Hranie: Dialóg, diplomatické a sociálne zručnosti

Vedenie dialógov medzi postavami hráčov i medzi hráčovou postavou a nehráčovými postavami.

Diplomatické a sociálne (spoločenské) zručnosti hráčovej alebo hráčkinej postavy.

Jedny z najzásadnejších okruhov zručností pre postavy hráčov.

Along with stealth and exploration, discussing things with others is the meat and potatoes of the game. Can it get you into trouble ? Yes. Can it get you out of trouble ? Yes. Can it help you learn certain things and details that would otherwise evade you ? Of course ! Is asking something from a stranger usually for free ? Yes, mostly yes. Mostly… Talking to others is not only important, it's a crucial part of life in Aporue.

Being a professional thief is not all about what you can achieve with physical prowess alone. Even if you are a burglar-freelancer, you'll have to learn at least basic communication craftiness if you're ever going to make it anywhere in your unusual livelihood. The same thing applies to you if you're a member of a fellowship or guild.

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Diplomatic and social skills

Available to all specialisations.

These skills all focus on the psychological, social and diplomatic side of things. They are indispensible for proper roleplaying, immersion, believability, as well as a healthy dash of unpredictability/randomness while interacting with various characters, particularly non-player characters.

Persuasion: One of the basic skills at negotiating with virtually anyone. The greater the experience in this skill, the greater the chance one has of persuading a non-player character about a particular topic, or to see things his way. Persuasion is just what it sounds like – changing others minds about things via cunning, but non-violent means. The most basic and most often used of all diplomatic skills is simply that with which you persuade others to see things your way. It's the backbone of all conmanship and diplomacy - to many people, things that are one and the same. Beware, there's no guaranteed recipe for how to go about using this skill. Every person you're trying to sway is a unique individual, and the situations you're trying to persuade that person in always offer a unique context (even broadly similar situations). But don't fret. There might not be a recipe, but there are many, many different bits of advice for getting good mileage out of this skill. Good advice time-tested by entire generations worth of experience gathering by others.

Haggling: Trading things, whether with money or via barter methods, can often be quite the hassle. This is where your bargaining skill can really come in handy, saving you some additional money or items you might have otherwise been forced to trade. Whether you're haggling with shop owners operating among the thieves' guilds, or those that are part of the regular (and mostly legal) commerce of the city, a skill like this is one that money can't buy. One of the basic skills at negotiating with virtually anyone. The greater the experience in this skill, the greater the chance one has of haggling a good transaction or good deal with a non-player character.

Compassion: The skill at performing acts of empathy, understanding and selfless acts, all in a manner that could potentially raise the player's reputation and thus also the Trust levels of an individual NPC or even a group of NPCs. The downside of using this skill is that insincere attempts at compassion can be potentially revealed, either quickly or gradually, based on the perceptiveness of an NPC, or that certain NPCs might not think highly of the player showing compassion in a certain context or even at all. Using Intimidation on a regular basis will (generally) positively effect the Ethics scale. One of the basic skills at negotiating with virtually anyone. The greater the experience in this skill, the greater the chance one has of raising the trust of a non-player character.

Deception: The skill at creating ruses, half-truths, false impressions or just straight-up cunning fibs about some situation or about some individual or place. This skill can be used by more upstanding players as well as more manipulative-minded ones, but is trickier to use than most. The major downside is that attempts at deception can be potentially revealed, and the resulting repercussions do not bode well for the player, particularly his reputation in terms of the Ethics and Trust scales. Using Deception on a regular basis will negatively effect the Ethics scale. One of the more advanced skills at negotiating with others. One of the more advanced skills at negotiating with others. The greater the experience in this skill, the greater the chance one has at (temporarily) deceiving and tricking a non-player character.

Distraction: The skill at orchestrating situations (simple or complex) via social means, all in order to take away a certain person's or group's attention away from one thing, then refocus it on another thing. From fooling someone into looking the other way or falling for a (seemingly) mundane accident happening nearby, to providing temporary plausible cover for fellow thievy operatives during a heist or getaway, well-used examples of distraction can make or break many situations where potential success hangs by a thread. Successful distractions are objectivelly hard to pull off, especially for prolonged amounts of time, but fooling people's immediate reflexes by psychologically outsmarting them is one of the ultimate tricks up any experienced thief's sleeve. One of the more advanced skills at negotiating with others. The greater the experience in this skill, the greater the chance one has of distracting a non-player character.

Intimidation: Sometimes, when all other diplomatic skills and milder methods fail, a professional thief has to resort to something… harsher. The intimidation skill doesn't necessarily mean you have to rough someone up. Really knowledgeable thieves will tell you that playing on another person's fear or weak spots can do wonders, whereas directly threatening or even harming that same person would probably yield little. One needs to find the right balance between more overt and more subtle intimidation, and also be willing to use this skill as more of an ace up the sleeve. Its constant use (or abuse) can become counterproductive to the player character, or even lead to the skill losing its effectiveness. Bare that in mind when using this skill. The skill can use the Reputation modifier to its advantage, especially if the player has a high Infamy score (undesirable for most situations, but oddly handy for Intimidation). One of the more advanced skills at negotiating with others. The greater the experience in this skill, the greater the chance one has of intimidating a non-player character into a certain course of action or even just a certain mindset.

Friend of animals: Knowing how to deal with animals, particularly domesticated animals, but even some wild ones, can sometimes make quite a big difference. Even putting aside any ethical considerations of compassion for other living things, being good with understanding animals can be very helpful in many situations, not the least of which is or even sending messages. Combining this skill with the use of the Compassion skill can get you far when it comes to convincing a mount animal (a horse, donkey, camel, snow camel, etc.), a companion animal (a dog, cat, etc.), or even a tamed bird (message-pigeon, raven, falcon, hawks) to cooperate with your player character, or even other characters in your group. One decisive use of this skill (or the combination) is while riding a horse (or other mount) and wanting to prevent it from getting spooked while using a weapon on horseback (e.g. a lance, sabre, crossbow or pistol). Though you won’t be exactly able to tame wild creatures and issue them orders, you can learn to apply appropriate body language for cases when you meet potentially dangerous wild animals. Avoiding provocation of such beasts or gently scaring them off can come in handy, especially during travels and adventures in the wilderness. As this skill represents both knowledge of an animal and its behaviour, and the practical experience of properly caring for and guiding such an animal, you will not be able to do without either. You need to have some degree of knowledge and experience in both theory and in practice.

Knowledge of languages: Melza, and central Aporue overall, are more naturally multicultural places than might seem at first glance. Though most of the locals appear like typical Aporueans, there are also some assimilated descendants of more exotic ethnicities and cultures, especially in the western parts of this continental region. As one of the consequences, central Aporue is naturally rife with many varied (but usually at least somewhat inter-related) languages and dialects. Most people, regardless of species, ethnicity, nationality or religion, in Aporue, Akirfa, Aisa and elsewhere, will be at least naturally bilingual, at a minimum, if not trilingual, or even polyglots. This isn’t necessarily because people are so keen to learn various languages, but because of simply daily necessity. If you need to know multiple languages and dialects to get by in everyday conversations, or visiting a shop or marketplace, or trading with a non-local, language knowledge is essential. There are also mixed marriages of various kinds, with children from such families generally learning the differing languages of both their parents. Such natural learning of languages from an early age esnures that bilingualism and multilingualism isn’t seen as unusual at all. This is particularly true about such a fairly cosmopolitan and rather multicultural metropolis like Melza, and the other settlements in its immediate vicinity are not far behind either. Depending on where your player characters were born and come from, and what their personal backstories/biographies are, they will have different sets of language knowledge when they start the game. For example, if someone is a native of Melza, they will very likely use the local dialect (Melzish) on a daily basis and consider it their mother tongue. In addition, they will usually speak at least one of the languages of a neighbouring country. If they’ve led a shady life or a life of crime or have mingled with the City’s seedier underbelly, they might also know a fair bit of the local argot (cant). If your player character was born abroad and considers some other language their mother tongue, their knowledge of the Melzan dialect might be more rudimentary. This also impacts gameplay: A lesser knowledge of local language, turn of phrase and idiom might occasionally inconvenience a player character, creating the occassional case of a minor confusion or minor embarrassment. Of course, this also applies if someone from Melza travels abroad and is in an area where they don’t know the local language that well, or not at all. In cases like these, being part of at least a small mixed group can be helpful. Another member of your group might be more acquainted with a local language or dialect your character struggles with, and can help translating.If a player character is well-versed in speaking and writing in a particular language, they’ll usually find it much easier to understand a related language, particularly if both languages come from the same larger language family. Language knowledge is universally advantageous to player characters, regardless of chosen specialisation.

Cultural ken: Rather than a single ability, this skill covers several possible abilities pertaining to everyday culture or more „fancy“ culture. (For comparison with a similar branching system of a particular skill, please see the Artisan skills section.) The particular abilities one can foster and improve within the Cultural ken skill include musical skills (e.g. singing and particularly playing a musical instrument), storytelling skills, religious knowledge, knowledge of cultural and artistic facts and history, knowledge of local folklore, idioms, proverbs, weatherlore, etc., being well-versed the latest local gossip, and so on. These are particularly useful skills for those specialisations that focus on social skills and mingling in society for intel-gathering et al, but are also practical for any other specialisations too. Finally, this skill can also improve individual player or player group morale, lessen fear or anxiety, increase trust, if applied well and reasonably through music or storytelling (e.g. a song or story to life one’s spirits). The old saying that quietly singing a ditty while being in a scary or ominous situation isn’t balderdash, you know...

4.) Používanie zlodejského argotu

plech, džura, fošňa	dom, obydlie, byt
štrb, voška, škára, budár	bezpečný úkryt, brloh, skrýša
keňer, šťanka, šťankožranica	hostinec, šenk, krčma
ryha, žľab, válov, strž, struha	ulica
boľačka, modrina	ulička, zadná ulička
tanier, tácka	dvor, nádvorie
kĺzať sa, šmýkať sa, pätovať, odkradnúť sa	ísť, kráčať (niekam)
spľundrovať, smetiť, upratať, podkasať	predávať lup, priniesť priekupníkovi lup
vajko v košíku, košíček, zúbok, chrup	skrýša pre lup, úkryt s lupom
varené vajce, puknuté vajce, vybitý zub, zubybolenie	poškodený lup, poškodený kontraband
bodliak, žihľava, handra, striga	dýka alebo bodná zbraň
cvendžák, lečo, reč, špik	meč (spravidla rovný)
kosa, holeň, ostriholeň	šabľa alebo zakrivený meč
konár, vetva, uzol, hodváb	luk
cvakáč, cvakaňa, orech, muškát, verklík	kuša
ražeň, trieska, triesočka	šíp
šklb, šklbaňa, čap, svoreň	šípka (pre kušu)
pinka, cól, latka	priekupník, prostredník, príjemca
sýkorka, vrabec, mucha	špiceľ, informant
vlk, trivé	žartovné skratky, znamenajúce "vreckár-lapikapsár” a ”vykrádač vreciek a vačkov” - vreckár, vačkozlodej, mešcokrad
čelo, ceš, šeše	šéf zlodejského cechu
bandoliér, čižma	spojenec z cechu, spravidla ozbrojený (napr. Strážnik, Fanfarón)
palec, lyko, dážďovník, potkaniar	(bežný) policajt alebo pochôdzkár Mestskej stráže
čutora, čutorák, dúškar	strážnik alebo vartáš Mestskej stráže alebo Melzanskej armády
pouličná zmes, hrniec, rinčoš	člen Stráže slúžiaci v Lietajúcej čate alebo Tlmičoch nepokoja
krmivo, kaša	pivo alebo iný alkohol
kapusta, kapustnica	káva alebo cigória
hniloba, hnis, sneť	jedlo alebo pokrmy

Čisto pre zaujímavosť vám ešte ponúknem prehľad tohto fiktívneho argotu aj v anglickojazyčnej verzii Príležitosť robí zlodeja:

burr, gap, board	house, dwelling, flat
fiss, bug, cranny, loo	safehouse, hideout
bread, piss, pissgrub	inn, alehouse, pub
cratch, chute, gull	street
sore, shiner	alley, back alley
plate, tray	yard, courtyard
skid, slide, sole, slink	to go, to walk (somewhere)
trash, tidy, tuck	to fence loot, sell off loot
egg in a basket, eggbasket, tooth	loot cache
boiled egg, cracked egg, toothache	damaged loot, damaged goods
thistle, nettle, rag, hag	dagger or stabbing weapon
strand, lord, lard	sword (usually straight)
scythe, shank, shin	sabre or curved sword
branch, knot, silk	bow (weapon)
snapper, nutmeg, hurdy-gurdy	crossbow
skewer, splinter, splint	arrow
jolt, peg, pin	(crossbow) bolt
finch, inch, pale	fence, middleman, receiver
tit, sparrow, fly	squealer, informant
threepee	from “purse-and-pocket-pilferer” - pickpocket, cutpurse
dross, floss, toss	a thieves's guild boss
baldric, boot	ally from a guild, usually armed (e.g. Guard, Brigand)
toe, sob, swift, ratcatcher	(common) policeman or patrolman of The Watch
flask, flasker, swigger	guard or watchman of The Watch or the Melzan army
mutt, pot, clank	Flying Squad or Unrest Quellers member of the Watch
forage, porridge	beer or other alcohol
cabbage, cabbage soup	coffee or chicory
rot, fester, blight	food or meals

Ako vidíte, hoci som pri preklade dbal na rozdielne aspekty oboch jazykov (koniec-koncov, ako vždy), význam mnohých argotových výrazov je podobný, niekedy takmer identický.

5.) Používanie posunkov

Even with the advance of technology, neither the cultures of Aporue, or any other cultures anywhere in the world for that matter, have invented devices capable of transfering people's voices in an audible fashion. Forget portable radios, even oversized stationary telephones and radios are still being worked. They remain a pipe dream even for the wealthiest reputable folk, so what's a poor professional thief to do ?

Use simple substitutes that have been around for ages, of course. Visual signals, involving flashing signals with tiny mirrors or polished pieces of metal, can prove practical at greater distances and in certain situations. Sadly, unless the conditions are right, these are generally too risky an option to be used stealthily. Audible signals, often involving the use of birdcalls (or very good natural sounds imitation) are also an option, and somewhat of a stealthier one than visual signals. But only if they are done right. An inappropriate use of sounds can still give one away…

Well, if even these simple substitutes are not all that secure, what to use then ? Perhaps some of the oldest communication in the book, of course: Gestures and facial expressions. Silent, not flashy, cost nothing. And unless you run to a distance where no one can make heads or tails of what you're gesturing, they are a very clear and unambiguous communcation methods. Well… Unambiguous only as long as people agree upon a secret code to go with each gesture.

Here's an overview of fairly standardised gesture and facial expressions code in thieving underworld of Melza (some of them come in more than one variation):

Posunok	Výraz tváre	Význam
priloženie prsta k perám	N/A	"Ticho…"
priloženie prsta k perám, mentorské dvihnutia prsta	N/A	"Čo najtichšie…"
priloženie prsta k perám	mierne kývnutie	"Jasné, ticho ďalej postupuj."
poklepanie nosa ukazovákom	N/A	"Neboj sa. Viem…"
mávanie rukou k sebe z veľmi krátkej vzdialenosti, ukazovanie prstom na vlastnú nohu	mračenie sa, kývanie hlavou	"Pomalšie !" / "Nežeň(te) sa vpred !"
dvihnutie prsta a ukazovanie prstom na podlahu	mračenie sa	"Pozor, hlučná podlaha."
potriasanie nohou na mieste, ukazovanie prstom na podlahu	kyslé zaškerenie sa	"Pozor, vŕzgajúca drevená podlaha."
vodorovné držanie zovretej päste, ukazovanie prstom na podlahu	mračenie sa	"Pozor, hlučná kamenná/dláždená podlaha."
vodorovné držanie ruky (dlaňou dole), ukazovanie prstom na podlahu	mračenie sa	"Pozor, hlučná podlaha z dlaždíc."
kývnutie smerom k predmetu, “bagging” gesture	N/A	"Uchmatni to." / "Potiahni to."
kývnutie smerom k predmetu, posunok “hrabania” alebo “prehrabávania” rukou	N/A	"Over to." / "Prehľadaj to."
napodobňovanie držania ďalekohľadu pred okom	N/A	"Prezri to." / "Poobzeraj sa."
napodobňovanie držania ďalekohľadu pred okom, ukazovanie prstom	N/A	"Pozri sa tým smerom."
napodobňovanie držania ďalekohľadu pred okom, ukazovanie prstom na dvere	N/A	"Choď k dverám a nakukni cez kľúčovú dierku."
dlaň držaná za uchom, ukazovanie prstom na dvere	N/A	"Načúvaj za tými dverami."
posunok “tlačenia na kľučku”, ukazovanie prstom na dvere	N/A	"Opartne otvor tie dvere."
krátke zahnanie sa zovretou päsťou, ukazovanie prstom na strážnika	N/A	"Omráč ho."
krátke zahnanie sa zovretou päsťou, ukazovanie prstom na strážnika	jasné žmurknutie	"Omráč ho, ale uisti sa, že to pôjde."
posunok rukou napodobňujúci vlnky, ľubovoľne aj s ukazovaním prstom	N/A	"Tečúca voda…" / "Rieka." / "Potok."
zamávanie rukou ako pri rozháňaní dymu, krátky posunok “vrhania rukou”	N/A	"Hoď dymovú bombu."
krátky posunok “vrhania rukou”	prudké, zveličené žmurkanie	"Hoď zábleskovú bombu."
pohyb spakruky pred očami, krátky posunok “vrhania rukou”	N/A	"Hoď zábleskovú bombu."
zakrývanie úst dlaňou, krátky posunok “vrhania rukou”	N/A	“Hoď plynovú bombu.”
rýchle myknutie zápästím dohora so všetkými prstami roztiahnutými, krátky posunok “vrhania rukou”	N/A	“Hoď granát.”
zamávanie rukou ako pri rozháňaní dymu, krátky posunok nasmerovaný dlaňou dole	N/A	“Umiestni dymovú mínu.”
krátky posunok nasmerovaný dlaňou dole	prudké, zveličené žmurkanie	“Umiestni zábleskovú mínu.”
pohyb spakruky pred očami, krátky posunok nasmerovaný dlaňou dole	N/A	“Umiestni zábleskovú mínu.”
zakrývanie úst dlaňou, krátky posunok nasmerovaný dlaňou dole	N/A	“Umiestni plynovú mínu.”
rýchle myknutie zápästím dohora so všetkými prstami roztiahnutými, krátky posunok nasmerovaný dlaňou dole	N/A	“Umiestni mínu.”
krátky posunok nasmerovaný dlaňou dole, nasledovaný posunkom “otáčam číselníkom”	N/A	"Nastav časovač na míne."

(* - množstvo času pre časovač je naznačené aj ukázaním určitého počtu prstov. Každý prst reprezentuje odlišnú kratšiu aporuejskú jednotku času. Jeden prst spravidla označuje thanker, dva prsty zas blesser. Držanie prsta (alebo prstov) v ohnutej, do 90° ohýbanej polohy, znamená polovicu času danej časovej jednotky.)

6.) Ostať ticho či neostať ticho ?

So, let's imagine you and maybe one or two of your fellow burglars are already taking part in some heist or proverbial catacomb-crawl. Let's imagine a situation occurs where you can't rely on gestures and facial expressions. You need to get verbal. Is it too risky or not ? Well, that depends. The answer is context-sensitive.

If you feel or think someone (or, heaven forbid, something) could hear you very easily, with your cover getting blown or at least compromised quickly, try to avoid verbal communication. If you feel or think that someone (or something) doesn't have much of a chance to hear you if you speak up in what amounts to careful whispers… then speak up to your companions in said careful whispers. It's all a matter of common sense, knowing your current surroundings and staying vigilant, and being willing to sometimes sacrifice utmost sneakiness for effective communication and leadership.

Obviously, if you start running around and hollering in an already hostile or potentially dangerous environment, expect bad stuff to come your way, sooner or later.

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