ADVANCED RULES: DIPLOMACY D20 Rules by Justin Alexander This material is covered by the Open Gaming License. DIPLOMACY (CHA) CHECK: With a Diplomacy check a diplomat can persuade someone to accept a deal or, at the very least, convince them to listen to them. The difficulty of the check depends on the relationship between the diplomat and the other character and the quality of the deal being offered. Convince: A diplomat can make a Diplomacy check (DC 15) to convince someone of something that they believe. (If they're trying to convince them of a lie, it's a Bluff check.) This DC is adjusted by the relationship between the diplomat and the person they're trying to convince (see table). If the check succeeds, the other character believes what the diplomat is telling them. (Or, at least, believes that the diplomat believes it to be true.) Of course, what they choose to do with that information depends on the character. The character the diplomat is
trying to convince makes a Sense Motive check (DC 10) as an automatic
reaction. If the check succeeds, the diplomat gains a +2 circumstance
bonus to their Diplomacy check (the other character has sensed the
diplomat's honesty). This works just like an Aid Another check. Overcome Intransigence: Some characters simply won’t listen to any attempts at negotiation or deal-making. To overcome their intransigence, you can make a Diplomacy check with a DC of 15 + the subject’s HD + the subject’s Wisdom modifier + the subject’s relationship modifier. If the check succeeds, you can then make a Diplomacy check as normal. Persuasion: A diplomat can propose a trade or agreement to another creature with their words; a Diplomacy check can then persuade them that accepting it is a good idea. Either side of the deal may involve physical goods, money, services, promises, or abstract concepts like "satisfaction". The base DC for a persuasion check is 15, modified by the diplomat's relationship with the character they're trying to convince and the risk vs. reward factor of the deal being proposed (see table). When the deal is proposed the character the diplomat is trying to convince makes a Sense Motive check (DC 20) as a reaction. If the check succeeds, the bonus or penalty provided by the risk vs. reward factor of the deal is doubled. (A failure on this check has no effect.) If the Diplomacy check beats the DC, the subject accepts the proposal, with no changes or with minor (mostly idiosyncratic) changes. If the check fails by 5 or less, the subject does not accept the deal but may, at the DM's option, present a counter-offer that would push the deal up one place on the risk-vs.-reward list. For example, a counter-offer might make an Even deal Favorable for the subject. The character who made the Diplomacy check can simply accept the counter-offer, if they choose; no further check will be required. If the check fails by 10 or more, the Diplomacy is over; the subject will entertain no further deals, and may become hostile or take other steps to end the conversation. Just
because a deal has been accepted, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the
other character is happy about it. If you use your relationship to take
advantage of someone, it may affect their future relationship with you
(at the DM’s discretion). Quick Diplomacy: You can make a Diplomacy check as a standard action by accepting a -10 penalty to the check. TRY AGAIN: No, unless you can significantly change the circumstances of the check. For example, if you fail to convince a caravan owner that there is an orc ambush on the road ahead, presenting the caravan owner with the body of a dead orc might justify a new check. When making a persuasion check you can attempt to alter the parameters of the deal to make it more appealing to the target -- if you do so, you use the same check result but compare it to the DC set by the new deal. SYNERGY:
DIPLOMACY CHECKS
RELATIONSHIP
RISK VS. REWARD
SUPPLEMENTAL RULES Charm Spells: A charmed creature is
treated as having a Friendly relationship to the caster (-10 to Cons: In order to pull a con a character simply makes a Bluff check to convince the target that a deal is better than it actually is. The Bluff check is opposed by a Sense Motive check, just like any other Bluff check, but this Sense Motive check result replaces the normal Sense Motive check made as part of an honest persuasion check. If the Bluff check is successful, the DC of the Diplomacy check is set using whatever the target believes the deal to be. If the Bluff check fails, the DC of the Diplomacy check is set using the actual quality of the deal and the check itself suffers an additional -20 penalty (it is practically impossible to work a deal with someone who has caught you trying to con them). The Alexandrian has been upgraded. If you'd like to comment on this post or link to it, please go here. If you'd like to subscribe to our RSS feed, please go here. |
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