Persuasion Skill

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Contents 1 General Roll Results 2 Cutting A Deal 2.1 Roll Results 3 Fast-Talk 3.1 Roll Results 4 Oratory 4.1 Roll Results 5 Seduction 5.1 Physical Aspect (First Stage) 5.2 Social Aspect (Second Stage) 5.3 Resolution

Persuasion is the art of inspiring or changing minds through logic, charm or sheer, glib fast-talking. Though it can be taught to varying degrees of success, most characters with the Skill possess a natural talent and have honed it over years through trial and error, practicing their delivery until it rolls effortlessly off the tongue. Persuasion is the Skill of convincing others by force of personality alone, making one's point through carefully chosen words, body language and emotion^[1].

• Possessed by: Con artists, executives, generals, lawyers, politicians, salesmen, sexual predators
• Specialties: Fast-Talking, Inspiring Troops, Motivational Speeches, Sales Pitches, Seduction

General Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: Your character not only fails to persuade someone, but also actively inspires a negative opinion in the subject. Not only does the customer not want to purchase the item, they choose to take their business elsewhere.
• Failure: Your character does not convince the subject.
• Success: Your character convinces the subject to accept a proposal or assertion.
• Exceptional Success: Your character convinces the subject completely, to the extent that the target trusts your character’s opinion implicitly and accepts further assertions on faith.

Cutting A Deal

Negotiating a contract, sale or other carefully considered agreement is a long and complicated process that requires a lot of effort from both parties. This requires a contented, extended roll. Each of these rolls represents an hour of negotiation, which ends once one of the parties reaches the required number of successes. The first party to accumulate the goal in successes is the winner, although they must agree to concessions based on the difference in total successes. If the victor triples the other party in successes, no concessions are needed. At double, one quarter of the competitor's demands must be met. If the winning party merely holds the majority, they must agree to one half of the competitor's demands.

Example: Gerald Baker is negotiating with a security guard at a storage yard. He wants the guard to allow access to one of the storage units without monitoring the camera feeds, and is offering money in exchange for compliance. The security guard is tempted by the offer, but doesn't want to risk losing his job. The Storyteller determines that the negotiation requires six successes to settle. Gerald's Manipulation is 2 and his Persuasion is three. He has plenty of resources at his disposal, lending him an Equipment bonus of 3. The security guard has a Manipulation of 2 and is untrained in Persuasion, levying a -1 penalty to his roll. Ultimately, he has the final say in granting Gerald access, so his Equipment bonus is 1. After three sets of rolls, Gerald wins the negotiation with six successes to his opponent's three. Gerald talks the man down to one quarter of his asking price and he is able to conduct his business at the appointed time of night.

• Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + equipment versus Manipulation + Persuasion + Equipment
• Action: Contested, Extended (3-10+ successes required; each roll represents an hour of negotiation)
• Suggested Equipment: Access to legal texts (+1), pertinent background information on the opposing party (+1), legal credentials (+2), monetary resources (+3), blackmail evidence (+1 to +5)
• Possible Penalties: Lack of research (-1), language barrier (-2 to -5), lack of negotiating chips (-4)

Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: Your character makes no progress towards reaching an agreement, requiring further concessions to keep negotiations open. Subtract one success from your accumulated total.
• Failure: Your character makes no headway in the negotiations.
• Success: Your character makes headway in the negotiations.
• Exceptional Success: Your character holds a large amount of sway in the negotiations, making it difficult for the opposing party to counteroffer.

Fast-Talk

Your character needs to convince another to perform a service, look the other way or simply be distracted for a few moments. Sometimes there isn't time to cook up an elaborate ruse, requiring quick thinking and fast talking. If your character succeeds, the target is temporarily distracted or fooled. If not, the target may require more convincing (such as Cutting a Deal).

• Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + equipment versus Composure + Empathy or Subterfuge
• Action: Contested, Instant
• Suggested Equipment: Convincing clothing (+1), cash or expensive jewelry (+1), a genuine or fake ID (+2)
• Possible Penalties: Inappropriate appearance (-1 to -3), lack of bribery items (-1), subject hard of hearing (-3)

Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: Your character draws attention the situation intended to be ignored. Further attempts to mislead fail and the situation may escalate.
• Failure: Your character fails to distract the subject.
• Success: Your character successfully distracts the subject.
• Exceptional Success: The subject buys your character's ruse completely, ignoring the elephant in the room and remaining open for suggestion.

Oratory

Sometimes your character is called on to convince a crowd of people to accept his assertions, calling for a rousing, compelling speech. This is a contested action. If the orator wins, he convinces the crowd. If he fails, one or two people believe, but the group on the whole is unconvinced. A tie indicates that the group is willing to listen, but remains unconvinced. In the case of a failed or tied effort, your character can make a successive attempt if the Storyteller agrees that the crowd is willing to listen^[2].

• Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + equipment versus highest Resolve + Composure of audience
• Action: Contested, possibly Extended
• Suggested Equipment: Appropriate clothing (+1), megaphone (+1), microphone and speakers (+2), modern lecture hall with a podium and a projector (+3)
• Possible Penalties: Inappropriate or unimpressive attire (-1 to -3), uninterested audience (-1), hostile audience (-3), speech impediment (-5)

Roll Results

• Dramatic Failure: Your character fails to convince the crowd. No further attempts can be made and the crowd may turn against your character.
• Failure: Your character does not convince the crowd. More efforts may be needed.
• Success: Your character convinces the crowd.
• Exceptional Success: The audience is particularly impressed with your character's speech and will believe anything your character has to say.

Seduction

Your character seeks to ply his allure, charm and sheer magnetism to make someone else compliant to his will, typically to agree to a sexual tryst (but not always -- one can be seduced by wealth, for example). Or your character's aim might be some goal short of a physical encounter, such as getting a person's phone number, learning his or her address, or convincing a subject to do a favor with the implicit reward of romance. The same forms of coercion might also be applied on your character by inhuman beings, to make him agreeable to a private rendezvous that could mean his life^[3]. Fame, Status, and Striking Looks all can play a key factor in an attempted seduction.

• The act of seduction has two basic elements, physical and social, and those elements tend to indicate stages of the overall process.

Physical Aspect (First Stage)

The first stage is based largely on physical attraction. Your character plies his appearance and demeanor to win the subject's attention and interest. This phase is typically non-verbal. If the seducer gets more successes, he gains the subject's interest. If successes tie or the seducer gets fewer, the subject is disinterested or needs further convincing (see below).

• Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + equipment versus the subject's Wits + Composure + equipment.
• Action: Instant
• Resistance: Contested
• Equipment for Seducer: Striking Looks, alluring clothing (+1), an appealing perfume or cologne (+1) or an offered drink (+1)
• Equipment for Subject: Existing significant other (+1 to +3), a headache (+1) or be in a really bad mood (+1)

Social Aspect (Second Stage)

The social aspect of the seduction begins after the initial contested action is complete. The social aspect involves dialogue and interaction between participants.

The winner of the previous contested roll also gains bonus dice equal to the successes rolled before.

• Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + equipment versus the subject's Wits + Composure + equipment.
• Action: Extended (10 minutes per roll)
• Resistance: Contested
• Equipment for Seducer: A good pick-up line (+1), an excellent line (+2), a mutual acquaintance (+1) or suggestive physical contact (+2) for the seducer.
• Equipment for Subject: Existing significant other (+1 to +3), a headache (+1) or be in a really bad mood (+1)

Resolution

Seducer: The required number of successes for the seducer equals twice the subject's Resolve.

Once a would-be seducer is rebuked, no other attempts can be made to charm the same subject in the same scene.

Subject: The required number of successes for the subject equals twice the aggressor's Presence.

See Also Cutting A Deal • Persuasion Skill • Seduction

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