Someone with this skill is good at making conversation and small talk.
Persuasion
Someone with this skill can attempt to persuade a target or targets to a particular course of action. The action must be plausible and not generally harmful to the target. This is not a combat skill and should not be used in combat. For example, someone could not use this skill to try to persuade a group of enemies to surrender. That doesn't mean that a group could not try to persuade a group of enemies to surrender, but it would be based on something other than Conversation skill.
Example: Aiya has lost all of her equipment and sees a small caravan. She notes that the guards are armed so she approaches and tries to persuade the leader of the caravan to give her a dagger. The GM calls for a Persuasion roll. He will determine the modifier, if any, based on the avariciousness of the caravan leader. An extremely greedy leader might engender a -30 or more to the roll while a less greedy merchant may result in a lesser or no modifier.
Bonus for Persuasion is ((CHA - 15) x 3).
Information Please
Conversation skill also enhances the Charisma ability Information Please by 3% per rank.
Subtle Extraction
This skill can be used to extract information in the same manner as the Subtle Extraction method of Interrogation skill.
Subtle Extraction – The interrogator appears to be carrying on a normal conversation with someone, but is actually pumping them for information. The character tells the GM what information they are trying to get and then makes a skill roll. Targets with an INT of 16 or higher may attempt a 1x INT roll to understand what is happening and react accordingly. A target with an INT of 25 or higher is immune to this form of interrogation. The GM may apply additional modifiers if the information is such that the target would normally be very opposed to telling anyone and may simply disallow certain information from being learned. If the interrogation roll results in failure, the target will realize they are being pumped for information if they make a 4x INT roll. Partial Success will yield no information, but the target will not realize they are being pumped. Near Success will yield a small amount of information. If the character is attempting to learn a lot of information, the GM will breakup the information into chunks, and require separate rolls for each chunk of information.
Pantomine
Someone with Conversation skill is also good at non-verbal communication in cases where two intelligent creatures do not share a common language. This ability is most useful when the target is humanoid and sees and hears in a similar manner as the person with this skill. This ability is basically a developed form of pantomime. The character who makes a successful roll can communicate a simple concept or action. The character is also good at reading crude forms of pantomime in unskilled targets. If the character and the target both have this skill, communication is faster and slightly more difficult concepts can be communicated.
Bonus for Pantomime is (((INT + CHA) - 30) * 1.5). |