NEWS

Modified Social Skills

  • 12 Replies
  • 8224 Views

Beansidhe

  • *
  • Newb
  • *
  • Posts: 42
« on: <09-13-10/1534:37> »
Besides the Trustworthy Quality, what are ways to modify your Social Skills?  I don't mind advise on extra dice, but I am specifically wondering about what else modifies social skills to the cap of 9 (10 with another Quality). 

Thanks for thoughts and help. 

FastJack

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6367
  • Kids these days...
« Reply #1 on: <09-13-10/1547:55> »
Phys Adept powers, some cyber/bioware. There's always circumstantial bonuses to rolls as well.

Catadmin

  • *
  • Freelancer
  • Chummer
  • ***
  • Posts: 109
  • Is this Kansas?
« Reply #2 on: <09-13-10/1600:26> »
Racial attributes - Elves start out with higher Charisma.

Qualities: Exceptional Attribute can add a level to your Charisma, but can only be taken once.

Dice for tests would be:

First Impression adds +2 to Social tests. (Quality)
Fame adds +2 to +6 to certain Social tests, depending on level taken (Quality - Runner's Companion)
Privileged Family Name may work in certain situations too, but check with your GM (Quality - RC)
Etiquette skills, dependent on the group / situation are good. (Knowledge Skills)
Brandie Tarvin
Author / DBA / SR Freelancer
website: http://www.brandietarvin.net
blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.net
Twitter: WannaBeWriter06

Now Available - Space Tramps (Flying Pen Press) and Latchkeys Unlatched (on Kindle and Nook)

Beansidhe

  • *
  • Newb
  • *
  • Posts: 42
« Reply #3 on: <09-13-10/1657:32> »
From what I understand (and I can easily be wrong) but Circumstantial dice bonuses or negatives are not the same as a Modified Skill. 

No magic (other than specific +2 based on Mentor) or Charisma boosts?  I'm designing a Face character that I'm looking at having enhanced by magic (in my mind).  I'm looking at Trustworthy, but can't take that with Magician and some of the other Qualities I'm taking.  So now I'm trying to decide how good Trustworthy (at 20 BP) is and what I will be able to pick up later on that specifically 'Modifies' these skills. 

FastJack

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Prime Runner
  • *****
  • Posts: 6367
  • Kids these days...
« Reply #4 on: <09-13-10/1701:02> »
Check out my Social Adept/Face in the PbP section: Mercedes

--Improved Ability adds dice modifiers to skills to a maximum of ½ of current skill dice.
--Kinesics adds +1/level to Social skill tests.
--Enhanced Ability can up your maximum Charisma by +1

KarmaInferno

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 2005
  • Armor Stacking Cheese Monkey
« Reply #5 on: <09-13-10/1728:43> »
Street Cred applies it's value to Social tests any time the character's reputation would be a factor.

The Fame and Glamour qualities, as mentioned, add dice to some tests.

The Chatty quality adds +2 DP for all AR and VR based Social interactions. For some, this is almost all Social tests, as a lot of folks have at least AR turned on all the time.

Tailored Pheromone bioware adds to Charisma and Social tests any time you can get your pheromones into your target's nose.

Enhanced Pheromone Receptor bioware adds half it's rating to Social tests if you can smell your target.

Vocal Range Enhancer bioware adds a +1 to talking interactions, +2 if singing.

As mentioned, Adept Kinesics and Improved Ability can add Social dice.

The Dragonslayer mentor spirit boosts one Social skill.

Empathy software boosts Social pools by its rating.



-karma

Glyph

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 1661
« Reply #6 on: <09-13-10/2211:18> »
There are many, many dice pool bonuses for social skills, but the only qualities that let you raise the actual skill itself are the aptitude quality, the trustworthy quality, and the improved ability adept power.

KarmaInferno

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 2005
  • Armor Stacking Cheese Monkey
« Reply #7 on: <09-13-10/2308:36> »
Is it just me or is the Trustworthy quality not worth the BP unless you're almost maxing out the skill?

The quality is 5 BP for a +1 modifier to the skill.

Adding another actual rank to the skill is 4 BP.

Catlike and Outdoorsman at least net a slight benefit in BP savings. Catlike saving you 3 BP while Outdoorsman saves you 2.

And maxing out a social skill isn't worth it anyhow if you use the 20 dice pool max, it's not TOO hard to get a 10 Attribute+Skill dice pool without maxing, and then 10 dice in modifiers.



-karma
« Last Edit: <09-13-10/2315:57> by KarmaInferno »

Glyph

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 1661
« Reply #8 on: <09-14-10/0200:00> »
The optional rule is 20 dice or twice the sum of natural Attribute plus skill, whichever is higher.  I would consider it worth it to max out a skill, though, since the bonus is a lot less conditional than many of the other social skill modifiers (contrast it with first impression, which gives a +2 bonus, but only within a narrow set of conditions).  It is probably worth more to mundanes, though, because the adept improved ability power is cheap for social skills.

KarmaInferno

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 2005
  • Armor Stacking Cheese Monkey
« Reply #9 on: <09-14-10/0245:06> »
Well, crap, I've been gimping my characters for years, then.

For some reason I always thought it was the LOWER of the two caps.




-karma
« Last Edit: <09-14-10/0254:02> by KarmaInferno »

Mäx

  • *
  • Ace Runner
  • ****
  • Posts: 1572
« Reply #10 on: <09-14-10/0508:43> »
As you said you dont mind advice on extra dice and as i happened to have this written out before, here you go.

Surged dryad adept with
Charisma 13(Metegenic Improvement (Charisma)+Genetic Optimization (Charisma)+speedball of Ex,red mescaline and novacoke)
Aptitude Con
Con (Seduction) 7
National Fame
Tailored Pheromones 3
Enhanced Phermone Receptors 3
Vocal Range Enhancer
Improved Social Ability [Con] 3
Kinesics 3
Rating 6 emotitoy
Symbiosis

3+13+9+4+3+2+1+3+3+6+1= 48
Add to that some positive social modifiers and where over 50
+2 for being a babe
+2 from target bieng friendly
+1 for the end result being positive for target
and where in the 53 dice

Social modifiers bit in the end is becouse, she was originally written to see whether i could get the pool over 50 dice.
"An it harm none, do what you will"

TranKirsaKali

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 148
« Reply #11 on: <09-15-10/1827:28> »
From what I understand (and I can easily be wrong) but Circumstantial dice bonuses or negatives are not the same as a Modified Skill. 

No magic (other than specific +2 based on Mentor) or Charisma boosts?  I'm designing a Face character that I'm looking at having enhanced by magic (in my mind).  I'm looking at Trustworthy, but can't take that with Magician and some of the other Qualities I'm taking.  So now I'm trying to decide how good Trustworthy (at 20 BP) is and what I will be able to pick up later on that specifically 'Modifies' these skills. 

I have created 2 different social adepts.  There are similarities and then modifications.  The original has the adept abilities of Kinesics, Improved ability of negotiations and etiquette, Cool resolve, and Commanding voice.  Quality of First Impressions.  Bump those however you feel comfortable.  The original adept is a human. 

My secondary character is really only designed for con play with missions but still is pretty well rounded.  The information I will give you is for a beginning character with zero karma. I did not improve any of her social abilities with Karma this year.  She is an elf that surged to get some metagenic qualities.  She is hard capped from the get go.  Qualities Class Surge 2 with the meageninc charisma positive quality, and First Impressions.  Adept abilities are Kinesics rating 3, Improved ability for negotiations rating 2 and etiquette rating 2, commanding voice rating 1, and Cool resolve rating 5.  Now she did start out with a charisma of 8 and a magic of 6.  There are biowares and cyber you can take that would lower your magic but give you other bonuses.  But I will not ever have them.  I like being purely magical. 

TranKirsaKali

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 148
« Reply #12 on: <09-15-10/1828:47> »
oh that was only the basic bumps, what ever you do do not forget to buy the emoti software, not the pet.  The pet is obvious and runners rarely want to be obvious about what they are doing.