New Skill Category: Social Skills

This category is designed to provide a full set of social skills that allow a character to possess a variety of social abilities above, below or simply different than that of the player while allowing a way to handle social exchanges in game. These skills also fall into other categories so that O.C.C.s do not need to be revamped. The GM will have to decide if the Social Skills category will specifically be available to particular O.C.C.s and if there is a bonus associated (or simply leave access to them through the other categories they fall under).
 

NOTE: Does not include skills that would be considered Entertainment (Sing, Juggling, Dance, etc.) or Literary Skills (Lore, Linguistics, etc.). I plan on fleshing out the Entertainment Skills category with rules for effecting others through performance soon.
 

Charm/Impress and Trust/Intimidate vs. Social Skills

These checks are for first impressions based on extremely good looks, way of carrying oneself, charisma, aura of authority, sexy voice, etc. To say that someone with above average (but not extremely good Physical Beauty or Mental Affinity cannot manage a similar result is thoroughly not fair since it is possible for nearly every other area of knowledge or skill. Beyond those first impressions, skill and knowledge are factored into the experience. The result from the initial impression will provide a bonus to successive rolls during the same day (or until circumstances change the impression).
 

Before the Charm/Impress or Trust/Intimidate roll is made, the circumstances of the meeting should be taken into account, modifying the roll with a bonus or penalty as appropriate. Generally, Charm/Impress happens before Trust/Intimidate unless circumstances (and the GM) determine otherwise. If the intent is not obvious, the intent must be decided to radiate Trust or to Intimidate, or to Charm or Impress. Certain characters will do one to the exclusion of the other nearly all the time while other characters may flip back and forth as the situation requires it.
 

New & Altered Skill Summary

Alertness (NEW!)

Being alert and aware of your surroundings. This skill applies to sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. This skill dramatically increases the bonus for Perception (or replaces it) for those who are skilled in being aware of their surroundings. Any bonuses except character level advancement (to Perception) will add to this skill (when using % rolls, the bonus x5 is what is added).
Categories: Espionage, Military, Rogue/Thief, Wilderness.
Base Skill: Perception +2 + 1 per even level OR 20% + 5% per level.
 

Architecture (NEW!)

...
Categories: Military, Scholar/Technical, Science.
Base Skill: 30% + 4% per level.
 

Conversation (NEW!)

Exchanging stories, reading between the lines of banter to figure out the larger story.
Categories: Communication, Domestic, Noble, Rogue/Thief, Social.
Base Skill: 40% + 4% per level.
 

Deception (NEW!)

"You should know, Mister Dresden, that my kind, from great to small, are bound to speak the truth." -- Mab
"That hasn't slowed your ability to deceive." -- Harry Dresden, "The Dresden Files: Summer Knight", Jim Butcher
 

The art of deception is combining fact and fiction to create a strong fiction that others accept as fact. This can be accomplished either through direct crafting of a falsehood, or using truth and things left unspoken to allow your audience make the lie by assumption.
Categories: Communication, Espionage, Rogue/Thief, Social.
Base Skill: (Trust/Intimidate % / 2) or 30% (whichever is higher) + 5% per level.
 

Empathy (NEW!)

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." -- Sirius Black, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", J.K. Rowling
 

Empathy is the ability to pick up on clues from body language, facial expression, movement, tone and words what someone's mood is. This can be used to simply tell if someone is happy or scared, angry or depressed. It can also be used to tell if someone may be lying, hiding something, trustful, ready to run, etc.
Categories: Communication, Espionage, Noble, Social.
Base Skill: (M.E. using P.B. bonus scale / 2) or 20% (whichever is higher) + 4% per level.
 

Gamemastering (NEW!)

"Please storyteller, pull a tale from your pocket,
Spin me a story from your coattail so bare.
My heart is turned cold,
My dreams are too old and I need to know magic's still there.
" -- Heather Alexander, "Storyteller", a tribute to Jim Henson
 

Coming to grips with what it takes to run a role-playing game, you have started to understand more concepts such as crowd control, psychology, organization, research, multi-tasking, considering a variety of viewpoints and sorting out personality conflicts.

Bonuses to other skills (only apply if you have the skill):

• Acting +1% / level
• Architecture +3%
• Empathy +1% / level
• History +3%
• Immitate Voice +3%
• Negotiation +1% / level
• Persuasion +1% / level

Categories: Scholar/Technical, Social. Base Skill: 40% + 4% per level.
 

Intimidation (NEW!)

"Butler could kill you a hundred different ways without use of his armory. Though I'm sure one would be quite sufficient." -- Artemis Fowl, "Artemis Fowl", Eoin Colfer
 

Good ol' force of "personality". Intimidation can be any combination of physical force, insults and belittling, facial expressions and body language or threats. Once you reach torture and verbal manipulation it becomes interrogation and or deception.
Categories: Military, Physical, Social.
Base Skill: (Trust/Intimidate / 2) or 30% (whichever is higher) + 5% per level. With GM's approval, Physical Strength may be substituted for Mental Affinity (using the M.A. Intimidate bonus chart) if the style of intimidation is appropriate (such as that for a typical goon).
 

Investigation (NEW!)

"You see, but you do not observe." -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia"
 

Sometimes simply noticing something isn't good enough. The ability to study an area, a person or object and figure out things that a casual observer would miss are the hallmark of an investigator. Investigation allows a person to focus on something intently so that they are able to determine more about it. This is not a magic or psionic ability so only things perceivable to sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste can be determined. To use this skill in combat, 2 actions must be used for a quick examination (-20% to roll), 4 actions must be used for a short examination (-10% to roll).
Categories: Espionage, Military, Rogue/Thief, Scholar/Technical, Science.
Base Skill: 20% + 4% per level.
 

Negotiation (NEW!)

"The truth!? You can't handle the truth!" -- Col. Nathan R. Jessep, "A Few Good Men"
 

Negotiation is about presenting facts and opinions in a way that will convince another of an opinion (generally yours) or course of action. The assumption here is that you are actually negotiating, not scamming someone (see persuasion and deception). Otherwise known as diplomacy or councelling, negotiation is the art of conversing with another with no need to lie and little need to "forget" aspects of what you are discussing.
Categories: Communication, Military, Noble, Social.
Base Skill: (Trust/Intimidate % / 2) or 30% (whichever is higher) + 5% per level.
 

Persuasion (NEW!)

"Where I'm from, people believe all sorts of things that aren't true ... we call it history." -- The Wizard, "Wicked the Musical"
 

The ability to state facts, fiction, and anything in between to tug at the emotions of your target, getting them to react to what you have to say on an emotional level rather than a logical one.
Categories: Communication, Noble, Rogue/Thief, Social.
Base Skill: 30% + 4% per level.