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Railstar · 02-08-2015, 04:22 AM

Now I need to invest more points in Diplomacy; even a failed skill roll can help you out (Social Engineering, p. 30 – use the better of a rolled reaction roll and the Bad reaction from the Influence roll). So worst case scenario is it provides damage control.

My main use of it was a kind of ‘social sense’ my character had; when you know the right approach to take to negotiate with someone, that can give you a lot of insight into their motivations and personality. Especially over time when you can start noticing patterns.

Who will take a bribe?
Who is eager to talk about things?
Who wants to be appreciated by the group?
Who wants praise?
Who expects material rewards?
Who wants to generally be left alone?

These are not just useful when you are the one doing the approaching. If you are working with cops and soldiers, knowing just who might take a bribe and who is driven by things like Code of Honour or Sense of Duty can be incredibly useful. At the very least it gives you a starting point for investigations.

If you do your homework, you can start using Diplomacy in advance to build up bonuses for when that Influence roll really matters. If you know what someone responds well to, you can tailor acts of kindness accordingly to provide the perfect gift. Technically the Diplomacy skill gives +1 to reactions when Building Trust, but if you know what someone reacts well to then a few win-win arrangements (that might not be important to you, but serve the purpose of building the relationship) can easily pre-arrange +2 Previous Transactions and an extra bonus for Suitability.

The list of things a character of mine used Diplomacy for:

Quickly identify the right people to befriend when joining a new group.
Establish good working relationships with win-win casual transactions.
Vet candidates to give key positions/responsibilities to (= surrounds himself with reliable people)
Assign jobs/duties within a small platoon based on what people enjoy and training them accordingly.

My favourite part of this is by knowing what to offer, the character won the loyalty of people spectacularly inappropriate on paper.

02-08-2015, 04:22 AM	#3
Railstar Join Date: Jul 2012	Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Diplomacy Now I need to invest more points in Diplomacy; even a failed skill roll can help you out (Social Engineering, p. 30 – use the better of a rolled reaction roll and the Bad reaction from the Influence roll). So worst case scenario is it provides damage control. My main use of it was a kind of ‘social sense’ my character had; when you know the right approach to take to negotiate with someone, that can give you a lot of insight into their motivations and personality. Especially over time when you can start noticing patterns. Who will take a bribe? Who is eager to talk about things? Who wants to be appreciated by the group? Who wants praise? Who expects material rewards? Who wants to generally be left alone? These are not just useful when you are the one doing the approaching. If you are working with cops and soldiers, knowing just who might take a bribe and who is driven by things like Code of Honour or Sense of Duty can be incredibly useful. At the very least it gives you a starting point for investigations. If you do your homework, you can start using Diplomacy in advance to build up bonuses for when that Influence roll really matters. If you know what someone responds well to, you can tailor acts of kindness accordingly to provide the perfect gift. Technically the Diplomacy skill gives +1 to reactions when Building Trust, but if you know what someone reacts well to then a few win-win arrangements (that might not be important to you, but serve the purpose of building the relationship) can easily pre-arrange +2 Previous Transactions and an extra bonus for Suitability. The list of things a character of mine used Diplomacy for: Quickly identify the right people to befriend when joining a new group. Establish good working relationships with win-win casual transactions. Vet candidates to give key positions/responsibilities to (= surrounds himself with reliable people) Assign jobs/duties within a small platoon based on what people enjoy and training them accordingly. My favourite part of this is by knowing what to offer, the character won the loyalty of people spectacularly inappropriate on paper.