[Basic] Advantage of the Week (#22): Charisma, Reputation

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Overheat

On Charisma specifically though, it is very undercosted. It is pretty much the best talent ever, as you get two nice skills, two decent skills, and the reaction bonus applies to almost everyone. In the campaign I bought it, I asked for there to be a limit so that I wouldn't completely munchkin it up and buy 10 levels of it.

The weakness of Charisma is that it requires you to be seen and heard and see the target and hear the target. That works fine for face-to-face meetings, but is much less reliable in other situations: you don't start making remote contact through an audiovisual two-way channel until TL8, and you're unlikely to do it ubiquitously until at least TL9, if even then.

[Overheat]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

The weakness of Charisma is that it requires you to be seen and heard and see the target and hear the target. That works fine for face-to-face meetings, but is much less reliable in other situations: you don't start making remote contact through an audiovisual two-way channel until TL8, and you're unlikely to do it ubiquitously until at least TL9, if even then.

So it is good for most of the continuum except for when phone conversations are prevalent? (Assuming you do not text important people when reaction bonus matters.)

Even then the benefits you get over universal reputation still make it undercosted.

[Ji ji]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

The weakness of Charisma is that it requires you to be seen and heard and see the target and hear the target. That works fine for face-to-face meetings, but is much less reliable in other situations: you don't start making remote contact through an audiovisual two-way channel until TL8, and you're unlikely to do it ubiquitously until at least TL9, if even then.

In LT near all communications happen face to face. The two way communication need is not a true limitation to charisma, apart from very specific campaigns.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Overheat

So it is good for most of the continuum except for when phone conversations are prevalent? (Assuming you do not text important people when reaction bonus matters.)

Even then the benefits you get over universal reputation still make it undercosted.

Originally Posted by Ji ji

In LT near all communications happen face to face. The two way communication need is not a true limitation to charisma, apart from very specific campaigns.

Phone, letters and semaphores/telegraph. But yeah, it seems pretty good at TL0-TL2. But it doesn't seem necessarily OP: I'd seriously consider between Charisma and Allure, assuming the character concept could benefit from either/both.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Ji ji

In LT near all communications happen face to face. The two way communication need is not a true limitation to charisma, apart from very specific campaigns.

Another thought: Voice is still arguably better, since it gives +2 to
Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, Mimicry, Per-
formance, Politics, Public Speaking,
Sex Appeal, and Singing and
get +2 on any reaction roll made by
someone who can hear your voice.
(No double-dipping, but plenty of cases where a Reaction Modifier is useful without a direct use of the above skills).

The skill list seems bigger and more varied, with things like Performance, Politics, Singing and Mimicry.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Phone, letters and semaphores/telegraph. But yeah, it seems pretty good at TL0-TL2. But it doesn't seem necessarily OP: I'd seriously consider between Charisma and Allure, assuming the character concept could benefit from either/both.

Only extremely high quality phones should allow Voice modifiers, in my opinion. Most aren't that good as I sometimes have difficulty recognizing relatives' voices on them.

Letters should only involve writing skill anyway. It's a purely learned form of communication so instinctive advantages like Charisma shouldn't apply, in my view.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Only extremely high quality phones should allow Voice modifiers, in my opinion. Most aren't that good as I sometimes have difficulty recognizing relatives' voices on them.

Halving the bonus for TL7 audio seems reasonable.

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Letters should only involve writing skill anyway. It's a purely learned form of communication so instinctive advantages like Charisma shouldn't apply, in my view.

Letters don't get the Charisma bonus, indeed. Though the Writing skill should still go as a Complementary Skill only. Otherwise you get into the weird situation that Writing includes the knowledge included in all Influence skills for free, but can't be used in real time, which will have weird results down the road.

[wellspring]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Only extremely high quality phones should allow Voice modifiers, in my opinion. Most aren't that good as I sometimes have difficulty recognizing relatives' voices on them.

Letters should only involve writing skill anyway. It's a purely learned form of communication so instinctive advantages like Charisma shouldn't apply, in my view.

I always imagined Voice as being that you sound like James Earl Jones or Patrick Stewart: resonant and authoritative. I googled around and saw links to Alice Fredenham's performances on reality TV-- a Simon Cowell quote that she could have sang the phonebook and he'd have been entranced kind of captures what I'm thinking of. Radio personalities like Joe Frank sometimes have this (I've read that some of that is in the sound engineering, giving him a limitation Only On The Radio).

Here's the advantage in action: http://youtu.be/-IhxCBBqUNA

To me, "extreme quality" isn't necessary. It's a combination of voice, intonation, and choice of words. Orson Welles on even a cheap crystal set was still more than adequate for him to get his +2.