Persuasion

Persuasion (Cha)

The Persuasion skill represents the character’s ability to convince others to do what they want and of the sincerity of their words and improve the perception others have of them. Persuasion only effects intelligent creatures and cannot be used against other Player Characters without their player’s consent.

A Persuasion check to make a request of another creature is opposed to the target’s Insight modified by the target’s relationship (see below) and by the request or argument you’re making as per the charts below.

A Persuasion check takes at least one minute of conversation, but may take longer at the DM’s discretion.

Relationship Levels

The level of the creature’s relationship toward you; ie how they feel about you. The levels are as follows:

Murderous

A murderous creature actively wants you to die and will attack the moment it is convenient for it to do so. For most monsters or bandits, that means they will attack immediately. For others, that means they will bide their time until they can do so without things like social consequences.

A murderous creature will risk harm to itself to destroy you.

Hostile

A hostile creature actively dislikes you and will go out of their way to spite or harm you though they wouldn’t go so far as to kill you. Hostile creatures will go after you at a social level and will not do anything to help you unless it vastly benefits them, but they won’t risk harm to themselves to harm you. They will, however break their own moral code if it harms you on some level.

Disdainful

A disdainful creature dislikes you and won’t try to hide it. They will not go out of their way to do harm to you or your plans, but it is convenient to them to do so, they will. Disdainful creatures will hurt your reputation if asked about you and will do nothing to help you unless not doing so would violate their personal morals.

Unfriendly

An unfriendly creature wants nothing to do with you. They won’t do anything to actively harm or hinder you, but will refuse to help you unless given good reason. However, they will not hesitate to give their negative opinion of you when asked and will do little things to spite you if they have to interact with you at all.

Apathetic

An apathetic creature does not care about you in any way. They wish you no ill, but similarly don’t wish you well either. They will help you if pressed, but only if pressed.

Friendly

A friendly creature has your best interests at heart but has no particular obligations to you. They will offer aid if it doesn’t inconvenience them, but will not go to more than minor personal expense or risk for you.

Hospitable

A hospitable creature actively wants to help you, but is not so strongly devoted as to risk injury. They will got to moderate expense or inconvenient, but will not take the chance of lasting harm. A hospitable creature will always be willing to share at least temporary food, water and shelter if able, but this does not mean a hospitable merchant or innkeeper will provide free wares or services.

Devoted

A devoted creature sees you as a close friend and ally. They will absolutely go out of their way to help you even at great personal risk or injury. A devoted creature will do their best to see to your needs should you be unable to provide for yourself and will rush to your defense if you are attacked.

Intimate

The intimate relationship level is a special level meant to represent the deep bond of loving family, lifelong friends, and romantic partners. The Intimate level cannot be achieved through the Persuasion skill and must instead be either established as part of a character’s background, gained as part of a feat, or rewarded by the DM for roleplaying.

A creature with an intimate relationship with you will do everything they can for you even if it means their certain death and will share all they have with you. This bond goes both ways, however and if you do not return this level of loyalty it is within the DM’s right to revoke this relationship level.

A mercantile NPC with an intimate relationship with you will offer you goods at their creation cost, but can be convinced to give them for free. However taking too great an advantage of this might result in those privileges being withdrawn.

Base Improvement DC

The Base Improvement DC is the base DC of a Persuasion check to improve ones relationship with a creature. The actual DC for such a check is the Base DC + the target’s level. This requires at least one minute of conversation but may take more depending on what is said and the DM’s discretion. Because of this, it is very difficult to improve the Relationship level with Hostile creatures.

A character’s relationship level can only usually only be improved one level at a time, but some NPCs may have conditions (such as proving oneself in some way or having a certain social status) that can automatically set their relationship status higher with a successful Persuasion check.

Price Modifier

The adjustment made to the sales price of items sold or being sold to the creature. Negative relationship levels adjust the number in the creature’s favor. Positive relationship levels adjust the number in your favor.