Diplomacy

"...Surfer, I'll need pens, paper, a giant whiteboard, and light refreshments for 76 different aliens." -- Squirrel Girl

Diplomacy (IQ/Hard) is the skill of negotiating, compromising, and getting along with others. Unlike other Influence skills, Diplomacy never gives a worse result than if you had tried an ordinary reaction roll. A successful roll also allows you to predict the possible outcome of a course of action when you're negotiating--or to choose the best approach.

• Defaults: IQ-6 or Politics-6
• Bonuses: If you know Diplomacy at 20 or higher, you gain a +2 bonus on all reaction rolls!

Things That Help

• Voice (debatable)
• knowing the language and being familiar with the culture
• Charts and diagrams (if in a complex negotiation)
• Light refreshments

Things That Hinder

"Why does Ross, the largest friend, not simply eat the other five?" -- Lrrr, Futurama

• Low Empathy (-3)
• Oblivious (-1)
• Shyness (-1 to -4)
• Stuttering (-2)
• unfamiliar with the culture (-3) (not always necessary depending on genre)

Other Uses

• Tell Me More About This "Dark Lord" -- You can use a perception-based Diplomacy roll to find a person in a crowd who's most likely to share rumors and information!
  • You also use Diplomacy to steer a conversation towards a subject of interest
• Sorry About That -- Diplomacy can be used to advocate for one's self when trying to keep a job, such as explaining a good reason why one was late to a job
  • Again, Sorry About That -- It can be used after a confession to ask for leniency
• There's No Need For Violence -- Diplomacy is probably the best skill for avoiding fights
• Using It Literally -- see Alliances and Diplomacy

Characters

• Baron Janos Telkozep has the Diplomacy skill, which makes sense as both a baron and a team coordinator