New Use for Diplomacy

[Felix]

Diplomacy is used to change the attitude of NPCs towards you for the better. But then I thought that even a high level PC will have trouble getting a mob to listen to him when they're in the heat of rage.

And generally those mobs have some instigator... a rabble rouser type. So how would the rules set be put to use to create a kind of rabble rousing mechanic?

If another use for Diplomacy (or perhaps a different skill altogether) would be Smear. If you make a successful Smear check, the attitude of everyone listening towards a particular target you designate is lowered by however much.

This would be a great way to:

• Make a government unpopular.

• Start a riot.

• Align the population of somewhere against the PCs via a rabble rousing NPC.

• Get mooks to turn against their boss.

• Facilitate a battle of diplomacists in a debate when they turn their rhetoric against one another.

Of course, there would have to be a slightly more complicated table, as making someone hostile to you instead hostile to someone else should be harder than making your friend hostile to someone.

And I would say that there would be an either/or clause in the skill description... you can't first Diplomacy then Smear; that'd make it too easy. At least not in the same day.

So, anyone use a mechanic like this, or have good/bad things to say about it?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

So, anyone use a mechanic like this, or have good/bad things to say about it?

Honestly, I think Diplomacy and Bluff are kinda powerful skills as written. I think your idea is good, but I think if you are gonig to expand Diplomacy you should curtail its original effect. Maybe a +5 penalty or something?

 

[Piratecat]

I really like the concept. With a 3rd lvl PC able to reach something like +21 in diplomacy, though, you'll want to make sure it's balanced.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I really like the concept. With a 3rd lvl PC able to reach something like +21 in diplomacy, though, you'll want to make sure it's balanced.

Or even +29, thanks to the paragon of balance that is the Book of Exalted Deeds.

 

[Felix]

Honestly, I think Diplomacy and Bluff are kinda powerful skills as written...

...you'll want to make sure it's balanced.

Yeah, it wouldn't do to have Bluff or Diplomacy be more powerful. At the same time, I think it should be easier to smear someone than to defend yourself, so it should be easier to build up a Smear bonus. Like maybe 5 ranks in Bluff, Diplomacy, Know(local), and Perform (oratory) would each give a +2 synergy bonus to Smear.

It'd be an interesting mechanic, and frustrate the hell out of Diplomat PCs because the smear merchants can be concentrating on smearing the PC's good name while the PCs are out doing good for the community.

 

[MeiRen]

You might make it a little more powerful and require a seperate skill: Perform (Oratory).

If you're interested in this, you should sit in on a game of Exalted sometime. The public speaking skill there is amazing, arguably the most powerful ability among a lot of very powerful abilities, even without some of the brokenness the designer's gave it.