Leverage
When I’m a talky PC, there is nothing I love better than guessing exactly right.
“Listen here, werewolf. If you want to save [insert love interest] from yourself, you need to do as we say.”
“Very well. I shall gargle this wolfsbane tonic.”
“Listen here, avenging paladin. If you want [insert just punishment] for that nefarious felon, we need to go to trial.”
“Very well. I shall set aside the my inquisition tools for now.”
“Listen here, adorable talking mouse. If you want to [acquire delicious food], you need to tell us what you’ve overheard in the king’s privy council.”
“Very well. And don’t skimp on the manchego.”
Maybe it’s to do with Bard’s recent escapades, but I genuinely feel so much better about getting my way as a persuasive PC when it’s because I’ve paid attention to the story.
What about the rest of you guys? Have you ever had EXACTLY the right leverage to win over a recalcitrant PC? What was the situation, and what was the leverage? How did invoking it affect the game mechanics and the outcome? Tell us all about you favorite ‘I paid attention so I get my way’ moments down in the comments!
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Is the effect of the magical razor wearing off? Does Fighter need help to pass for human?
… I want ranks in that Craft skill. 🙁
Either we’ll see it on monday or this is Fighter’s personal life and we have no business invading his privacy.
We however have all the right to imagine him Cosplaying as anything we want. Personally I am saying Guts, but who knows? He might make a cool Luke Skywalker.
Unless this one ties in with the “other” handbook, it might not be Guts, but probably a magical girl of sorts… Isn’t there a new magical girl anime that people are loosing their cool over? Maybe one of those.
If not, my money is more for Anakin than Luke. Guts would be na easy answer but I don’t think he’d need crafting to get that ensemble together seeing what he deals with normally, the loot sheet probably has everything for that character already.
I’m going to guess Super Saiyan.
It could work as an Akira Toriyama homage, I suppose.
Fighter’d make a convincing Nappa, I’m sure.
“…or this is Fighter’s personal life and we have no business invading his privacy.”
Have we been reading the same comic? ‘Cause this one has always been all up ins the PCs private lives. I mean not as much as the Other Handbook… but yanno.
The curse of being a fictional character is that privacy basically isn’t a thing.
My ranks are so low, every time I roll to “Pass for Human” I get the “meat popsicle” result instead.
More than once lately, the answer has been “an exit strategy”. Deals done, offering assistance with a quiet departure from the city, unseen by their enemies, former-allies or the authorities. The city is a bit of a powderkeg, and we’ve found a few individuals who are happy to reveal all sorts of secrets, in exchange for being a long way from the consequences.
A good disguise is always handy to have on hand. Especially if you’re disguising yourself as your neighborhood fall guy.
Indeed, and both my bard and another party member do have “Disguise Self” — but I’m more likely to use it for decoy purposes, rather than reassigning blame.
If you’re smuggling someone out of the city via the inland road, it helps to ensure they’ve been seen talking to ship captains down at the docks. A perfect role for a bard… you want to be seen and remembered, while clearly looking like you’re trying not to be noticed.
In our homebrew D20 Superheroes campaign, one side quest involved a mutated lab rat hiding in the air ducts of the superheroes’ HQ. (Think of a nexus of Rats of NIMH, Planet of the Apes, Lovecraft, Willard, and Pinky & the Brain.) One intrepid PC took on the task of tracking him down and rightly suspected that the creature a) was sick of life in a cage, b) resented being experimented upon, and c) might like something to eat other than the food pellets he’d eaten all of his life.
As DM I hadn’t expected this line of reasoning (I’d originally envisioned some mix of the plots of Die Hard and Of Unknown Origin (1983)), but I ran with it and rewarded the player’s perspicacity. “Yes. There is a word. I see it in your mind. SANDWICH. I do tire of pellets. I desire to taste this new thing. Bring me sand-witch and we can parley–discuss terms like civilized beings.” One Jimmy-John’s footlong extravaganza later and the plot took a hard left turn into unplanned territory. Sure, eventually it all descended into mayhem (as things tend to do), but I appreciated getting to discard my expected storyline for some good old-fashioned roleplay.
I think the moments where you have to go off-script with your plot as a GM are sometimes the best ones of all! The ingenuity of the player base is constantly amazing me.
Odd choice, I do love me a good piece of cheese but manchego tastes like well-ripened nothing, more like something for people who like the idea of cheese but not cheese itself.
You’d do better offering a mouse a nice hunk of cambozola or a sharp cheddar, or even a slice of Venezuelan beaver cheese 😉
Fine! More manchego for me!
and more Venezuelan beaver cheese for me, no you can’t trade 😛
Previous panel: “whaddaya mean we’re running an Avatar Legends? The heck is that supposed to be?”
…if I were writing this, this is where the arc of sudden, inexplicable, and questionably fitting genre change would ensue.
Look, the GM had a really cool idea and/or kickstarted something and needs to use it to justify the purchase, and it’s gonna get implemented whether the players want it or not.
While I am both excited and apprehensive of what Fighter is commissioning, I’m also just as wary of Kineticist and what eldritch fanfiction she might end up writing cause of said outfit.
The Zardoz man-kini!
You win the Friday Comments Section trophy!
Oooh, that IS a good idea. >D
A true bard knows that the best persuasion is just applied insight.
Well said!