OOC Chatter

[ManWithDoor]

Sure!

[Zorbeltuss]

Mmm, Parthena Crabbe seems interesting given her description of having locked down local/national gossip.

Have to endure propositioning about the daughter I'm guessing, but Mercutio can play along with the getting introduced game. Although more relevant is if any of these important people are good looking young single women? Because...reason. Parthena's daughter doesn't strike me as particularly eye-catching.

[ManWithDoor]

You dog!

Besides Parthena's daughter (and the servants), the single lady here is Lady Lucretzia Marthane (the cousin visiting from out-of-town). She is above-average in the looks department, and looks healthy and strong.

[Bohemond]

I was thinking about going for a chat with either Baron Okerra or Baroness Voinum to see if I can win them over.

[RorytheRomulan]

The party managed to get Okerra sympathetic already, although I'm not sure how far that goes. I can step aside and let you take Voinum, and go for Onora instead.

[ManWithDoor]

Thought it would be faster to handle IC rather than OOC. Here is a Cliff's Notes version of the Discovery/Influence process.

Discovery Checks: Perform to learn either one of the skills she can use to Influence the target or one of the target’s Biases, Strengths, or Weaknesses. Usually use Sense Motive or Knowledge (Nobility) to suss these out. Or can try a different Skill if you think it applicable (ex. Appraise might impress a merchant you are trying to persuade of your competence). So request which you would like (Influence Skill/Biases/Strengths/Weaknesses), and declare what Skill you're using.
- Biases (moderate preferences, often used to fine-tune your approach, usually +2 or -2 on rolls). May have multiple that conflict or stack.
- Strengths (either influencial personality traits, or something that gives them a +4)
- Weaknesses (same as Strengths, but -4 on rolls if applicable)

- To use a Book 1 Example of Countess Abrielle Pace (haughty aristocrat)
--- Discovery of Weaknesses needed Bluff or Stealth DC 15. Her Weakness was that she is very duplicitous, willing to shift her political stance depending on who she is talking to. She is not to be trusted, but may be able to be pressured if she can be backed into a corner.
--- Discover of Influence needed Sense Motive or Knowledge (Nobility) DC 15. Her relevant Influence skills were Appraise (DC 12), or Diplomacy and Intimidate (DC 15).

Influence Check: You can try Bluff/Intimidate/Diplomacy as a shot in the dark. Those tend to have the highest DCs as they as so straight-forward. Or if you spend the time to find their more personalized skills, it could be really anything (Professions, Knowledges, Crafts, etc.). A Success means you get 1 Success on the Influence Checks. Each VIP takes a certain number of Successes to move them an Attitude rank.

- Continuing Countess Abrielle Pace as the Book 1 example, you needed to accumulate 3 Successes to Influence her. Book 1 was a little different in that you were accomplishing Missions (so you needed 3 Successes to accomplish your mission to uncover her lack of commitment to Eutropia's cause), but in Book 2 it's more about upping their Attitude.


So given all that, feel free to declare who you're Discovering/Influencing, if Discovering which you want (Influence/Bias/Strength/Weakness), and what Skill you're using to accomplish it.

[RorytheRomulan]

Ah, I get it now. I'll shoot you a dm on Discord and we'll hammer it out.

[Zorbeltuss]

Discovery a little unclear?

Like, you first do Sense Motive or Know(Nobility)->then learn which skill needed to figure out strength/weakeness->Then can opt to use the skill that will impress them or just brute force with standard social?

[Othniel]

I'm going to be honest, I've never been that big a fan of the Paizo "mini games" they stick in, so forgive me if I mess up on this.

Now, who should I go speak at?

[ManWithDoor]

Posted for Bala and Emilia.

To put as simply as I can think of:

Influence: Choose a Skill (and RP approach), try to improve your standing with them.

Discovery: Try to find out which Skill(s) work best to Influence them in the first place, and any Biases/Strengths/Weaknesses that would affect future Skill Checks. Especially for characters with weak social skills, finding out these Biases/Strengths/Weaknesses might be necessary to be able to Influence them at all.
- Do note that I am counting any Biases/Strengths/Weaknesses & Influence Skills found out as group knowledge (posting them in the VIP Thread as we go). So you don't need to double-discover something, although some things might not help you out. Like if the person has a Weakness for young men but you're a middle-aged woman, or they have a Bias for people with practical skills (Craft/Profession) and you don't have ranks in that.