Troubadour, Diplomat

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Overview & Creation

Sweet words wittily spoken can drives daggers to hearts, or bind the most cunning of deals. The diplomat is a master of reading another emotions and thoughts to deliver their message and achieve a victory by words rather than arms.

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Class Features

Lv.3 Honeyed Words

The diplomat is a wordsmith first and formost able to influence, distract or employ rhetoric to effect. At this level and every 3rd level (3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th) the diplomat may add a new oritory to their repertoire.  

• Distracting Speaker – The diplomat may as an action enter into a distracting performance of words designed to captivate an audience distracting them from other events otherwise in plain view. When the diplomat begins this performance they roll a contested performance check against the audiences insight. Each target in the audience that fails their insight are temporarily fascinated by the diplomat until the beginning of the diplomats next turn. While fascinated the targets fail any perception checks to spot any non-violent events in the nearby vicinity. Those that pass their insight have disadvantage on their perception checks instead.
 
• Suggestive Words – The diplomat is able with skilled wordplay to implant an idea in a targets mind by exploiting their nature and personality. When communicating with someone you have prior knowledge of the diplomate can use an action to subtly implant a suggestion so that the target thinks the idea come from themself. This suggestion must be clearly expressed in 25 words or less and must reasonable to the target, situation or recent events. The diplomat now rolls a contested deception check against the targets wisdom save.
  • If the target fails their save to detect the suggestion, the target takes the idea to heart as if they had come up with the idea themselves.
  • If the target succeeds by more than to resist the suggestion, then they become aware of the diplomats machinations in trying to manipulate them.
  • Otherwise implanting the idea simply fails.
 
• Truthseeker – The diplomat is skilled in being able to detect lies and falsehood in another's tales gaining the following benefits:   As an action the diplomat may cross-examine an NPCs testimony to determine if there was any deception that was missed on the first account granting advantage on an insight check to determine any information not accurately revealed. This ability may be used to reroll a first failed insight check.   As an action the diplomat may cold read an NPC to learn up to 3 non-obvious facts about their attire, mood, occupation, living conditions, recent or old injuries, allegiances or background. When the diplomat uses this ability they roll perception learning 1 fact for exceeding DC10, 2 for DC15, or 3 for DC20, most obvious facts are learnt before less obvious ones. Knowing non-obvious facts about the NPC may give advantage on other charisma checks with GM discretion.
 
• Snaketongued – The diplomat is skilled in the arts of deception gaining expertise in this skill if they do not already possess it. In addition whenever the diplomat fails a deception check, they may attempt an intelligence save against the targets insight to come up with a cover story on the spot. If they succeed they are able to weave a credible story as to why they were lying, this cover story being enough to defuse any immediate suspicion against them, however the diplomat now has disadvantage on any deception checks against the targets who caught them lying for the next 1 month.
 
• Goading Insults – the diplomat knows how to select the insulting jests to twist a dagger in a targets heart. As an action the diplomat may attempt to goad a target to attack them, or another character present. The diplomat rolls a contested performance check against the targets wisdom save or charisma save (targets choice).   If the target fails they suffer a -1 cumulative penalty (up to -5) on attacks and checks against other creatures until they attack and hit the source of their frustration, or defeat them in a contested skill check. This penalty lasts until the encounter ends or 1hr has passed whichever comes first.

 

Lv. 5 Negotiator

The diplomat practises their arts of haggling, defusing tense situations and skill at negotiating a deal gaining the following abilities once per short rest:

• Defuse hostile encounter - So long as the diplomat has not taken any hostile actions in an encounter with intelligent creatures, they may attempt to defuse the situation as an action. When they do so they may attempt a contested charisma save with the other teams combatants, those combatants that roll less than the diplomat hold their action to defend themselves instead of taking offensive actions. If the diplomat or their allies take any offensive actions before the end of the diplomats next turn, the chance to defuse the situation is broken – any repeat attempts during the encounter being made at disadvantage.
 
• Haggle Prices - When purchasing/selling adventuring gear valued at over 100gp in a single purchase, the diplomat may attempt to haggle prices professionally, attempting a contested charisma save against the vendor/customer. For every point of difference the price is decreased/increased 10%. When haggling in this manner, all purchases from the vendor/customer must be made at the same time, and are haggled once only. A vendor will only haggle with the diplomat like this once per day.
 
• Strike Deal - When agreeing a deal, or terms with an NPC, the diplomat is able to create strong written contracts. When agreeing terms, the diplomat may complete a 10min ritual to write a formal contract costing 5gp in reagents including failure or severance conditions for the other party should they not keep their word.   When doing so the diplomat and their allies are responsible for collecting on the failure or severance conditions, but the other party(s) who agreed and signed the contract suffers disadvantage on any checks to resist the PCs debt collection knowing themselves to be squarely in the wrong.   Additionally the written contract may be used as evidence of employment, service or otherwise that a deal and obligation was struck between the two parties. Depending on local law enforcement, the wronged party may be able to use this contract to gain advantage on persuasion checks to solicit the aid of the local authority. GM discretion applies.

 

Lv. 7 Spymaster

The diplomat begins to develop a web of spies and informants helping them gather intelligence and information, gaining the following benefits.   Once per long rest the diplomat may attempt to recruit an NPC as an informant. When they do so, they must pass a contested persuasion or intimidation check against the targets wisdom save. If they succeed by more than 5, then the NPC agrees to divulge information or knowledge that they are privy to that they otherwise would not have been willing to give. If the diplomat succeeds by 5 or less, then the informant will request payment or favour from the diplomat in return for their spying with GM discretion.   Once per long rest Informants may be requested to undertake more complex spy missions. Whenever the diplomat would request this, they must undertake a further contested check to convince the NPC, if successful the NPC may conduct one of the following missions or similar for an agreed price with the diplomat. Such missions may include;

• Planting evidence, or placing an item in a location
• Leaving doors unlocked
• Abandoning a guard/watch
• Travelling to a pre-defined location to leave a message when certain events transpire

  Informants will not knowingly break local law or custom unless intimidated into the task, and will only access areas that they would otherwise normally have access to. Informants will not undertake any mission they deem to be perilous or dangerous unless intimidated into the task.   Intimidating informants leads to future checks with that informant being undertaken at disadvantage and run a 5% risk of the informant requesting aid against the diplomat and their allies from other powers or groups.  

Lv.10 Mind Reader

The diplomat ability to read a person reaches an apex to the point they almost seem to be able to read a targets very thoughts and inner feelings. Whenever the diplomat engages in conversation with an NPC or player they may attempt an action to make a contested insight check against the targets charisma save to try and gauge the targets surface thoughts.   When successful, the diplomat 00-80% of the time accurately divines what the target is thinking about at that moment, and if they have any other immediate concerns that they are worried about.   This ability is non-magical.