Charisma Sphere

These are skills that allow you to persaude, lie, or charm your way through life. It also includes a number of social skills that the character can use further their aims, peacefully if they want. Many of these skills are Contested rolls as succeeding in the skill depends on the interaction with whomever they are attempting to lie, persuade, seduce, or compromise.

Attractiveness
This is not so much a skill as it is a measure of beauty for the character. It still takes a number of skill points to increase as putting no points into will not positively affect your appearance. There are certain backgrounds that may subtract from this skill, if they do, they cannot bring it below 1, because one is quite hideous. There are no specializations for this skill. Since "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," the scale below is flexible. Rank 1: hideous. It's possible your mother doesn't even love you. Rank 2: ugly. You hit every branch on the way down, but at least you don't look like the guy above. Rank 3: average. You're very "meh." A dark and smoky room, a few drinks, and someone might think you're attractive. Rank 4: pretty. Strangers notice you and smile, usually with sincerity. Rank 5: attractive. You have few worries in finding romance. Depending on your other social skills, however, is how long you keep that romance. Rank 6: gorgeous. People stare at you, usually slack-jawed, and when they come to their senses, they will fawn over you and do anything they can to please you. Or, maybe the opposite, because they're jealous, but usually the former.

Acting
This skill helps determine how good of an Acting performance the character gives. If they get above a TN 25, then they remember their lines and can deliver them a little better than a robot. Above TN 30, they are moderately remarkable in their roll and may garner a bit more attention. Above TN 35, they did very well and will probably be mentioned by a critic. Above TN 40, they did exceptional and may win a prestigious award. Above TN 45, they did amazingly and will win that award, because they really liked them…they really liked them.
 * Example Specializations
 * Stage, Comedy, Drama, Monologues

Bluff / Distract
this skill is pretty self-explanatory, but requires an opposed Awareness or Intuition check. Which opposed skill is used depends on the Bluff. If the Bluffer is trying to lie or bend the truth, then it is Contested against Intuition. If the Bluffer is trying to distract their target, the it is Contested against Perception. If the bluffer wins, then the target believes and/or falls for the trick. Otherwise, the target sees through the ruse and is not impressed.

Diplomacy
This skill not only governs political diplomacy, but also covers general etiquette and basic tactfulness. This is a relatively arbitrary skill. The TN is usually set by the GM and the character must beat that TN. There are no real guidelines other than, if they are trying to calm someone, think of how angry they are on a scale from 1 to 10, add 30 to it, and that is the Threshold. Success means the target is calmed, but more success will bring them closer to the character's point of view. If there’s more than one person involved take an average of how angry they are and again that plus 30 is the Threshold, roll once for each person. This can also be used to change and/or establish first impressions.
 * Example Specializations
 * Politics, Courtly Intrigue, Etiquette

Disguise
This skill allows the character to change their appearance to prevent people from discovering their true appearance. It can also be used to impersonate voices and mannerisms of other people. The character may not disguise themselves to appear any shorter or taller than 4 inches (10cm) than their full height.

This is a Contested skill. The person rolls their Disguise skill and everyone else rolls their Perception skill. Whoever rolls more successes, wins. The character only needs to roll one time. This represents the quality of that disguise. If they change it at all, they must roll again. If they have a disguise kit or access to makeup, then they can add 2 successes to their total. If they are trying to impersonate a person, then any NPC who knows the person personally (meaning having known the person for more than three months), then they get a +2 to their Awareness check. Mimicking voices is actually covered either under Acting or Bluff, but same rules apply.
 * Example Specializations
 * Makeup, Mannerisms, Voices

Interrogation
This is an information gathering skill and it is Contested. The interrogator obviously uses their Interrogation skill. The Interrogated uses either their Bluff/Distract skill or their Resist Torture/Pain. This depends on how the interrogator is interrogating. Using intimidation, wordplay, and double-speak traps, then the interrogated must use their Bluff/Distract skill. Using pain and torture, then the interrogated uses Resist Torture/Pain. If the character rolls more than their “interviewee,” then they gain any hidden information that NPC is hiding.
 * Example Specializations
 * Pain Application, Doublespeak, Word-Traps

Intimidation
This skill allows the character to scare someone else into doing something. This skill can only be used on NPCs. The character may use either their Charisma or their Strength, whichever is higher or however the character wishes to intimidate. This is passive and may be attempted by anyone, but taking this skill means you've gained or learned a special knack for scaring people into submission.
 * Example Specializations
 * Threats, Menacing Gestures, Glaring

Perform
This skill is the character’s ability to put on a performance. This skill covers any sort performing art except Acting or Dancing…guess which skills do that. The TN and success for this skill are the same as Acting.
 * Example Specializations
 * Specific Instrument or Art Form

Persuasion / Debate
With this skill, you attempt to convince someone that you are right and they are wrong...basically. This is an opposed roll using either the target's Intuition or their Persuasion/Debate skill, whichever is higher. Of course, the player also has to present the GM with an adequate argument and based on that, the GM will set the TN (starting at 25). If the player is successful, then the target agrees with them, but won't necessarily do what the player wants them to.
 * Example Specializations
 * Point/Counterpoint, Pros-and-Cons, Persuasive Language

Seduction
This skill governs the subtle art of Seduction. Those wishing to bed another character must roll a similar check. If they have no ranks in Seduction, they may use their Intuition. The character may be exceptionally genuine about their intentions, or they could just be looking for sex. In either case, it is a Contested roll, Whoever rolls higher "wins," meaning if the target was resistant, they have been convinced and mutually agree to some horizontal tango. If the target wins, they are not impressed by the Seductor/tress' terrible lines as they've heard them all before and will not get hurt again.

Streetwise
"Street Smarts" in other words. This is handled exactly like Diplomacy, but as it pertains to "street-level diplomats." Though this may get you through a few shady deal it will not allow you to talk yourself out of a mugging. That would be more Bluff/Distract.
 * Example Specializations
 * Syndicate Politics, Hook Up (not the same as the Path of Shadow Talent), Illicit Deal