When you Bargain, you are asking the target to do something in exchange for recompense in some form. Bargain can be used to bribe a guard, form an alliance, attain services, and so on, but it only works so long as you live up to your side of the deal.

The consequences of defeat (for you or for your opponent) vary depending on their disposition; these are detailed to the right.

Use Charm whenever you would cultivate a friendship, improving the target’s disposition to make him or her more amenable to your position in future intrigues. When you use this technique, you ply your target with complements, empathizing with their plights and conditions, and work to adapt yourself to your subject’s desires.

The consequences of defeat are detailed to the right.

Charm is the simple act of cultivating friendships and alliances, or to reason with enemies and avoid conflict. When you defeat an opponent using charm, you improve the target’s disposition by one step. The target’s improved disposition lasts until circumstances would worsen their disposition against you—such as a betrayal on your part or a rival inciting the opponent against you. In addition, you gain +1D on all Deception and Persuasion tests during your next intrigue against this opponent.

Sometimes a forceful argument can get your point across where charm or seduction might fail. Convince imparts your position or idea by simply putting the idea out there in a reasoned and logical manner. Convince is a stated desire that stands on its merits alone. It is often less effective because it isn’t backed up by a threat, and there may not be something in it for the subject. Thus, it often takes longer to persuade a subject to your position, especially when they are ill-disposed against you.

The consequences of defeat are detailed to the right.

Whenever you defeat an opponent using Convince, you are honestly trying to get the target to assist you or to agree with your position. Using Convince does nothing to improve the target’s disposition; instead, Convince gets them to support your position or grant you assistance. Even dire enemies can be persuaded to help, provided they have sufficient cause, though there’s nothing to say the enemy won’t use the opportunity to betray you later. A convinced target assists you through the particular trial but no further.

Incite is used to make your subject angry, to fill them with loathing or rage against someone or something. Incite is risky because the unchecked emotion created can cause the subject to react brashly.

The consequences of defeat are detailed to the right.

Inciting a target involves turning the opponent against another opponent, usually by producing evidence of betrayal, vile acts, or revealing any other sordid details your opponent might find repugnant. Incite is often powerful, but it produces short-term effects. An incited target’s attitude to the individual, or ganization, or house you indicate shifts a number of steps downward equal to your rank in Persuasion. Each day after you use Incite on the target, his attitude toward the target improves by one step until it returns to its starting disposition. Typically, only targets whose disposition is worsened to Malicious attack the individual or members of the house or organization you indicate.

You use Intimidate to scare others and make them think twice before crossing you, or impeding your actions. Intimidating a target temporarily improves his or her disposition for a short period, thus forcing the target to back down, divulge information, cooperate with you, or generally become pliable.

The consequences of defeat are detailed to the right.

One of the most powerful techniques, Intimidate is bluster and threats used to frighten or cow your opponent. A successful use of Intimidate either drives off the target— if he can flee—or improves his disposition to Amiable or one step better if already Amiable for as long as you remain in the target’s presence if the target cannot flee. The target does as you ask, reveals information, and possibly lies if he believes he has no other recourse to escape your presence. An intimidated target’s disposition in future intrigues is always Unfriendly or worse.

Of all the techniques, seduction is the most subtle. Use of this technique requires patience and practice, as well as a keen eye for body language and innuendo to guide your own words and behavior. If you defeat an opponent using Seduce, you fill the subject with feelings of desire—or at the very least the willingness to give into your advances.

The consequences of defeat are detailed to the right.

By playing to your opponent’s lust and desires, a defeat using Seduce usually results in some carnal act of passion or at the very least a temporary increase to the target’s disposition. Seduction instills feelings of pleasure and affection in the target, blinding them to your faults and ulterior motives. You improve the target’s disposition by a number of steps equal to your rank in Persuasion. If the target is attracted to your gender, is capable of physical love, and is at least Friendly, he or she gives in. As such, it may take several intrigues to seduce a target properly. Each day after the encounter, the target’s disposition shifts down one until it falls to one step below his or her starting disposition. You can sustain the feelings of attraction by courting the individual and by using Charm to create a more permanent disposition. Characters with dispositions that started at Dislike or worse but who are seduced pretend to be attracted and even go so far as to engage in lovemaking or some other act of passion. They only follow through if they believe such an act will advance their position or give them some advantage over you—whether it’s to plant a bastard in the womb or a knife in the throat.

Taunting is risky. You goad another character into action based on your barbs and insults. You can use Taunt to provoke a character to do something you want—at the cost of worsening his or her disposition toward you.

The consequences of defeat are detailed to the right.

Taunting pushes your opponent to act. An opponent who has an Amiable or better disposition does what you want, but when he has completed the task, his disposition falls by one step. An opponent whose disposition is Neutral or Dislike may or may not perform the task based on the danger posed to him. Again, his disposition worsens by one step. Finally, opponents with dispositions worse than Dislike attack you or flee if attacking is not an option.