. It only counts as a (slow) action for you. If you successfully MANIPULATE your opponent, he must either do what you want or immediately attack you with physical violence. Even if your opponent chooses to do what you want, he can still demand something in return. The GM decides what that entails, but it should be reasonable enough for you to be able to meet those demands. It is up to you to accept the agreement or not. REPUTATION Your chances of MANIPULATING someone are also affected by your own and your opponent's Reputation scores (see page 40). If your Reputation is higher, your roll is modified by +1 for every point of difference. If your Reputation is lower, your opponent instead gets +1 for every point of difference. | NEGOTIATING POSITION Your chances of MANIPULATING someone successfully are affected by your negotiating position, which is determined by the GM. Each of following factors modifies your roll by +1: ✥ You have more people on your side. ✥ What you ask for doesn't cost your opponent anything. ✥ Your opponent has suffered damage to any attribute. ✥ You have helped your opponent previously. ✥ You present your case very well (determined by the GM). Each of the following factors modifies your roll by –1. ✥ Your opponent has more people on his side. ✥ You ask for something valuable or dangerous. ✥ Your opponent has nothing to gain by helping you. ✥ You are having trouble understanding each other. ✥ The range between you is SHORT or longer. |
MANIPULATE A GROUP When you want to MANIPULATE a whole group, you usually address the group's leader or spokesperson. Remember that your roll is modified by –1 if your opponent has more people on his side. If you reach an agreement with the leader, the rest of the group usually follows. If there is no given leader it's harder – every single opponent acts individually. | RANGE To MANIPULATE someone, you usually need to be in NEAR range – but if it is applicable to the situation, the actions can be used at SHORT or even LONG range. The GM modifies your roll negatively if she deems that the range impairs your negotiating position (see above). ARTIFACTS Some valuable or very impressive artifacts can give a Gear Bonus to your MANIPULATION roll. |