Charm Stunts (Action)

Heroic Action Role-Play

Main article: Action

Charm stunts cover a wide variety of social situation and action uses of the skill.

Acting & Disguise

Limit Break

You can disguise yourself as somebody else and play out an assumed role with an opposed Charm roll. Against people with only limited knowledge of your assumed role, the difficulty is their Mind. Make a roll on the initial encounter and a further roll at important junctures, which generally works out to once per scene. You cannot impersonate a specific person, and need bulky clothes to change your apparent race or gender.

Common Ground

Limit Break

You can convince people that you have common values and should be allies. First, you must find some conviction or loyalty the target has, then you convince the target that you share this belief and that these common values make you allies. Once you have found some common ground, you can convince the target in the same manner as a Seduction.

If you don't live up to the values you are claiming to have and can't provide a very convincing excuse, the charm fails.

Conundrum

Limit Break

You create a conundrum for an enemy, presenting a situation where they have to choose between different paths of action and end up doing neither well. Make an opposed Charm roll against your target. If you succeed, the target is Stymied.

It you score an Outcome matching the target's Mind, you instead inflict a Setback; the target suffers some direct penalty, as appropriate to the situation and how you described your stunt. He might take the wrong action, get caught in a bad spot trying to do both actions, or otherwise temporarily make a fool of himself.

Cunning Stratagem

Limit Break

You make a Conundrum Distraction, or Trick stunt that affects all enemies present. Roll separately for each.

In certain cases, you can do this as a basic action, when you have a good enough stunt or setup in the GMs opinion. This is often the result of a planned set-up.

Defense

Trigger Action (Defense)

If you suspect your character is being hoodwinked, you can adopt a skeptical attitude and actively defend yourself. This gives you a +3 bonus to your Charm for any task where your Charm skill sets the difficulty. In a social situation where shots are not counted, this means you are not fully participating - you remain aloft, standing back and observing rather than engaging in the situation - which in means you can't initiate social interactions or make stunts using social skills.

Distraction

Basic Action

You can baffle others with tricky words and misleading demeanor. Make an opposed Charm roll; on a success, your target loses 3 shots and you can move past or by them or claim some minor boon from them. Typical uses include distracting a doorman or police officer, conning someone out of some change, or stealing an unsuspecting kiss. It can also be used to get a respite in a fight.

If your Outcome matches the target's Mind, you cause him major consternation; he loses a number of shots equal to your Outcome or otherwise suffers a Setback.

Gambling

Basic Action

When gambling against another character, make opposed Charm rolls to see who gains the advantage at each stage. Success earns Advantage. If you get an Outcome matching your opponent's Mind, you win. As with any stunt, style gives a bonus. Stakes are raised raised before each roll; refusing to raise and roll means you forfeit the game at the current stakes. Rigged games give the cheater a bonus of +3 or more, but if the target would ordinarily have won, he becomes suspicious.

Gather Information

Limit Break

You hang out with people, perhaps bye a few drinks, and get in on the local gossip. This gives you the local scuttlebutt and rumors, and possibly some real information as well. When gathering information about someone, make an opposed Charm check against them to learn their whereabouts and general information. On an Outcome matching the target's Mind you catch wind of some secret or unusual information. If the roll fails, you still learn general information, but not his current whereabouts, and friends of the mark may inform him of your nosing around.

Note that you can use the Contacts Element of any skill to do this, not just Charm, as long as the information sought are known among the contacts given by your skill.

Good Cop Routine

Finisher

Make an opposed Charm roll against a prisoner or someone who is otherwise at your mercy or dependent on you. If you succeed, you gain their confidence and they see how you are trying to work out the best for them in their current situation; they would not lie to you or play tricks on you, but they still maintain their old loyalties and might not spill the beans to you either. Combines well with Bad Cop Routine.

Innuendo

Basic Action

This is the ability to convey different messages to different listeners by alluding to knowledge only some of them have. It is generally used when you know you are being overheard, but still wish to tell your allies something without the listener realizing what it is. This is useful both in polite dinner conversation and when talking over an open line.

Make an opposed Charm roll against any listeners you want to hide your true meaning from. If you fail, the unintended recipients understand there is a hidden message and gets an idea of what it is about, based on what they already know. The people who are to understand the message also make this check (this is not an action for them), if they fail they fail to understand there is a hidden message. As soon as they understand you are using innuendo, they automatically understand what you are trying to convey.

Palm Object

Basic Action

You can swipe a small object without attracting attention. This is usually used to steal, but can be used for other purposes, such as to to plant evidence or for parlor tricks.

Make a Charm roll opposed by Charm or Spot (whichever is higher). On a success you can swipe a small object that is not attended, secured, or attached and the theft will not be immediately noticed. If you fail and score a negative Outcome matching your Reflexes the attempt is noticed. To swipe an object that is larger than your palm, is attached or worn in a pocket, or that is in clear sight you must score a positive outcome matching the observer's Mind.

Seduction

Limit Break

Charm can be used to get others to help you because of love and desire. Seduction only works on someone potentially exited by your species and gender. You can generally continue to try and make Seduction rolls as long as you succeed; on a failure the mood is broken and you cannot try again in this situation.

Seduction requires an opposed Charm roll to work. On an Outcome equal to the target's Mind, the target falls for you. On a lesser success, you gain an Advantage.

Once someone has been seduced, they will willingly follow and help you out. They seek to avoid conflict with their old allies, and if push comes to shove you cannot guarantee how they will react; they will try to avoid seeing you harmed, but they might make you a captive to save you later or even to have you at their mercy, or they might decide to throw in their lot with you and abandon their former loyalties.

Someone who you have seduced expects favored treatment, company, and possibly sexual favors from you; if you refuse them when the occasion present itself or if they discover you've been unfaithful your power over them is broken and they might become vindictive or even downright hostile.

Sense Motive

Limit Break

Observe someone in a social context and make an opposed Charm roll to learn his immediate goals and motivations, seeing trough surface motives into another person's deeper motivations and personality. You know what kind of person this is; gaining insight into his motivations, methods, and habits. This is not an exact science, and if the target is projecting a social facade, that counts as actively resisting your attempt.

Tete-a-Tete

Limit break

You have a one-on-one interaction encounter with another character present at the scene. This is strictly a social encounter, there is something that prevents this from escalating into combat or that makes attacks impossible. In the middle of a fight this might be a pause enforced by the environment, an impasse, or a mexican standoff.

This interlude happens immediately and is quite short; you can each make an interaction check against the other and have a meaningful conversation. You can use a Charm Limit Break during a tete-a-tete. It happens outside of the normal sequence of rounds. Short as it is, it can still be used to have a meaningful relationship development, make points clear, or otherwise be used to establish common ground or revitalize a rivalry.

Trick

Basic Action

You gain an advantage against an opponent by quick and deceptive actions or words, causing him to stumble or otherwise make a fool of himself. This is a useful set-up both in and outside of combat. The roll will be heavily modified depending on how well you describe your stunt and use available props.

Make an opposed Charm roll against your target. If you succeed, gain an Advantage.

It you score an Outcome matching the target's Mind, you instead inflict a Setback; the target suffers some direct penalty, as appropriate to the situation and how you described your maneuver. He might mistake you for an ally, strike past you at a friendly target, run off after some imaginary danger, or otherwise temporarily make a fool of himself.