Intrigue Conflicts¶

Intrigue conflicts govern high-stakes social encounters where words, reputation, leverage, and position matter more than blades.

They cover negotiations, interrogations, political maneuvering, scandals, factional disputes, and social warfare.

Intrigue uses the same core resolution principles as Combat. But where combat deals in wounds, intrigue deals in commitments and consequences.

When to Use an Intrigue Conflict¶

Use an Intrigue Conflict when: - Stakes extend beyond a single exchange - Multiple parties have competing goals - The outcome may have lasting political, reputational, or social consequences

Skip it for: - Casual conversation - Simple persuasion with no real risk - Flavor dialogue

If nothing meaningful can change, no roll is needed.

Structure¶

Establish stakes — what does each side want, and what could be lost?
Resolve the roll — 2d12 + relevant Skill + Attribute, opposed or against a static difficulty
Determine Social Force — what weight does the character bring beyond words?
Apply consequences — the GM interprets the outcome based on how the roll went and what Social Force was in play

The Roll¶

Common skills: - Negotiation, Influence, Intimidation, Performance, Society

The opposing party either rolls a relevant skill or uses a static difficulty if resistance is passive or institutional.

Ties go to the defender or status quo.

Social Force is what a character can bring to bear beyond the argument itself.

Sources include: - Station or rank - Reputation and Tags - Faction backing - Evidence or proof - Blackmail or secrets - Prior obligations - Community Gifts or Relationship Gifts - Being on home ground

Social Force isn't a number to calculate. The GM considers what the character actually has going for them and weighs it against what the opposition has. A character with strong Social Force can win even a middling roll. A character with none may need a decisive victory just to be taken seriously.

Consequences¶

The GM interprets outcomes on a rough scale from minor to defining:

No lasting change — conversation advances, information exchanged, no commitments made

Minor leverage — soft obligation, a rumor, a door opened or closed, slight shift in stance

Meaningful commitment — explicit promise, public alignment, noticeable reputational change, faction interest engaged

Major consequence — binding agreement, loss of face, public scandal, forced action or concession

Defining outcome — political ruin or elevation, exile or disgrace, permanent shift in the campaign landscape

The roll's margin and the Social Force in play should guide which tier feels right. The GM and players narrate the result together.

Reversibility¶

Unlike wounds, intrigue consequences are often reversible—but not easily.

Minor outcomes may fade with time. Major outcomes require significant effort to undo. Defining outcomes reshape the world permanently.

Using Gifts in Intrigue¶

Community Gifts and Station Gifts are especially powerful here.

They may provide automatic Social Force, change what outcomes are possible, protect against certain consequences, or convert failures into complications.

Intrigue is where these Gifts shine.

Design Notes¶

Consequences are narrative-first, not mechanical attrition.
Force comes from leverage, not raw statistics.
A single roll rarely resolves intrigue unless the fiction is already primed.
Impact is a GM judgment, not a formula.

Intrigue conflicts are how Kaernest's politics, societies, and power structures move.