Influence

Skill vs Disposition

The Social Skill used to make your Influence check determines the Disposition affected by the Minor Social Event. The Skills are paired with Dispositions as follows:

Charm increases Fondness
Coercion increases Fear
Deception increases Doubt
Manipulation increases Hate
Persuasion increases Trust

Influence allows you to change an NPCs disposition towards you. This is done through Roleplay of verbal interaction and description of body language. However, actions always speak louder than words, so only Minor Social Events can be created with the Influence action.

When you choose to influence an NPC, first decide which Disposition you would like to increase. You then roleplay with the NPC, with the flavor of your roleplay corresponding to the disposition you are attempting to affect. For example, you could chum up to a patron at the bar to increase their Fondness. Alternatively, you could pretend to be a harmless blind beggar when approached by the town guards, instilling Doubt and belief that you are not a threat.

When the roleplay comes to a natural conclusion, you make a Social Skill Check against the NPC. A successful check earns you a Minor Social Event to potentially increase the chosen disposition. The Skill you used to make the check, along with your roleplay, determines which Disposition is affected.

Example
Gremnir wishes to travel with a carvan, but he must get the leader of the Caravan, Onyx, to trust him first. He approaches Onyx at the local tavern, where the caravan master has already been plied with alcoholic beverages. After some initial small talk, Gremnir tells Onyx stories of his exploits and describes how helpful he could be to the caravan. He even shares a personal secret, that he used to be a Gladiator, in order to strengthen his integrity. At the close of the encounter, Gremnir makes a Persuasion check versus Onyx’s Suspicion (which has been adversely modified by the alcohol) and succeeds. Gremnir is awarded a Minor Trust Event, which increases Onyx’s Trust Disposition towards Gremnir by 1.

Lending Aid to an Influence Check

It is possible for you to aid an ally that is Influencing an NPC. For example, you can make small talk or give encouraging smiles (assisting with Charm). Conversely, you look at the NPC menacingly while punching your first into an open palm (assisting with Coercion). When you aid in this way, you grant your ally a bonus to their check equal to 1/2 your Rank in the appropriate skill. Of course, your method of aid must be conducive to the goal of your ally, or you will instead impose a penalty to your ally (i.e. looking menacingly over your friend's shoulder as he attempts to chum up a stranger is not going to help him out much).

Representing an Organization

Sometimes Influence can change an NPC's disposition towards a group or organization that you represent (instead of just you). If you are identified as a representative of a specific organization, such as a member of the town guard or leader of the merchant's guild, social events you generate through Influence can alter the NPC's Prejudice towards the group you represent. These kinds of changes are more rare and based on the way you represent the group during your interaction and are ultimately awarded at the GM's discretion.

Example
Gremnir is now a member of The Red Guard, an elite guild of warriors. He's trying to increase business with a group of local caravans. He goes to the center of Caravaners Hold dressed in his Red Guard's uniform with a few of his fellow members. He addresses the nearby caravan leaders, speaking of the Red Guard's accomplishments as elite caravan guards. Since he's interested in increasing Trust in the Red Guard, he's careful in his success stories to give credit to the Red Guard, instead of himself. Afterwards, he makes an Influence check against each caravan leader (with a bonus from his fellows) attempting to increase each of their Trust in the Red Guard.