[Basic] Skill of the week: Savoir-Faire

[johndallman]

Savoir-Faire is the IQ/E skill providing the expertise to behave correctly in a subculture with its own rules of interaction. The skill appeared at GURPS 1e, and assumed at the time that the subculture was "high society", but now requires specialisation. The specialisations in Basic are (Dojo), (High Society), (Mafia), Military), (Police), and (Servant), and Heraldry can default to an applicable specialisation. Several of these specialisation have defaults to other skills, but the only cross-specialisation default is that (High Society) and (Servant) default to each other at -2. Some of them also have the concept of "relative standing" in a hierarchy, such as Status for (High Society) or applicable Rank for (Military) and (Police), which modifies rolls against the skills.

On a successful roll, you can interact with the appropriate group without embarrassing anyone. You can also attempt to detect pretenders to high standing, and use the skill as an Influence skill against members of the group. It would seem plausible that you can also use it to attempt to predict how the group will react to a new situation. There's a long thread about the various uses of the skill here. Modifiers to the skill include Cultural Familiarity, +2/-2 for being of higher or lower relative standing, +2 for having backing within the group, and modifiers for Smooth Operator, Clueless, Low Empathy, Oblivious or Shyness. Connoisseur may serve as a complementary skill for (High Society), and other skills could plausibly do the same for other specialisations.

Savoir-Faire is universal on templates for martial artists, high-status people, members of organised crime groups, military and police personnel and servants. Caravan to Ein Arris has an NPC who has learned two (High Society) specialisations for two different cultures. Action uses (Servant) for the cases where a bodyguard suddenly has to give their client orders, because they still have to be phrased nicely. Dragons has Savoir-Faire rules for draconic society, which look as if they were ancestors of the Cultural Familiarity rules. Fantasy bases intrigue between nobles on Savoir-Faire, and adds (Magical); Madness Dossier points out that the culturally specific aspects of the skill extend to all specialisations, via (Russian Mafiya), and boosts it via the Innate NLP talent. Savoir-Faire can be the skill for political inventions, in Infinite Worlds, but the skill suffers cross-time familiarity penalties. IW also adds (Centrum), (Spirits) and (Swagman) specialisations and Britanica-6 has social competitions of Savoir-Faire between princes. Martial Arts adds (Gym) for boxers, Muay Thai practitioners and wrestlers; Gladiators has (Ludus), their training school, and (Rome), which is presumably (High Society) for that culture. Technical Grappling adds (Belt Wrestling) and (Vampire). Monster Hunters uses applicable Savoir-Faire (or Streetwise) for bribery, which seems sensible. Power-Ups volumes provide perks, talents, quirks and wildcards for this skill. Social Engineering has far too many uses and clarifications for this skill to list, and Space adds alien psychology modifiers. Thaumatology has (Mystical World), for mystic China.

Reversing the optional specialisation rules to create an IQ/A Savoir-Faire (everyone) skill doesn't seem terribly plausible, simply because the content of the various specialisations is so different. Nonetheless, PCs who go many places and interact with many people may end up with several specialisations. My record so far is four, on a military counter-intelligence officer: (High Society) for being an officer and a gentleman, plus infiltration; (Military) within my own service; (Police) for dealing with them and (Servant) for infiltration. Since he was a lone operator in his criminal career, he doesn't have (Mafia), and the FCCT martial-arts style doesn't use (Dojo).

Where have you got with this skill?