Page 85 - World of Darkness

Seduction Presence. While the process has become much more in-
teractive, the relative attractiveness of the aggressor is still
Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + equipment or encouraging or discouraging. Whoever accumulates the
Manipulation + Persuasion + equipment (seducer) versus required number of successes first either convinces the
Wits + Composure + equipment (subject) other to cooperate or refuses the proposal. Once a would-
Action: Contested and/or extended (the extended be seducer is rebuked, no other attempts can be made to
and contested part of the task requires a number of suc- charm the same subject in the same scene.
cesses equal to double the seducer’s Presence or double If the seducer loses the initial contested roll to deter-
the subject’s Resolve; one roll equals 10 minutes of ban- mine physical interest, he can still try to engage in social
ter) interaction to sway the subject’s opinion. He’s on thin
Your character seeks to ply his allure, charm and sheer ice, though. The subject gains the number of successes
magnetism to make someone else compliant to his will, rolled for her in the contested action as a bonus to her
typically to agree to a sexual tryst. Or your character’s aim rolls in the extended and contested process. So, if in the
might be some goal short of a physical encounter, such as previous example the seducer had acquired two successes
getting a person’s phone number, learning his or her ad- and the subject had acquired three, she would have gone
dress, or convincing a subject to do a favor with the im- unimpressed with his looks. If he had still tried to engage
plicit reward of romance. The same forms of coercion her socially, her Wits + Composure rolls would have re-
might also be applied on your character by inhuman be- ceived a +3 bonus to resist his charm.
ings, to make him agreeable to a private rendezvous that Example: Now that James is dead, he has discovered
could mean his life. that he possesses an unearthly air that attracts almost anyone
The act of seduction has two basic elements, physi- he desires. Little do they know that he really desires their
cal and social, and those elements tend to indicate stages life’s breath. Hungry for more, James turns his allure on a
of the overall process. The first stage is based largely on woman in a mall. James has 5 Presence and 3 Persuasion.
physical attraction. Your character plies his appearance He uses no particular props beyond his own bearing to get
and demeanor to win the subject’s attention and interest. her attention. The woman has 2 Wits and 2 Composure and
This phase is typically non-verbal. Presence + Persuasion is happily married (which the Storyteller decides is worth a
+ equipment is rolled in a contested action against the +3 bonus). James’ eight-dice pool gets four successes. The
subject’s Wits + Composure + equipment. Appearances woman’s seven-dice pool gets two successes. Despite herself,
are important, so possessing the Striking Looks Merit the woman is physically interested in James.
(p. 117) offers a bonus to the roll for the seducer. If the
seducer gets more successes, he gains the subject’s inter- James’ four successes on the first roll give him a +4
est. If successes tie or the seducer gets fewer, the subject is bonus in the social stage of the seduction. He also has 1
disinterested or needs further convincing (see below). Manipulation and 3 Persuasion, but the Storyteller decrees
“Equipment” in the contested roll might include al- that his days spent without washing impose a -2 penalty, for
luring clothing (+1), an appealing perfume or cologne (+1) a total of six dice in his pool. Once again, the woman has a
or an offered drink (+1) for the seducer. The subject might Wits + Composure of four, with a +3 bonus for being
have an existing significant other (+1 to +3), a headache happily married. The woman’s Resolve is 3. James therefore
(+1) or be in a really bad mood (+1) for his or her roll. needs a total of six successes to win (twice the woman’s
The social aspect of the seduction begins after the Resolve), and the woman needs 10 (twice James’ Presence).
initial contested action is complete. The social aspect in- After four rolls (40 minutes of banter), the woman
volves dialogue and interaction between participants. In accumulates 10 successes while James has only five. She
this stage, the seducer’s Manipulation + Persuasion + soon wonders what she saw in him. Suffering pangs of guilt
equipment is rolled against the subject’s Wits + Compo- for even considering an indiscretion, she quickly leaves.
sure + equipment in an extended and contested task. Each James must seek prey elsewhere.
roll represents about 10 minutes of time. The winner of Example: A rival investigator wants to learn what
the previous contested roll also gains bonus dice equal to Royce has discovered thus far on a case. She decides to
the successes rolled before. So, if your character seeks to seduce him for whatever information she can get, but has no
seduce a woman at a bar and you win the initial contested intention of actually participating in a physical encounter.
roll with three successes to the woman’s two, you add three Royce proves disinterested in the rival physically. He gets one
dice to your Manipulation + Persuasion rolls in the social success to her none in the initial contested roll. She doesn’t
part of the process. “Equipment” bonuses at this stage let that stop her, though. She becomes more aggressive and
might include a good pick-up line (+1), an excellent line tries to tease Royce into confessing what he knows in return
(+2), a mutual acquaintance (+1) or suggestive physical for “favors.”
contact (+2) for the seducer. Those listed above can be
applied again for the subject. Both parties arrive at their required number of successes
The required number of successes for the seducer simultaneously in the extended and contested part of the
equals twice the subject’s Resolve. The required number process. The Storyteller rules that Royce sees through the
of successes for the subject equals twice the aggressor’s ruse, confesses nothing and expects nothing, and sends his
rival packing. Had Royce lost the extended and contested

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Chapter 3- SKILLS