Negotiations

A Negotiation is a structured social scene for high-stakes requests: the party wants something significant from an NPC who is willing to hear them out but has real reasons to push back. It is not mind control. No argument can make a creature accept something it is fundamentally unable to accept, something outside its authority, or something that breaks a nonnegotiable part of its nature, beliefs, or obligations.

When to Negotiate

Use these rules when all of the following are true:

• The request could meaningfully change the course of the adventure.
• The NPC has a reason to consider it.
• The NPC also has a reason to refuse or to demand concessions.
• The final terms matter enough to play out over several exchanges.

If the NPC would obviously agree, they just agree. If they would never listen, or simply cannot grant the request, there is no Negotiation until the circumstances change.

The Negotiation Profile

Before play begins, the GM notes the following for the NPC (or group) making the decision:

• Current Attitude
• Interest
• Patience
• At least 2 Motivations
• At least 1 Pitfall
• Any Nonnegotiable Limits
• The offer or response tied to each relevant Interest result

Setting Attitude

Attitude is set fresh for each Negotiation; the same NPC may be Helpful one day and Hostile the next. It may come from the story, the Reaction rules, Demeanor, or an earlier use of Make an Impression. Three quick questions help:

1. Who are they in general? A hardened mercenary leans more skeptical than a lonely merchant. This is a starting lean, not a lock.
2. What are they doing right now? On-duty patrol versus off-duty rest; a bandit mid-robbery versus the same bandit surprised in a tavern.
3. How did the party approach? Drawn weapons, a fair trade, a threat, or a called-in favor all shift the read up or down.

When unsure, default to Indifferent. Once a Negotiation is underway, a use of Diplomacy's Make an Impression is treated as an argument inside the Negotiation.

Starting Interest and Patience

Interest

Interest (0–5) measures how good a deal the NPC is currently willing to offer; higher is better for the party.

• Interest 5: the NPC makes their best offer and the Negotiation ends.
• Interest 0: the NPC rejects the proposal, the Negotiation ends, and an additional consequence follows.

Patience

Patience (0–5) measures how much longer the NPC will keep talking; most arguments spend it. At Patience 0 the NPC makes a final offer based on current Interest and the Negotiation ends. The party may accept the current offer at any point before the next argument.

Adjusting Starting Values

The GM may shift starting Interest or Patience by 1 when circumstances strongly justify it, for example:

• The NPC has a major personal stake in the proposal.
• The party has previously helped or harmed the NPC.
• The request carries unusually large risk.
• The party holds powerful leverage.
• The NPC is rushed, distracted, exhausted, or especially eager to talk.

If adjustments would drop Interest to 0 before the talk begins, the NPC is not currently willing to negotiate.

Motivations

Motivations are goals, beliefs, desires, or concerns that make the NPC receptive. Each NPC has at least 2. An argument that meaningfully appeals to a Motivation gains 1 level of Advantage. Each Motivation grants this only once per Negotiation; the party can keep discussing the topic, but repeating the same appeal earns nothing further.

Suggested Motivations: Compassion, Discovery, Duty, Freedom, Greed, Justice, Legacy, Peace, Power, Protection, Revelry, Vengeance. These are broad; the GM defines what each means for this NPC (Protection might mean a child, a town, a secret, a business, or their own position).

Pitfalls

A Pitfall is a subject, belief, behavior, or approach that strongly alienates the NPC. An argument that meaningfully invokes a Pitfall automatically fails, and both Interest and Patience drop by 1. A Pitfall can be the rejection of a Motivation (an NPC with a Greed Pitfall is insulted by bribes). Pitfalls should be discoverable through investigation, conversation, Read Motive, or behavioral clues, never pure hidden traps.

Nonnegotiable Limits

A Nonnegotiable Limit is something the NPC will not agree to under present circumstances. An argument that crosses a clearly established Limit does not end the Negotiation, but it cannot raise Interest and normally reduces Patience by 1. Actions taken outside the Negotiation may change a Limit (e.g., a sheriff won't free a murderer without proof of innocence; a merchant can't sell goods they don't have; a chieftain won't abandon their people; a priest won't knowingly break a sacred oath).

Running a Negotiation

Opening

The party states what it wants. The GM makes sure the subject of the Negotiation is clear, clarifying broad or vague proposals before any checks. The NPC then gives an initial response or offer based on starting Interest. The party may accept, walk away, or continue.

Exchanges

The Negotiation proceeds in exchanges. In each, one character takes the lead and does one of the following:

• Make an Argument
• Read the Other Side
• Present new Leverage
• Offer a new Concession
• Accept the current offer
• End the Negotiation

Players may confer, but only one character rolls per exchange unless an effect says otherwise. Afterward the NPC responds in character and states any change in their offer or position.

Make an Argument

A complete argument states both what the character wants the NPC to do and why doing so serves the NPC's interests, beliefs, desires, or obligations. Pick a skill that fits the approach:

The GM may allow other skills when the argument genuinely uses that expertise. The opposing roll is:

• Sincere argument: the NPC's Charisma Save.
• Deceptive argument: the NPC's Intellect Save.
• Another Save if the nature of the argument clearly calls for it.

Argument Modifiers

Don't stack a Motivation bonus with another bonus for the exact same reason; each distinct fact or advantage should affect the check only once.

Argument Results

• Interest and Patience are bounded between 0 and 5.
• If Interest hits 5 or 0, resolve the Negotiation immediately.
• If Patience hits 0, the NPC makes a final offer based on current Interest.

Repeated Arguments

Repeating an argument without new evidence, leverage, concessions, or reasoning imposes 1 Disadvantage. Repeating it yet again without meaningful change means no check is made and Patience drops by 1.

Read the Other Side

A character may use the normal Read Motive action to study the NPC. In a Negotiation, these questions are added to its list:

• What does this NPC most want from this agreement?
• What is one Motivation I could appeal to?
• What subject or approach is likely to offend this NPC?
• What is one Pitfall I should avoid?
• What concession is this NPC most likely to value?
• Is the NPC concealing a Nonnegotiable Limit?

Normally only one Read the Other Side is allowed between arguments; after an argument resolves, another character may try.

Research Beforehand

Motivations, Pitfalls, leverage, and Limits can be uncovered before the Negotiation by talking to friends, employees, rivals, or family; researching history or reputation; reading correspondence or records; observing behavior; learning what the NPC has accepted or refused before; or doing a favor first. Anything conclusively learned in advance need not be rediscovered with Read Motive.

Leverage

Leverage is information, evidence, authority, property, relationships, or circumstances that make agreeing more attractive or refusing more costly. It need not be a threat: proof the party can solve the NPC's problem, a warrant, a trade deal, or a needed cure all count.

• Ordinary leverage: 1 Advantage on an appropriate argument.
• Powerful leverage: may raise starting Interest by 1.
• Overwhelming leverage: may make the Negotiation unnecessary, though the NPC may comply resentfully or retaliate later.

Concessions

Money, goods, information, services, favors, or altered terms can be offered as part of an argument. A concession grants Advantage only if the NPC genuinely values it. Once used to sway the Negotiation, it becomes part of the proposed deal; the party can't pull it back without making a new argument or lowering Interest.

Deception

An argument containing a lie uses Deception against the NPC's Intellect Save.

• Failure: the argument cannot raise Interest; the GM may reveal the NPC is suspicious.
• Critical Failure: the NPC catches the lie; in addition to the normal result, Interest drops by a further 1.

A lie discovered after the deal may worsen the NPC's Attitude or Demeanor and may collapse the agreement.

Intimidation

Arguments built on threats, displays of force, or warnings use Intimidation. Success can raise Interest but does not improve Attitude. After a deal won mainly through threats, the GM may lower the NPC's Attitude or Demeanor toward the character, especially if the NPC feels the threat was unjustified. For immediate obedience through fear rather than an agreement, use Coerce instead.

Results and Ending

Ending a Negotiation

The Negotiation ends when Interest reaches 5 or 0, Patience reaches 0, the party accepts the current offer, the party ends the talk, or violence or another event makes further talk impossible. Final Interest determines the outcome. Where possible, the GM decides the offers for Interest 2–5 in advance.

Keep Going or Accept

After each exchange the GM clearly states the NPC's current offer. The party may take it immediately; pressing on can improve the result but risks Patience, Interest, and worse terms.

Multiple NPCs

With a group, use the profile of whoever has authority to decide. Others may influence the scene, supply information, object, or add Motivations and Pitfalls, but normally there is a single Interest and Patience track. If two decision-makers must each agree, run separate Negotiations or build one shared profile representing the faction's internal conflict.

Player Characters

These rules never dictate a PC's choices. NPCs can argue, offer, threaten, and apply leverage, but each player decides what their character accepts.

Stopping Combat

Halting an active fight to negotiate usually requires a special ability or a major change in circumstances. The Legendary Negotiator talent can force a quick parley as described in that talent. If it succeeds and the other side can negotiate, pause combat and start a Negotiation using the current Attitude and circumstances. Violence resumes if the talk ends without acceptable terms or either side breaks the parley.

Quick GM Preparation

For an improvised Negotiation, jot down:

• NPC; Current Attitude; Interest; Patience
• Motivation 1; Motivation 2; Pitfall; Nonnegotiable Limit
• Offer at Interest 5 (Yes, And), 4 (Yes), 3 (Yes, But), 2 (No, But), 1 (No), 0 (No, And)

NPC Virtue, Vice, Wants, and Misfortunes from the NPC info tables (see Adversaries) make ready-made Motivations and Pitfalls.

When circumstances warrant, the GM can adjust Interest, Patience or both by 1.