Social Rounds (Influencing NPCs)

Part of this adventure includes a chapter on interacting with powerful nobles and other NPCs. During these social rounds, the PCs can move to any location in an event and select a single NPC in the area as his target to influence. He then attempts either a discovery check or an influence check.

Discovery Checks
A discovery check allows a PC to learn either:

• One of the skills she can use to influence the target
• Learn one of the target's biases, strengths, or weaknesses

The exact skill and the DC required for a discovery check varies. It normally requires a successful Sense Motive or Knowledge (Nobility) check.

Influence Checks
An influence check is an attempt to make a good impression upon or gain the respect of the target. PCs must attempt a skill check using one of the skills listed in the target's Influence entry (provided by the DM). A successful skill check against the provided DC counts as one success, indicating the growing respect or affection for the PC. Each target has a total number of successes needed to achieve a desired outcome.

A failed discovery or influence check can be attempted again in subsequent rounds with no penalty unless otherwise noted by the DM.

Winning Favors
In some cases, PCs can win an NPC's favor by making a good impression. In these situations, a PC only needs to accumulate a specified number of successes to win a list of benefits that the NPC provides (although most benefits rarely last beyond the social event).

Changing Attitudes
Making long-lasting changes to an NPC's attitude is more difficult and time consuming. The PCs must make friends and allies, win hearts and minds, and cause long-term adjustments to the NPC's outlooks. These might last for several social events, distributed in an extended time frame. The passage of time and loss of success can't worsen an NPC's attitude, though a special event might.