TOTE:Social
Contents
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 opponent's Reputation (or for NPCs, their Rating + Bearing) plus the total number of heroes. For individuals, the Threshold is simply the Reputation 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. For a group debate, each hero should make a Judge test with the Threshold as the Target. If a hero succeeds, that hero's Wisdom (plus one for each bonus rolled) is used as the beginning Count. Only the best result is used.
For individual social actions, each hero makes a Judge test, if successful their Wisdom is used as the beginning count. Bonuses add +1 as above.
Actions in the Debate
The heroes and NPCs take turns debating. On your turn, you may make a skill test using any skill in either the Coyote column or the Turtle row. The Target number depends on your approach to the social situation:
| Approach | T-number | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggressive | 12 | Add your Wisdom to the Count, plus one for each Bonus rolled. | This roll counts as two failures. |
| Careful | 8 | Any success adds 1 to the Count, and Bonuses have no effect. | This failure does not count. |
| Considered | 10 | A success adds 1 to the Count, each Bonus adds 1 more. | This failure counts as normal. |
Winning the Debate
In a group debate, the debate can end when the first group meets or exceeds their Threshold. If the group likes it may allow the opposing side to take one more action to which it can respond. In an Individual debate, when the first person meets or exceeds the Threshold, each other participant may take one more action and then the social action is considered over.
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.
