Latest revision as of 23:40, 8 November 2022

Negotiating (or negotiation) is both the name of a non-combat skill and an associated activity.

Negotiation is the art of dialogue between multiple parties (usually two) to resolve a conflict and reach a mutually beneficial outcome (or at least a perceived one). In the game, the primary purpose for the Negotiating skill is bargaining and haggling for better prices or deals when shopping. Negotiation skill checks can also be set by the GM as "speech" skill checks, in order to resolve conflicts or situations through dialogue.

As it is a heavily dialogue-based skill, it is recommended to not simply roll for it and to actually roleplay the dialogue. Good roleplaying should be rewarded with bonuses to Negotiation checks.

Requirements

A person that is said to be good at negotiating their way out of trouble is sometimes referred to as a "silver tongue". In the spirit of that expression, there are no requirements beyond a tongue and the ability to speak, meaning that effectively, anyone can learn and practice that skill.

Negotiation for haggling

The main purpose of the Negotiation skill, as well as the easiest way to practice it, is to try and haggle for better values when shopping; lower prices when purchasing, or higher values when selling.

During shopping, a character intending to use their Negotiation skill may try to haggle for a lower price when purchasing items, or negotiate for a higher sale value when selling items. The player will be prompted to choose a percentage value, up to a maximum that is determined by their character's skill level. If purchasing items, this percentage represents a discount (e.g. 10% off) when buying, or a markup (e.g. 10% more value) when selling.

After selecting the intended action (discount or markup) and purchase, players have the option to roleplay their attempt at negotiating for a better value, then pass a negotiation check.

Negotiation checks

To make a negotiation check, roll a 2d6 and add a bonus depending on your Negotiation skill level (see this table), then check the difficulty table below to know the minimum score required for success. To avoid abuse, GMs should put a limit on the number of negotiation checks that can be performed in a single game day (no more than 3 total).

• A success results in getting the desired percentage as well as getting a certain amount of Skill Points.
• A failure results in the desired percentage being refused - but you are allowed to retry if you ask for a lower percentage. A recommended limit on retries is no more than once or twice.

If you choose to roleplay your negotiation attempts, and the GM feels that it was particularly interesting, funny, or otherwise entertaining, the difficulty may be lowered by anywhere between 1 and 3 points, depending on how well the GM judges your attempt.

Negotiation and traits

If you have any of the following Character traits, your base negotiation check changes:

• Very pretty: Roll 2d8 instead of 2d6.
• Pretty: Roll 2d7 instead of 2d6.
• Ugly: Roll 2d5 instead of 2d6.
• Very ugly: Roll 2d4 instead of 2d6.

Negotiation for speech

As hinted at in the introductory paragraph, the Negotiating skill can also be used as a sort of substitute for a "speech" skill, however there are no predetermined situations or ways to use the skill in that manner.

Although in-character conversations should be roleplayed and therefore resolved in a freeform manner, with no skill checks of any kind, the GM has the option to make players pass a Negotiation skill check at their own discretion, by selecting a difficulty level that best corresponds to what the GM feels are the player character's chances of success (see below for a table). For example, if a conversation between a player character and an NPC has stalled, a check can be a useful method to break the stalemate and keep the pace going.

Skill Points awarded for passing checks during conversations should also be left to the GM's discretion, but should be no more than 5 SP per single check. The table below will offer suggestions based on difficulty, but it is only a recommendation and not a strict guide.

The total range of possible minimum scores ranges between 2 and 20, but most situations should require a minimum score between 5 and 14. Keep in mind the following:

• An average human character with no skills in Negotiation will roll 2d6+0. They cannot roll more than 12 and will roll 7 on average.
• An average kitsune character (Very Pretty trait) will roll 2d8+0. They cannot roll more than 16 and will roll 9 on average.
• Truly exceptional characters (Master-level Negotiation, Very pretty trait) will roll 2d8+4. They can roll up to 20 and will roll 13 on average.
• Truly abysmal characters (Unskilled Negotiation, Very ugly trait) will roll 2d4+0. They cannot roll more than 8 and will roll 5 on average.

• Situations in italics are outside of the realm of normality

Negotiating skill levels

Skill Points are granted at varying rates for passing negotiation checks.

Legend:

• SP: Skill Points needed to reach this level