Author’s Diary: Update for the Week of April 24, 2020

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I’ve gotten more done this week, and the playtest rules are still ahead of schedule. I’m happy with some, not so much with the rest. Read on.

INFLUENCE BIDS

Buy: Purchase an item or service with money, barter, trading favors, spending social or political capital, or a combination of these

• To Accomplish: Fixed Influence bid, set by the item or service’s cost
• Successful Bid: The character buys the item or service.
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • The character does not buy the item or service.
  • The character buys the item, but it is faulty. It will impose 1 or more disadvantages on all bids made with it.
  • The character buys the service, but it is performed incompetently and may lead to a complication.
• Suggested Traits: Influence, Knowledge, Perception, Trickery
• Suggested Advantages:
  • The merchant is friendly with the character.
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The merchant is hostile to the character.
  • There is a language barrier between the character and merchant.
  • The character and merchant are from different domains.
  • The character and merchant are from different species.
  • The character and merchant are from different genders.

Convince: Gradually convince a target to do something that they wouldn’t do, either through diplomacy, arguments, bribery, threats, or a combination of these

• To Accomplish:
  • Opposed Influence bid vs. target’s Influence or Resistance bid
  • Influence bids do not work against PCs. Players are free to react however they want to a situation with their characters.
  • Influence bids are not mind control. There are some things that a target will not do, no matter how much or how well the character convinces xir to do it.
• Successful Bid: The character gains a cumulative 1 advantage on Influence bids against this target for every successful attempt at convincing the target. When the character gains a sufficient number of advantages from convincing attempts (usually 4 to 6, at the FM’s discretion), the target is convinced
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • The character suffers a cumulative 1 disadvantage on Influence bids against this target for every unsuccessful attempt at convincing the target.
  • The target becomes belligerent. Further attempts convincing xir will automatically fail.
• Suggested Traits: Influence, Knowledge, Perception, Trickery
• Suggested Advantages:
  • The target is friendly with the character.
  • The character is trying to convince the target to do something that xi would normally do.
  • The character has something that the target wants.
  • The character is in a superior bargaining position to the target.
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The target is hostile to the character.
  • The character is trying to convince the target to do something that xi would normally do or that would harm xir.
  • The target is in a superior bargaining position to the character.
  • There is a language barrier between the character and target.
  • The character and merchant are from different domains.
  • The character and merchant are from different species.
  • The character and merchant are from different genders.

Gather Information: Gather clues and local contacts by talking to people, buying drinkings, and listening to rumors

• To Accomplish:
  • General Information: Fixed Influence bid vs. target set by FM
  • Information on Specific Person: Opposed Influence bid vs. target character’s Evasion or Stealth bid
  • Players shouldn’t have to make bids for information or contacts that are vital to advancing the story. The exception is if the players try to gain them:
    • Early in the story
    • In a way unintended by that the FM
• Successful Bid:
  • The character gains 1 clue about the current situation of the region xi is in.
  • The character gains 1 contact in the region that xi is in. This contact can provide items, assistance, and/or information for a price.
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • Nothing happens.
  • The character gains incorrect information but is convinced that it is correct information.
  • The character gains 1 enemy in the region that xi is in.
  • The character alerts the local authorities or one of the local factions that xi is snooping around.
• Suggested Traits: Influence, Knowledge, Perception, Trickery
• Suggested Advantages:
  • The character is trying to gather information in a friendly region.
  • The character is trying to gather information in a familiar region.
  • The character is trying to gather information in xir own domain.
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The character is trying to gather information discreetly.
  • The character does not speak the region’s language.
  • The character is trying to gather information in an unfamiliar region.
  • The character is is trying to gather information in another domain.
  • The character is not from the region’s dominant species.

Rally: Inspire your allies to greater efforts or to keep going

• To Accomplish:
  • Fixed Influence bid, set by the FM
  • Only works with sapient characters
  • Does not work with vehicles, mounts, pets, or ROVs
• Successful Bid:
  • Select 1 allied character that can see or hear your character. This character recharges all the Discipline in xir scene damage.
  • Select 1 allied character that can see or hear your character. Remove 1 psychological condition from this character.
  • Select 1 allied character that can see or hear your character. This character gains the Inspired condition until the end of the scene.
  • Every allied character in the same area as your character recharges an amount of Discipline in their scene damage equal to your Influence bid.
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • Nothing happens.
  • Select 1 allied character that can see or hear your character. This character suffers the Demoralized condition until the end of the scene.
  • Every allied character in the same area as your character takes an amount of psychological scene damage equal to your Influence bid.
• Suggested Traits: Influence, Knowledge, Medicine, Perception, Tactics, Trickery
• Suggested Advantages:
  • The character’s side or faction is in a superior or winning position.
  • The character has higher social standing than the target.
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The character’s side or faction is in an inferior or losing position.
  • The target has higher social standing than the target.
  • There is a language barrier between the character and target.
  • The character and target are from different domains.
  • The character and target are from different species.
  • The character and merchant are from different genders.

KNOWLEDGE BIDS

Analyze: Gain information on almost anything, including scientific subjects and phenomena; the histories, behavior, and current circumstances or people; and the capabilities and vulnerabilities of creatures and objects

• To Accomplish:
  • Information on Topic, Item, or Phenomenon: Fixed Influence bid vs. target set by FM
  • Information on Specific Person: Opposed Influence bid vs. target character’s Evasion or Stealth bid
• Players shouldn’t have to make bids for information that is vital to advancing the story. The exception is if the players try to gain it:
  • Early in the story
  • In a way unintended by that the FM
• Successful Bid:
  • The character gains information about the person or item that xi is analyzing.
    • Lower bids give general or public information.
    • Higher bids give more useful, more specific, or more current information.
    • Some information will be unavailable unless the character gains the necessary clearance or cultivates the right contacts.
  • The character gains 1 advantage on some bids (FM’s choice) until the end of the scene.
  • The character gains 1 clue about the current situation or a possible future situation.
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • Nothing happens.
  • The character gains incorrect information but is convinced it is correct.
  • The character suffers 1 disadvantage on some bids (FM’s choice) until the end of the scene.
• Suggested Traits: Knowledge, Perception
• Suggested Advantages:
  • The character is using appropriate specialized equipment (EXAMPLE: a chemistry lab to analyze chemicals, history books to research a planet’s history and politics).
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The character is not using appropriate equipment.
  • The character is being attacked or under pressure or must make a snap judgment.
  • The character must extrapolate from incomplete or unrelated data.
  • The data being analyzed is old.
  • The subject is secret, taboo, or classified.

MEDICINE BIDS

Heal: Restore a character’s physical or mental damage

• To Accomplish:
  • Fixed Medicine bid
  • No target unless the patient is from a different species or has 1 or more physical or mental conditions
• Successful Bid: The patient recharges Discipline from scene damage or, for 1 disadvantage, from chapter damage. The amount of recharged Discipline equals the character’s bid.
• Unsuccessful Bid:
  • Nothing happens.
  • The patient takes an amount of damage equal to the character’s bid. The damage severity equals the severity that the character attempted to heal.
  • The patient suffers 1 disadvantage to physical or mental bids until the end of the scene.
• Suggested Traits: Knowledge, Medicine
• Suggested Advantages:
  • The character is in a facility specializing in the type of healing being done (EXAMPLE: a hospital for physical injuries, a mental ward for mental injuries, etc.).
• Suggested Disadvantages:
  • The character is not using appropriate equipment.
  • The patient is from a different species.
  • The patient has 1 or more physical or mental conditions.

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That’s it for now. Talk to you next week, and remember to become a patron of Covenant!