NPC Dispositions
Dispositions are a way to track an NPC's feelings towards another creature, object, or idea. They directly represent the emotional motivations of an NPC and can impact many aspects of the story. Combined with the Personality, they are a powerful tool to help the GM determine how an NPC acts towards a character or situation. Furthermore, they help to create an NPC's goals, which can determine and change the NPC's role within the story. In addition to facilitating Roleplay and impacting an NPC's actions, dispositions also modify Social Skill checks made during Social Encounters.
An NPC's dispositions will typically change over time, in response to Social Encounters and the events of the story, through Social Events. When an NPC meets a character for the first time, its disposition will either be neutral or based on a prejudice (see below).
The Five Dispositions
There are five dispositions, each representing a different base emotion.
- Fondness is a feeling of affection and interest in a person. It indicates a level of caring and represents the bonds of friendship or romantic interest. Fondness is opposed by Fear and Hate, because it is difficult to be fond of a creature that scares you or that you loathe.
- Trust is a belief that a person is capable and worthy. It indicates a level of faith and belief in that person and that they can be relied upon. Trust is opposed by Hate and Doubt, because it is difficult to have trust in someone you loathe or rely on someone you find incompetent.
- Fear is a belief that a person is dangerous and means to do harm. It indicates a level of concern that a person is a threat to well-being. Fear is opposed by Doubt and Fondness, because it is difficult to fear something you believe incompetent or enjoy being around.
- Hate is a feeling of disdain for a person and a wish to do them harm. It indicates a level of hostility and represents opposed rivals and mortal enemies. Hate is opposed by Trust and Fondness, because it is difficult to loathe someone you have faith in or feel animosity towards someone you like.
- Doubt is a belief that a person is incompetent and unreliable. It indicates a lack of faith in a person, believing them to be a failure, unsuited for many tasks, and certainly not a threat. Doubt is opposed by Trust and Fear, because it is difficult to doubt something that scares you and believe in someone you feel is incompetent.
Each Disposition has a rank from 0 to 5, with Rank 1 being a mild feeling, while Rank 5 is an extremely strong feeling. A Rank of 0 indicates an absence of the feeling. An NPC cannot have Ranks in opposing dispositions towards the same creature. Since each disposition is opposed by two other dispositions, this means that at most a creature has ranks in two Dispositions toward a single creature or idea.
See each individual disposition for examples of further information on Disposition Rank.
Prejudices
It is possible (and likely) for an NPC to have ranks in dispositions towards a group or race of creatures. This is called a Prejudice and represents how an NPC feels towards members of a group. When a character from that group meets the NPC for the first time, the NPC will have a starting disposition towards that character equal to those of the prejudice. If multiple prejudices apply to the same character, they can all modify the starting disposition at the GM's discretion.
Herald, the local smith, was cared for by Clerics of Odeen when he was very young. Because of this experience, he has a prejudice [Fondness 1, Trust 2] towards Clerics of Odeen. He meets Armvar for the first time, whom he recognizes as a Cleric of Odeen. Because of his prejudice, he has a Fondness 1, Trust 2 starting Disposition towards Armvar, instead of a neutral disposition.
Herald also has a prejudice [Hate 1] towards Orcs and those that associate with them. When Armvar introduces his friend Rufus (a half-orc) to the smith, Herold's feelings become conflicted. The GM rules that the starting Disposition towards Armvar is modified by the second prejudice and changes his disposition to Fondness 1, Trust 1. The GM also rules that the starting disposition towards Rufus is neutral, instead of Hate 1, due to his association with Armvar. The Smith is still friendly and helpful to Armvar, though not quite as much as with other Clerics of Odeen, and he allows Rufus to purchase his wares without chasing him out of the shop (as he might with other Half-Orcs).Prejudices can vary wildly and may be different from individual to individual. Common examples include an Orc's hatred of Humans, Human’s fear of Greenbloods, or a Noble's doubt of the peasants that serve him.