Diplomacy
Key Ability: Charisma
Use Untrained: Yes
Armour Check Penalty: No
Use this skill to persuade the chamberlain to let you see the king, to negotiate peace between feuding barbarian tribes, or to convince the ogre mages that have captured you that they should ransom you back to your friends instead of twisting your limbs off one by one. Diplomacy includes etiquette, social grace, tact, subtlety, and a way with words. A skilled character knows the formal and informal rules of conduct, social expectations, proper forms of address, and so on. This skill represents the ability to give others the right impression of oneself, to negotiate effectively, and to influence others.
Check: You can change the attitudes of others (nonplayer characters) with a successful Diplomacy check. In negotiations, participants roll opposed Diplomacy checks, and the winner gains the advantage. Opposed checks also resolve situations when two advocates or diplomats plead opposite cases in a hearing before a third party.
Action: Changing others' attitudes with Diplomacy generally takes at least 1 full minute (10 consecutive full-round actions). In some situations, this time requirement may greatly increase. A rushed Diplomacy check can be made as a full-round action, but you take a -10 penalty on the check.
Try Again: Optional, but not recommended because retries usually do not work. Even if the initial Diplomacy check succeeds, the other character can be persuaded only so far, and a retry may do more harm than good. If the initial check fails, the other character has probably become more firmly committed to his position, and a retry is futile.
Special: A half-elf has a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks.
If you have the Negotiator feat, you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, Knowledge (Nobility And Royalty), or Sense Motive, you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
Influencing NPC Attitudes
Use the table below to determine the effectiveness of Diplomacy checks (or Charisma checks) made to influence the attitude of a nonplayer character, or wild empathy checks made to influence the attitude of an animal or magical beast.
Initial Attitude | New Attitude (DC to achieve) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hostile | Unfriendly | Indifferent | Friendly | Helpful | |
Hostile | Less than 20 | 20 | 25 | 35 | 50 |
Unfriendly | Less than 5 | 5 | 15 | 25 | 40 |
Indifferent | - | Less than 1 | 1 | 15 | 30 |
Friendly | - | - | Less than 1 | 1 | 20 |
Helpful | - | - | - | Less than 1 | 1 |
Attitude | Means | Possible Actions |
---|---|---|
Hostile | Will take risks to hurt you | Attack, interfere, berate, flee |
Unfriendly | Wishes you ill | Mislead, gossip, avoid, watch suspiciously, insult |
Indifferent | Doesn't much care | Socially expected interaction |
Friendly | Wishes you well | Chat, advise, offer limited help, advocate |
Helpful | Will take risks to help you | Protect, back up, heal, aid |