Leverage & Rapport: A Simple Social Mechanic
The monsters speak Words kill like poison Choking one by one Lies spread by the weak Human contagion Don't trust anyone - Night Club, “Gossip” Persuading, coercing, or deceiving someone involves Leverage and Rapport . Generally, if you have none of the two , the task is impossible . If you have both , you do not need to roll – it just succeeds. If you only have one , the task might involve a roll . A failure means they refuse your offer, disbelieve your lie, react violently to your intimidation attempt, etc. Leverage is something your interlocutor wants, or the threat of something they don’t want. Money, sex, blackmail, a knife to the throat, a shoulder to cry on, etc. Leverage is highly open-ended and context-dependent. Rapport is a positive relationship with this person, how much they like and trust you. You have Rapport with your friends, lovers, mentors, loyal compatriots...