Page 81 - World of Darkness

Possessed by: Counselors, diplomats, entertainers, Possessed by: Actors, ballet dancers, journalists,
profilers, psychiatrists, police officers musicians, poets, rock stars, writers
Specialties: Emotion, Lies, Motives, Personalities Specialties: Classical Dance, Drama, Exposés, Musi-
cal Instrument, Newspaper Articles, Speeches
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Your character completely misreads Roll Results
a person’s emotional state, possibly with disastrous results. Dramatic Failure: Your character’s performance is
He may, for example, interpret nervous laughter as genu- muddled and confusing. It not only fails to communicate
ine, missing the anxiety and potential for violence that his ideas, but it’s unbearable. If she’s lucky, the fiasco is
clumsy jokes attempt to hide. forgotten quickly. If not, she is the butt of critics’ jokes for
Failure: Your character is unable to gauge a subject’s some time to come.
true emotional state. Failure: Your character’s performance fails to capture
Success: Your character has a good read on a person’s the audience’s interest or attention.
true emotional state, regardless of whatever front the sub- Success: Your character’s performance gets its point
ject puts up. across in the manner intended, capturing the audience’s
Exceptional Success: Your character notes enough interest.
tell tale clues in a subject’s behavior to gain a detailed Exceptional Success: The performance enthralls the
understanding of her emotional state. Not only can he audience to the extent that members can think of (or
discern, say, that she is being deceptive, but he can tell notice) nothing else.
from her body language that she is afraid of whoever is in Suggested Equipment: Haute couture (+1), quality
the store across the street. musical instrument (+2), supreme-quality musical instru-
ment — a Stradivarius violin (+4 or +5)
Expression Possible Penalties: Unfamiliar audience (-1 to -3),
poorly made instrument (-1), foreign audience (-1), irri-
Pubs weren’t supposed to be this quiet. Daniel stepped tated audience (-3)
up to the bar, feeling every eye in the place bore a hole in
him. The bartender looked him over him suspiciously while Intimidation
Daniel ordered a shot of whiskey.
Susan came back into the apartment, white as a sheet.
The tension was tightening around him like a noose.
He’d heard of bars in parts of the city that were militant Carter glanced up from the computer and shot from his
hangouts, but he never imagined anything like this. Still, if chair, eyes wide with concern. “What’s wrong? What
there was one place where he’d learn the truth about Finn happened?”
O’Donnell, this was it. “I went to get the mail… and this was in the box.”
That is, if he didn’t get himself beaten to a pulp. She held up a rifle bullet and a small piece of paper. The
note bore a single sentence.
The bartender pushed a shot glass across the polished
wood. Daniel took a deep breath, raised the glass and turned ‘Bullets are cheap.’
to the staring crowd. “May Ireland’s enemies never meet a Intimidation is the art and technique of persuading
friend!” he cried, and tossed back the whiskey. “Now who’ll others through the use of fear. Your character can intimi-
drink with me?”
date someone with a show of brute force (Strength + In-
Expression reflects your character’s training or expe- timidation), through more subtle means such as verbal
rience in the art of communication, both to entertain and threats (Manipulation + Intimidation), or simply through
inform. This Skill covers both the written and spoken word menacing body language (Presence + Intimidation). It can
and other forms of entertainment, from journalism to po- be used to get other people to cooperate (even against
etry, creative writing to acting, music to dance. Charac- their better judgment), back down from a confrontation,
ters can use it to compose written works or to put the or reveal information that they’d rather not share.
right words together at the spur of the moment to deliver Possessed by: Bodyguards, bouncers, gangsters, ex-
a rousing speech or a memorable toast. Used well, Expres- ecutives, police officers, soldiers
sion can sway others’ opinions or even hold an audience Specialties: Bluster, Physical Threats, Stare-Downs,
captive. Torture, Veiled Threats
When composing a poem or writing a novel, roll Wits
or Intelligence (depending on whether the work is poetic Roll Results
or factual) + Expression. When reciting to an audience, Dramatic Failure: Not only does your character fail
roll Presence + Expression. Playing an instrument involves to intimidate his intended victim, he invites retaliation.
Intelligence + Expression for a known piece, and Wits + His heavy-handed treatment pushes the victim over the
Expression for an improvised one. Dance calls for Dexter- edge and touches off a heated confrontation, or the in-
ity + Expression. timidating gesture backfires dramatically, making your
character look ridiculous.

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Chapter 3- SKILLS