Influence#
Influence is the system used for resolving attempts from characters to persuade or coerce others. It allows them to compel people to act a certain way, change their opinions or extract benefits from them.
This can range from convincing a guard to look the other way, to pressuring someone into revealing their secrets.
When engaging, the first step is for an Instigator to declare a Target and articulate a desired outcome. Simply put, a character picks a subject and states what they want them to do or say.
However, limitations apply. No amount of Influence can compel someone to commit suicide. Similarly, absurd requests or things that make players uncomfortable are not allowed (like trying to seduce someone contrary to their sexual orientation).
Second, only use Influence if the Target doesn’t want to cooperate. The Instigator then decides which approach to take:
Persuasion, the act of swaying through simple dialogue.
Coercion, the act of using threats to force compliance.
Influence Clocks#
Influence involves filling a Progress Clock through direct words, subtle suggestions or even performative actions. Segments are ticked to gradually mold a Target’s mindset, until they eventually submit.
Persuasion Clock#
The GM sets a persuasion clock if the Instigator is trying to persuade their Target. Here, the number of sections reflect the weight or significance of the demand:
| Clock Sections | Description |
|---|---|
| No segments | Demand entailing a mild or inconsequential burden. |
| 2 | Demand entailing some form of risk or inconvenience. |
| 4 | Demand entailing severe risk, harm or impediment. |
| 8 | Demand entailing a major life-altering concession. |
When gauging the clock’s size, context should be taken into consideration, as well as the Target’s objectives and motivations.
For instance, requesting chump change from a beggar may carry significant weight, considering it could be crucial for their survival. Conversely, a general asking a soldier to put their life on the line may carry less weight, given the agreement to such risk when joining the army.
Coercion Clock#
The GM sets a coercion clock if the Instigator is trying to coerce their Target. Here, the number of sections reflect the severity and plausibility of the threat:
| Clock Sections | Description |
|---|---|
| No segments | Threat posing existential harm or irreversible fallout. |
| 2 | Threat posing severe damage or significant loss. |
| 4 | Threat posing some form of inconvenience or impediment. |
| 8 | Threat posing a trivial consequence or small discomfort. |
Coercing only works if submitting is relatively easier (or better) for the Target than suffering the consequences.
For instance, threatening to break a shopkeeper’s vase if they don’t hand over the deed to their shop doesn’t make sense, as the burden of losing their livelihood far outweighs the harm of a broken trinket. However, threatening to kill their family is more convincing, as it is now the lesser of two evils.
Examples#
| Sections | Method | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Coercion | Threatening to kill a captive soldier unless they divulge their commander’s hiding spot. |
| 2 | Persuasion | Convincing a captain to grant passage aboard their ship as a personal favor. |
| 4 | Coercion | Threatening to expose a merchant’s embarrassing secret unless they pay a ransom. |
| 8 | Persuasion | Asking a loyal knight to forsake their sacred oath and betray their king. |
Social Actions#
Social Actions are specific Action Rolls applied to Influence. They are performed by the Instigator to tick segments off an Influence Clock, illustrating attempts at convincing their Target. There are four in total:
Sway : the standard way of persuasion, where Influence is applied through peaceful argumentation. This action shouldn’t involve trickery or lies.
Threaten : the standard way of coercion, where Influence is applied through pressure, ranging from subtle implications of harm to explicit threats of violence.
Deceive : same as sway, except the Instigator is hiding their true intentions, and usually entails an outcome that hurts or doesn’t benefit the Target.
Bluff : same as threaten, except the Instigator is feigning their leverage or power, creating a false projection of dominance to force compliance.
Sway and deceive serve to advance persuasion clocks, while threaten and bluff advance coercion clocks.
Consistency#
Players are encouraged to craft creative lies for deceive and bluff, though the GM reserves the right to veto unsound or implausible claims.
For example, no one would ever believe that the ocean may dry up overnight, or that an entire demon army at the character’s orders is waiting outside a shop.
- Setup#
Just like any other Action Roll, Social Actions require setting a Challenge, a Risk and picking two Abilities.
Challenge & Risk#
- Challenge for a Social Action is based on the Target’s acumen, social awareness or general intelligence:
| Rating | Example |
|---|---|
| 10 | Average - fooling an inexperienced clerk. |
| 15 | Difficult - intimidating a level-headed innkeeper. |
| 20 | Daunting - convincing a seasoned politician. |
- Risk measures the likelihood of blunders, slip ups or the probability of a negative reaction from the Target:
| Rating | Example |
|---|---|
| 4 | Safe - bribing a guard to get into public gardens right before closing time. |
| 3 | Risky - bribing a guard to gain passage through a restricted border checkpoint. |
| 2 | Precarious - bribing a guard after being caught red handed smuggling goods. |
Consequences can be accidentally slandering a noble while seeking their aid, getting distracted while holding a victim at gunpoint, to revealing a hidden dagger while luring someone into a trap.
Abilities#
In most situations, Influence requires talking to a Target. Therefore, when picking two Abilities, speech is almost always the first one used. The second Ability depends on the action being performed:
- For sway, it varies based on the Instigator’s request and general context.
Humility to borrow something, reasoning or insight to haggle a price…
- For threaten, it should illustrate the capacity to instill fear or assert dominance.
Strength to convey physical prowess, knowledge to suggest legal repercussions…
- For deceive and bluff, it should gear towards manipulation or improvisation.
Ingenuity to weave plausible lies or leverage, charm to disarm suspicion…
Progress#
A perfect or limited success with a Social Action ticks one segment off an Influence Clock (2 if there’s a critical success). From a narrative perspective, this means the Instigator is effectively wearing their Target down:
In the case of persuasion, the Target still declines, but their hesitation (or dwindling excuses) reveal they could yield later.
In the case of coercion, the Target doesn’t yield, but feels trapped. They don’t fight back, flee or try to take action against the Instigator.
A clock with no segments means the Target submits after only one perfect or limited success.
As soon as all clock segments are ticked, the Target must comply with the Instigator’s request. This may happen either on the spot or at a later time, depending on the circumstances.
Restrictions#
Influence may impose restrictions on gameplay:
Persuasion clocks are temporary. If the Instigator doesn’t perform a new Social Action within a month, the progress they’ve made is lost, and the clock resets back to its initial value.
By contrast, coercion clocks are permanent, but only remain if the Instigator is able to maintain leverage (or realistically follow through on their threat).
For example, one cannot force a ransom payment after releasing a hostage. The threat only makes sense while the hostage is captive.
Similarly, deceive and bluff cannot work if the Target is made aware (or finds out) about the trick being played on them.
Finally, the size of an Influence Clock sets a mandatory cooldown between Social Actions:
| Clock Sections | One Social Action allowed… |
|---|---|
| 2 | …every hour. |
| 4 | …every day. |
| 8 | …every week. |
Example#
Finn is attempting to scam Elias, an art dealer, into buying a worthless trinket (by claiming it is a rare artifact). They ask for a relatively small yet non-negligible sum, so the GM sets a two segment persuade clock.
Finn performs a deceive action, using their speech and ingenuity. The action’s Challenge is set to 15 (Elias is a somewhat experienced dealer), and its Risk to 3 (Finn is taking a risky gamble).
The roll ends on a perfect success, thus one segment is ticked off the persuade clock (without consequences). Elias is intrigued by the item, and asks Finn to come back after closing shop. With only one segment left, Finn leaves.
They return an hour later, and perform a second deceive action (using the same parameters as before). But this time it’s a total failure, and no segments are ticked. Adding to that, Elias notices the scam, and politely asks Finn to leave.
Days go by, and Finn has moved on to other matters. They now find themselves in a tavern. There, they overhear a drunken sculptor bragging about their forgeries. By listening in, Finn makes a discovery: one of the sculptor’s works, the centerpiece of Elias’s own collection, is a fake.
Sensing an opportunity and with a new plan in mind, Finn returns to Elias’ shop. They calmly ask the dealer about their prized sculpture, making a coercion attempt suggesting they’ll expose his secret. This could be career ending for Elias, thus the GM sets a coercion clock with no segments.
Finn performs a threaten action, using their speech and knowledge (quoting legal texts to scare Elias). Challenge is again set to 15 and Risk to 4 (there’s minimal danger, Finn is in a good position).
It’s a perfect success, and Elias is visibly shaken. He not only agrees to buy the worthless trinket, but adds in a small bonus to secure Finn’s silence.