You attempt to learn more information about a person, location, or event within the setting, either by interacting socially with others and observing their reactions , or observing the area and the people around you and comparing it to your studies and experience.
To engage with a target to draw out information, as a scheme action, you make a Social skill check verses that target. The TN of the check is equal to the Target's Vigilance. Water is used to Charm your target into giving away information.
To learn information by studying an area and the people in it, you make a Scholar skill check with a relevant skill. The TN of the check varies but is generally equal to the Target's Vigilance. Water is used to Survey the environment to look for information.
To engage with a target to draw out information, as a scheme action, you make a Social skill check verses that target. The TN of the check is equal to the Target's Vigilance. Water is used to Charm your target into giving away information.
To learn information by studying an area and the people in it, you make a Scholar skill check with a relevant skill. The TN of the check varies but is generally equal to the Target's Vigilance. Water is used to Survey the environment to look for information.
Details
To Draw Out Information:
To draw out information from a person or group of people, as a Scheme action, you make a Social skill check targeting one or more characters who can hear you. The TN of the check is equal to the highest vigilance among your targets.
To See through Lies:
To lie to someone directly, an opponent needs to make a Social Skill check with a TN of the character's Vigilance. If the opponent succeeds this check, the character cannot tell if they are lying offhand. However, they are not obligated to believe them if they think there is evidence against them. If they still harbor suspicions, they may make a sentiment check to find a crack in the lie. Sentiment (Water) lets you know whether someone has your best intentions at heart. This doesn’t reveal whether or not they’re lying, but it might give you a hint not to trust what they say either way.
Potential Objectives Using Observe
To draw out information from a person or group of people, as a Scheme action, you make a Social skill check targeting one or more characters who can hear you. The TN of the check is equal to the highest vigilance among your targets.
To See through Lies:
To lie to someone directly, an opponent needs to make a Social Skill check with a TN of the character's Vigilance. If the opponent succeeds this check, the character cannot tell if they are lying offhand. However, they are not obligated to believe them if they think there is evidence against them. If they still harbor suspicions, they may make a sentiment check to find a crack in the lie. Sentiment (Water) lets you know whether someone has your best intentions at heart. This doesn’t reveal whether or not they’re lying, but it might give you a hint not to trust what they say either way.
Potential Objectives Using Observe
- Discern Someone's Qualities
A target's qualities are discerned by accumulating momentum points equal to or greater than the Vigilance attribute of the target, modified by the GM for cleverness and evasiveness. The GM also determines a number of social checks that can be allowed for that person. For each successful Social Skill Check, the character gets one Momentum Point. If the target's maximum number of social checks is reached before the momentum points can be reached, or if the target retires from the scene before completion (after completing their own objective or otherwise), this objective cannot be completed. At the end of any round in which a character accumulates the requisite points, the character learns up to three of the following about their target: social objective, ninjō, giri, composure, endurance, one advantage, one disadvantage.
There are also shuji and opportunities that can reveal qualities and history to the character. - Investigate a Populated Environment
An intrigue may be used to investigate events, locations, or people within a populated environment such as a court room, city street, village, etc. The population present are asked about events that have occurred, the place they live, or the history of a person they know. An environment is investigated in this fashion by accumulating momentum points determined by the GM depending on the hostility of the population and the type of investigation. The GM must also determine a number of turns that the population will allow themselves to be questioned in. In addition, an opponent may work to prevent or cover up the investigation by trying to Influence the population not to speak to the investigators or to provide false information. For each successful Social Skill Check, the character gets one Momentum Point. Momentum points can come from either successful social or Scholar skill checks, but no two checks may target the same person. For each successful Social or Scholar Skill Check, the character gets one Momentum Point. If the crowd stops being willing to be interrogated and/or having their environment being searched, or the opponent has higher momentum points when the characters achieve their target momentum, the investigation has been foiled and this objective cannot be completed. If the characters succeed, the GM reveals the information relevant to their investigation.
Opportunity Uses |
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* |
Social: Add a kept Ring Dice set to an * result to your next Social check before the end of the scene. |
* |
Scholar: Spot a unique or identifying quality, aspect, or ability of something that you are identifying. |
Opportunity Uses |
|
* |
If you failed, determine the easiest way to accomplish the task you were attempting (skill and approach). |
*+ |
Remove 1 strife you gained from this check per * spent this way. |
** |
Provide assistance to the next character to attempt a check to accomplish something similar |
* |
If you failed, provide assistance to the next character trying to accomplish the same action (p. 298 CRB) |
* |
Remove 2 strife from yourself. |
*+ |
Perform the task efficiently, completing it more quickly or saving supplies. Extra * further reduces the time or materials expended. |
** |
Spot an interesting physical detail present in your environment not directly related to your check. At the GM’s discretion, you may establish a piece of terrain or a mundane object nearby. |
Social + Water Shuji Opportunities
All In Jest (1)
Activation: When you make a Commerce (Water), Courtesy (Water), or Performance (Water) check:
*+: If you forfeited honor as part of the check in order to say something rude or appeal to your target’s base desires (greed, lust, laziness, etc.), regain 1 honor per * spent this way
*+: If you forfeited honor as part of the check in order to say something rude or appeal to your target’s base desires (greed, lust, laziness, etc.), regain 1 honor per * spent this way
Shallow Waters (1)
Activation: When you make a Social skill (Water) check targeting a character:
* Learn of one material item or worldly experience the target desires.
* * Learn the target’s ninjō
* Learn of one material item or worldly experience the target desires.
* * Learn the target’s ninjō
Well of Desire (1)
Activation: When you make a Courtesy (Water) check to present a gift to a target:
* To refuse your gift, your target must forfeit glory equal to your Water Ring. Additionally, if the gift is something that the target desires, the target also must suffer strife equal to its rarity to refuse it. If your target accepts the gift, reduce the TN of your next Social skill check targeting them by the rarity of the item (to a minimum of 1).
* To refuse your gift, your target must forfeit glory equal to your Water Ring. Additionally, if the gift is something that the target desires, the target also must suffer strife equal to its rarity to refuse it. If your target accepts the gift, reduce the TN of your next Social skill check targeting them by the rarity of the item (to a minimum of 1).
Special Circumstance Opportunities
In Shadowlands
**+ By luck or careful scavenging, you are able to find a useful item not yet corrupted by the Shadowlands. Such items have a maximum rarity of 3, plus 1 for each additional ** spent. The GM should modify this depending on the exact nature of the item as well.
Against Tainted Threats
* You adapt yourself to better fight the corrupted power before you. Once before the end of current the game session you may either reduce the TN of a check to resist a Tainted power, such as a mahō technique, assailing you by 1 or increase the TN of another character’s check to target or affect you with such a power by 1.
While Tainted
** You briefly become fluid in mind or body, shaking off disorientation or even injury. You remove one of the following conditions: Dazed, Disoriented, Immobilized, Intoxicated, Lightly Wounded, or Prone.
In Negotiations
** You break the tension with a well-timed joke or clever comment. You may ask one personal question of a character in the scene with a different social objective. The question must be unrelated to the subject of the negotiations. If the character answers honestly, they gain 1 momentum point toward their current objective and may ask you a personal question in turn. If they do, you gain 1 momentum point toward your current objective.
In Romance
** Your interaction is pleasant enough that your intended, not you, suggests another meeting within the next day or two. They offer you several options for the next time you and they spend personal time together; choose whichever you like the best, and don’t be late.
In Espionage
* You observe a clue or hint that indicates to you that information about your target or goal might also be found elsewhere. The GM reveals another viable avenue for espionage on the same subject, unrelated to your current operation.