TOTE:Social

Social Rules

When the heroes interact with most folks, they will simply state their desires and the NPCs will respond accordingly (accomodating, or with a price, or hostile, as the situation warrants). But when important things are at stake, a Social Contest is a way to resolve the meeting using the rules of the game.

Setup

The first decision that must be made is whether the heroes will act united as a group or independently. For a group, there is one Threshold and a single Count for each side in the debate. For individuals, each individual has their own Threshold and Count. (See the extended test rules: [1])

Each group or individual must select an opponent. A group's Threshold is equal to their opposition's highest Reputation, plus the opposition's highest Wisdom (or for NPCs, their Rating + Bearing) plus the total number of heroes. For individuals, the Threshold is simply the Reputation + Wisdom of the opponent (or Rating + Bearing, as appropriate). Each group or individual must also select a Goal, the desired outcome of the debate.

Initial Assessment

Each social action begins with each side assessing the other, determining how best to approach the meeting. Each participant starts with an Initiative value equal to their own Wisdom and then should roll their Judge skill with a Target number of 6 plus the opposition's Wisdom. Each success (including bonuses) adds one to the Initiative value.

Actions in the Debate

The heroes and NPCs take turns debating, starting with the highest Initiative and going to the lowest. Once everyone has spoken, begin another round. If anyone meets the Threshold, finish the current round and then evaluate the result using the rules below.

On your turn, you may make a skill test using any skill in either the Coyote column or the Turtle row. The Target number is the opposition's Reputation, which the GM may modify to reflect the opposition's reaction to the debate.

Approach	Initiative	Success	Failure
Attack	2	Add either your Wisdom or 3 to the Count (whichever is higher), +1 for each Bonus.	Add 1 to the target's Count.
Care	0	Add 1 to your Count, +1 for each Bonus.	Add 1 to the target's Count.
Consider	1	Add 2 to your Count, +1 for each Bonus.	Add 1 to the target's Count.
Reflect	0	A success adds 1 to your Initiative, each Bonus adds 1 more.	No effect.

Criticals - If you score a successful Critical, add your Wisdom value to whatever result you achieve from the above table. In the case of Aggressive actions, this means that you may end up adding twice your Wisdom to the Count.

Skill Suggestions

Know - Use to bring relevant knowledge up, or to tell tales of similar issues before.

Guide - Speak about the lands of Earth or their inhabitants.

Impress - Make bold claims about your own abilities

Bargain - Try to get the best result for your side, sometimes by promising something to the other side

Persuade - Convince someone by reasoning of your position

Judge - Evaluate the effectiveness of your speech, or pick your word carefully

Plan - Bring up military concerns, or tales of battles fought before

Winning the Debate

Whoever made their Threshold receives a minimal version of their goal. Whoever exceeded their Threshold receives a full version of their goal. For these reasons, it is suggested that the goals not be in direct conflict, if possible. If they are, whoever exceeded their Threshold (or had a higher Threshold if both made it) is the victor.