How does one bribe an NPC. I notice that some alternate racial abilities grand discounts to bribes, but I can't locate the bribery rule. If there is a specific rule on the topic, please direct me to the sourse! Thanks
"You may not listen to me, but maybe Mr. Gold Measure can convince you, hmmm?"
No one?
Its another case of "Its the DM's world, and we just live in it." I'd rant about my DM, but my players could do the same about me.
By which I mean there is no rule. Its role-played.
I think the Cheliax booklet had a small sidebox about bribing in that nation.
There's a Rouge archetype that includes a class feature regarding bribing. Specifically stating that you can bribe and official to smuggle things past guards and the like (probably the Smuggler archetype). Therefore implying that no other class is capable of bribing without that class feature.
Dumbest. Feature. Ever.
But that's as close to RAW as you'll get, I think. We just do GM call.
Personally, I give a bonus/penalty to diplomacy based on the demeanor of the guard in question. Honorable guards give you a penalty once attempted to bribe, corrupt guards give you a bonus. If they're more extreme, attitude drops a step (or improves a step), and a simple roll either won't get you out of this pickle (Honorable) or there's no roll necessary (Corrupt).
Never try to bribe a Hellknight, by the way.
EVER.
It was stated in the Cheliax book (which I already mentioned in an earlier post) that the only thing you'd get out of trying to bribe a Hellknight is a beating, plus the punishment for the original offense. I'd say that if you use Diplomacy, consider that an automatic failure unless the Hellknight is a very corrupt Lawful Evil one, though those tend to eventually get caught and beaten down by their fellows and most likely by superior officers who aren't Lawful Evil.
I just wanted to throw out some love to the book 101 New Skill Uses. My tables use the heck out of this book, and they have a very robust system for bribery. I can assure you this book is well worth the price, and adds a lot of depth and flavor to many of the skills.
I call it a bonus to Diplomacy depending on how much you bribe. Tehre are also penalties to try and sway someone in this way depending on the statistics for the settlement you are in, as per the GM Guide.