Sex Appeal and Erotic Arts

[jeff_wilson]

I've had characters roll EA when infiltrating sex clubs and sex cults, and once in a time travel game at a Roman orgy, attempting to curry favor (no particular detail, other than the cultists were not concerned with female pleasure. I've had NPCs use it on PCs, once where a liberated sex replicant kept doing it at in appropriate moments (only as much detail as was funny), and once where a partner in an illicit office romance actively studied and sought to please her PC partner in more ways so as to be willing to continue the affair despite the suspicions of an office rival (some kind of sad detail supplied by me, some improv by the PC ).

And once I took the initiative to use EA on my NPC boyfriend during a jealousy subplot among the members of our J-Pop band of magical girls. Let's just say it involved tongue jewelry +1, +2 for subjects never exposed to it before.

[Icelander]

In the last session of my fantasy game, the legendary desert raider, bandit and freedom fighter Rasul Khamsin Mubtasim (Rasul, 'The Grinning Desert Wind'), Al-Andalib al-Asmar ('The Dark Nightgale'), had returned to his people after an exile lasting a century.

He rode with fifty of his best-mounted men into the town of Wakirnayskul singing a dirge against the Mulhorandi oppressors, with 66 stanzas glorifying those who rose up against them under his enlightened leadership. The player rolled against Poetry for the song and used Luck when he only succeeded by 6. Then he rolled against Singing and Performance to deliver it, as well as Leadership and Tactics (Cavalry) to thrill with cavalry manuevers as he rode in singing. He also used Enthrallment: Sway Emotions to inspire patriotism. All rolls succeeded by 10+.

He was met with more than a hundred disciplined cavalrymen who mirrored the manuevers of his own men, under the local warlord, Ataman Taalat Qasim, a middle-aged bandit chieftain gone respectable as the elected leader of the town of Wakirnayskul, population 11,421.

Ataman Taalat countered Rasul's patriotic dirge by clapping his hands and summoning a well-drilled percussion and wind band and breaking into a exquisitely choreographed song and dance number which was nevertheless most memorable for the quality of the chanted song, as the Ataman achieved a critical success on his Poetry 15 skill; delivering an epic on his ancestors of the Fidaaj tribe and his own Qasim clan, not to mention his personal rousing deeds over forty years of heroic history.

Not to be outdone, the Dark Nightingale switched to a song of his own ancestors, origins, heroic deeds and dark sojourn to the nether realms. During the course of that song, Rasul jumped from his horse with a Riding check, landed with Acrobatics and Danced like a dervish. He continued to succeed by 10+ on all rolls and rolled a critical success on his Dancing check.

Overcome with emotion, the Ataman Taalat invited Rasul to his own home for sweet coffee and instructed his men to entertain his fifty riders in their barracks. Ataman Taalat pledged his own son and his best cavalry to Rasul's cause and the two men swore friendship and brotherhood forever.

At this point, the old fox Ataman Taalat brought up the question of marriage. He asked if Rasul did not find his tent cold and the outlook for his future bleak, without a wife to warm it and sons to carry on his name.

Out of character, the player of Rasul asked questions about the desirability of a political marriage, the practices of polygamy in the culture and whether he would insult Ataman Taalat by some day taking a royal queen that took precendence over his daughter. Liking the answers, the player declared his interest and there was a contest of Diplomacy over the terms, spoken and unspoken.

Then the player surprised me. He asked if Rasul got the feeling that he might be able to successfully seduce Ataman Taalat. Rolling a Psychology (Human) check, I answered in the affirmative. Then Rasul made a Sex Appeal check. He'd lost much of his old skill during his long stay in the Nine Hells, but still had a default of 17 and 21 when used as an Influence skill (because of Charisma 4).

So, instead of having to overcome some 100 years of rust on that aspect of his social skills with a shy young virgin bride, Rasul Khamsin Mubtasim, Sayf al-Murghom ('The Sword of Murghom'), was gently coaxed back toward the more intimate arts of human society in the loving and experienced arms of his future father-in-law, Ataman Taalat Qasim, Baahir Asawera ('The Bright Knight/Cavalryman').

I rolled Erotic Art for both of them, too. Rasul's default roll succeeded by 3 and Ataman Taalat succeeded by 14, meaning that Rasult felt happy, safe and fulfilled in his arms for the first time since he was dragged down to the Nine Hells more than a century ago.

The detail was light. I mentioned that they were joined by three young concubines, but after a short pause, I clarified that this only happened after a long night of intimacy. The other players immediately declared that their only role was cleaning up.

Responding to questions, it was made clear that at least one point, balls did touch. There was also tongue kissing. It seems that both were regarded, by some of the other players, as signs that the activity had been 'gay', in a way that it would not have been if it had been merely two men having sexual intercourse. It was not explicitly noted whether penetrative sex occured, but the weight of the evidence suggests that both men did everything they could possibly have wanted to do with another man and some things that they did not previously know that they wanted to try.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Keiko

Sort of a spin off from an earlier discussion, but I was curious how much these abilities see use in different people's game. Also how much detail do you usually go into if you use them?

Sex Appeal is a staple, both in frequency and detail. Erotic Art tends to be less common though not especially exotic; the detail level varies based on what the players are comfortable with and able to provide -- I'm laughably bad at writing erotica.

[PTTG]

Well, we have a superhero campaign with one PC that is horrifying character. Horrifying, Obese, and with serious OPH. The Player also uses terrible approaches well worth a -10 or more for rollplaying.

Nonethless, his skill in these two categories is enough that he is occasionally successful.

His name is Blind Dwarf Jackson, and he has seduced a bear.

No, an actual Ursus Horribilis. Talking, true, but he's literally just an ordinary wild bear with the primary skill of diplomacy. Player Character, too. We decided that, rather than have PCs roleplay a super-seduction, we went with the rolls, and that's what we got.

[Anders]

I wonder how much Bond has in Sex Appeal. I'm guessing 20+, the de-lesbification scene in Goldfinger must be good for a -10 modifier at least.

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by Anders

I wonder how much Bond has in Sex Appeal. I'm guessing 20+, the de-lesbification scene in Goldfinger must be good for a -10 modifier at least.

I would actulaly peg bond as higher skill in erotic art then sex appeal. But he has high skill in each. I would probably say skill 18-22 (depending on book/movie) in sex appeal, and 20-24 in erotic art. (Or he has ridiculus luck and skill 13-16 sex appeal and 15-20 erotic art). He seems to have a lot more trouble GETTING the women to bed then winning them over in a permanant manner once he has done so.

Sex appeal is what you use to convince them to let you use erotic art on them. Erotic art is the 'change minds and sexual orientations' skill.

Remember Erotic art covers 'advanced sexual skill'- it does not nessasscarily mean that you must be having sex to use it- it could be intimate touch, whispering the right phrases at exactly the right time into someone's ear, it could be dance, I suppose it could even involve writing erotic fiction (though it might cross over with writing with a specialty in erotic fiction; however from what I have heard fifty shades of grey is very poorly written, but very effective at exciting the reader- that would seem to indicate that the author has poor writing skill, but good skill with erotic art which is being applid to the written word.).

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by starslayer

Remember Erotic art covers 'advanced sexual skill'- it does not nessasscarily mean that you must be having sex to use it- it could be intimate touch, whispering the right phrases at exactly the right time into someone's ear, it could be dance, I suppose it could even involve writing erotic fiction (though it might cross over with writing with a specialty in erotic fiction; however from what I have heard fifty shades of grey is very poorly written, but very effective at exciting the reader- that would seem to indicate that the author has poor writing skill, but good skill with erotic art which is being applid to the written word.).

I took it that way, too, but I think Kromm does not; I have the impression that he regards it as exotic postures, particular techniques with fingers, lips, or tongue, application of toys, and so on. Hence the basis on DX and the default from Acrobatics.

The ability to perceive what does or does not arouse a partner, on that model, would be something like Body Language, used as a complementary skill to Erotic Art.

There is also basic sexual technique, which I take to be Erotic Art+5, defaulting to DX—all the things that normal people can do without special training. I would allow Body Language as a complementary skill to that roll, too, using Kromm's model as I understand it.

Bill Stoddard

[whswhs]

I would have to answer this question not so much in terms of the named skills, as in terms of the activities they cover, as I use more systems than just GURPS.

Sex Appeal as the skill of getting people to do what you want by offering them sex, or suggesting such an offer, or presenting yourself as sexually attractive: My players don't seem to use these a lot, except for the primary purpose sometimes.

Erotic Art as the skill of pleasing a partner through sexual technique (including Erotic Art+5, or DX, for basic sexual technique): Happens all the time. There's a lot of coupling in most of my campaigns, and there's always the question "How did I do?" In a number of my campaigns, such things have been described in considerable detail by the players; but even if not, it's clear what happened and whether it went well.

Bill Stoddard

[simply Nathan]

Originally Posted by starslayer

Erotic art can be the skill you roll to give a penalty to someone's lecheorus disadvantage roll via carefully and effectively applied statement that 'get the blood flowing'.

If this interpretation were the case, then possibly I have decent IQ-based Erotic Art default when applied to verbal descriptions, writing, or drawing (insofar as I can do any of these things). It's getting the woman's attention to begin with that's the trouble; that and picking up on any sort of social cue beyond basic emotions.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by starslayer

It's also one of the 'easiest' to justify skills for casual minimal backlash soical attacks (though also requires some of the largest margin of successes for proper effect). IE in the above mentioned example failing the sex appeal roll won't cause the guard to shoot you, just turn you away, but you might need an MoS of 10 to convince him to look the other way while you and your party of fully armed murder-hobos goes inside the building.

Based on RAW Diplomacy is the only one that has little to no consequences for failure. "Sex" is a powerful thing amongst those it applies to and unless the setting is supposed to be "fluff" in that area, the risks of using it to influence people should be appropriate. Inflaming passions in targets is pretty dangerous; its like combining Fast-Talk with recreational drug use. You can get some really wild results. How you interpret die rolls may matter as well; sexual situations turning violent when things go bad isn't just an invention of fiction.

As you may have guessed, this just didn't come up a lot in the gaming groups of which I was part. More than once (being guys in early High School at the beginning) it was common to see someone spending a point on Erotic Art just because he wanted his character to have it. Being "passively" attractive (good Appearance and/or Charisma) was also common. Actually using Sex Appeal was rare; High School made it clear that it was the worst way to manipulate people (as far as we were concerned). We saw the people who used it all the time... and what it did to both target and perpetrator personally as well as socially. Turning your sexuality into a tool for influence instead of intimacy isn't the same thing as using Intimidation... for Intimidation. XD It is a bit like warping your own ability to trust people through regularly conning people (Fast-Talk).

So yeah... low frequency and detail for both.