Diplomacy (Cha)

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**Check:** A character can change others’ attitudes with a successful check (see Table 4-19.1 below). In negotiations, participants roll opposed Diplomacy checks to see who gains the advantage. Opposed checks also resolve cases where two advocates or diplomats plead opposing cases before a third party. Diplomacy can be used to influence a GM character’s attitude. The GM chooses the character’s initial attitude based on circumstances. Most of the time, the people the heroes meet are indifferent toward them, but a specific situation may call for a different initial attitude. The DCs given in Table 4-19.2 show what it takes to change someone’s attitude with the use of the Diplomacy skill. The character doesn’t declare a specific outcome he or she is trying for; instead, make the check and compare the result to the table on the next page.

**Try Again?:** Generally, trying again doesn’t work. Even if the initial check succeeds, the other character can only be persuaded so far. If the initial check fails, the other character has probably become more firmly committed to his or her position, and trying again is futile.

**Special:** A character can take 10 when making a Diplomacy check, but can’t take 20. A character with the Trustworthy feat gets a +2 bonus on all Diplomacy checks.

**Time:** Diplomacy is at least a full-round action. The GM may determine that some negotiations require a longer period of time.

When attempting to create a work of visual art, the character simply makes a Craft (visual art) check, the result of which determines the quality of the work. Unless the effort is particularly elaborate or the character must acquire an expensive piece of equipment, the basic components have a purchase TN of 5.

 10–19
 20–24
 25–30
 31 or higher

 Unfriendly
 Indifferent
 Friendly
 Helpful

**Bribery and Diplomacy**

Offering money or another form of favor can, in the right situation, improve a character’s chances with a Diplomacy skill check. Bribery allows a character to circumvent various official obstacles when a person in a position of trust or authority is willing to accept such an offering. An illegal act, bribery requires two willing participants—one to offer a bribe and the other to accept it. When a character requires a bribe to render services, then a hero’s Diplomacy check automatically fails if a bribe isn’t attached to it. If a bribe isn’t requires, a hero can add a bribe to get a bonus on his or her skill check. This can backfire, as some characters will be insulted by a bribe offer (their attitude changes one step for the worse) and others will report the hero to the proper authorities. To bribe a character, make a Wealth check. Typical TN's are shown on below, but the GM may modify the TN as he or she sees fit. If the hero succeeds in the check, he or she gains a +2 bonus on the Diplomacy check. For every point by which the hero beats the TN, increase the bonus by +1 (to a total maximum bonus of +10).

 Bureaucrat
 Informant
 Police officer

You can haggle over prices with a merchant or mediate between disagreeing groups, ﬁnding a solution to a diplomatic or legal matter that is satisfactory to everyone regardless of background.

**Haggle:** You can use the Diplomacy skill to bargain for goods or services, including those of a magical nature. When discussing the sale of an item or service, you can attempt to lower the asking price with a Diplomacy check made to influence NPC attitudes. If you manage to adjust the vendor’s attitude to helpful (most vendors begin as indifferent), the vendor lowers the asking price by 10%. Add the vendor’s Diplomacy check modifier to the TN needed to achieve the result. For example, to adjust the attitude of an indifferent vendor with a Diplomacy modifier of +3 to friendly, you must achieve a result of 33 or higher on your Diplomacy check (a base chance of 30, +3 for target’s Diplomacy modifier). If you worsen the vendor’s attitude, the vendor refuses to sell anything to you at this time. The GM is the ﬁnal arbiter of any sale of goods and should discourage abuse of this option if it is slowing the game down too much.

**Action:** Haggling requires at least 1 full minute, as normal for a Diplomacy check.

**Try Again:** You can’t retry a Diplomacy check to haggle.

**Mediate:** In order to mediate a disagreement, you must succeed in adjusting each group’s attitude to friendly or better toward the other party in the negotiation. Make a Diplomacy check as normal for influencing NPC attitudes, but add the group leader’s Diplomacy check modifier to the TN needed to achieve the result. For example, to adjust the attitude of an unfriendly group led by an individual with a Diplomacy modifier of +7 to friendly, you would need to roll a result of 32 or higher on your Diplomacy check (a base chance of 25, +7 for target’s Diplomacy modifier). If your check result is less than 12 (a base chance of less than 5, +7 for target’s Diplomacy modifier), the target’s attitude worsens to hostile. The DC increases by 5 if the two parties are of different cultures or races.

**Action:** Mediation is a long process and cannot often be rushed successfully. Each check requires a full day of game time. You can take a –10 penalty on the check if you wish to attempt a mediation in an hour instead of a day (such as staving off an impending battle).

**Try Again:** As long as both sides aren’t hostile (that is, as long as at least one side remains unfriendly or better), you can retry a Diplomacy check made to mediate a disagreement. If both parties become hostile at any time after the ﬁrst check is made, you can’t retry the check.