Taldor's 6000 years of history hangs in balance as its staunchly traditionalist past comes in conflict with the demands of a progressive future. If the heroes want their country to have a future at all, they must play the deadly game of politics and tip the balance towards the most promising candidate.
Yanmass Stat Block:
YANMASS, CITY OF COMMERCE
LN small city
Corruption +2; Crime –1; Economy +4; Law +4; Lore +3; Society –2
Qualities prosperous, rumormongering citizens, strategic location, trade over politics
Danger +5
DEMOGRAPHICS
Government overlord (hereditary baron)
Population 56,995 (46,050 humans, 4790 halflings, 2685 half-elves, 3470 other)
MARKETPLACE
Base Value 5,720 gp; Purchase Limit 37,500 gp;
Spellcasting 6th
Minor Items 4d4; Medium Items 3d4; Major Items 1d6
Social Combat:
Social Rounds: During these social rounds (considered to be roughly 15 minutes each), PCs can attempt various skill checks to influence NPCs or to generally carouse a specific area. PCs can attempt only one major action each round, including influencing an area, influencing a specific NPC, or attempting mission-related skill checks, but they can travel freely between rounds to investigate or influence new areas or characters.
Influencing an Area: A PC can attempt an appropriate skill check with a set DC for one of the areas where social combat takes place, hobnobbing and impressing the general crowd in that area. Each area has two thresholds, which represent levels of influence over that area. Every point by which the PC’s result on one of these skill checks exceeds the DC is added to a pool of points specific to that area. When the number of points earned by the party as a whole exceeds the threshold of an area, then the GM provides the PCs with the information and story award associated with that area’s threshold value.
Influencing an NPC: A PC can attempt various skill checks to influence the NPCs. These rules are a simplified version of the rules for influencing an individual presented in Chapter 3 of Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Intrigue.
Each social round, a PC can move to any location on the map and select a single NPC in that area as their target to influence. They then attempt either a discovery check or an influence check.
A discovery check allows a PC to learn either one of the skills they can use to influence the target or a weakness that grants them (and any other characters with whom they share this information) a +4 bonus on future influence checks. The exact skill and DC required for a discovery check varies.
An influence check is an attempt to win the target’s favour. PCs must attempt a skill check using one of the skills listed in the target’s Influence entry, though discovering what these skills are requires a successful discovery check. A successful skill check against the listed DC counts as one success, indicating growing affection or respect for the PC. Each target lists the total number of successes needed to gain their favor. At the GM’s discretion, PCs can attempt to use a skill not listed in an NPC’s stat block, but doing so increases the influence check DC by 5. A PC earns one additional success if their influence check exceeds the listed DC by 5 or more.
A failed discovery or influence check can be attempted again in subsequent rounds with no penalty unless otherwise noted.
Relics:
Relics are special magic items empowered by the zeitgeist and legend behind them. These once-grand items were powerful at the height of their legend, but time and ignorance have sapped the collective knowledge that charged them. However, a wielder accomplishing great deeds can gradually begin to restore their greatness.
Dignity's Barb is a +1 darkwood seeking light crossbow. Once per day when the weapon threatens a critical hit, the wielder can roll twice to confirm and take the better result.
Envoy Ring grants the wearer a +3 competence bonus on Diplomacy, Linguistics, and Perform checks. Once per day, the wearer can speak a command word to transform their appearance and clothing, as per disguise self. The appearance of their clothing automatically matches the customs of the dominant culture around them, typically that of the local nobility or ruling class, and the wearer also can read, write, understand and speak the dominant language in the area. This lasts up to 24 hours, but can be dismissed at any time. In addition, it can be activated to cast charm person (DC 17) and comprehend languages, once per day each.
Koriana's Blade is a +2 defending falcata and has five gemstones in its pommel. Three are broken, but the white gem in the center and the green one are intact. Once per day, the wielder can trigger the white gemstone as an immediate action to absorb and negate all darts targeting them from a magic missile spell. Once per day, the wielder can trigger the green gem as an immediate action to become immune to a single poison effect - the gem must be triggered before making the save. When the wielder transfers at least 1 point of the weapon's enhancement bonus to their AC using the defending special ability, they also chooses one creature other than themselves within 10 feet to gain a +1 bonus to AC until the wielder's next turn. This bonus is always +1, regardless of how much of the weapon's bonus the wielder transfers to their AC.
The Subtle Mask gives the wearer a +2 competence bonus to Charisma and on Sense Motive checks, and the ability to use comprehend languages once per day. The wearer can mentally activate the mask as a swift action while conversing with someone or observing a conversation to use detect thoughts (DC 18) on a single participant in the conversation. This requires spending the normal number of rounds to detect surface thoughts and can be used for a total of 9 rounds per day. When the wearer mentally activates the mask, they also detect magical effects as if using arcane sight and concentrating on the creature. When donned, the mask seems to disappear, leaving its golden patterns as tattoos on the wearer’s face and coloring one of the wearer's eyes green and the other blue.
The Standard of Conquest. Its effects apply only if the standard is wielded or carried, and it must be attached to the shaft o a lance, polearm, spear, staff, or similar. The standard-bearer and allies within 60 feet who can see the banner gain a +2 morale bonus on saving throws. They also increase their base speed of themselves and of mounts they ride by 5 feet. Once per day, when the bearer begins a charge action, it can use a swift action to call for a battle charge, causing the speed increase from the standard to become 20 feet for 1 round and ignores the penalty to AC from the charge.
Ten Things To Know About Taldans:
As citizens of one of the oldest nations in Avistan, whose bravery and martial prowess forged an empire and whose canny wit helped them establish trade networks around the globe, Taldans are complex and multifaceted. While the amusing illusion of stuffed-shirted wealthy elites harrumphing as they look down their noses at downtrodden peasants makes for an easy laugh, life in Taldor means much more frequent contact with a vast array of citizens. To diversify your view of Taldor, here are 10 interesting aspects of the Taldan people.
10. Taldans Love Wordplay. As originators of the Taldane language, Taldans understand a considerable breadth and depth of the Common tongue that even their former colonies don’t share, and fast-paced banter and clever linguistic choices are proud parts of their heritage. Even the flintiest of farmers love insightful plays on words, and a cleverly timed, crass pun can delight even the stodgiest of nobles.
9. Taldans Love Board Games. Every Taldan fancies herself a general, and so board games, strategy games, and war games are popular pastimes for everyone from gong farmers to emperors. While gambling can be fun, it leaves victory in the hands of fate - something few Taldans can stomach - and they prefer diversions that offer at least the illusion of control. While many board games were either invented or adopted by Taldor, just as popular are war games played out with wooden miniatures using elaborate rules.
8. First Emperor Taldaris Is the Man. Taldans are a people suffused in patriotism and a love of history, and that history begins with their origins as a series of city-states united by a great leader: First Emperor Taldaris. Like similar historical figures wreathed in myth, he's often invoked and exploited by residents: politicians insist they know what his vision for Taldor really was; tutors place him in all sorts of parables for bravery, honesty, and other virtues; and inns and estates advertise that "Taldaris slept here" to impress travellers — even though few, if any, structures in modern Taldor have survived since the First Emperor's day.
7. Taldan Hair Is a Big Deal. Even poor households invest in quality brushes, sheers, and oils from the tea tree and argan tree to keep themselves looking and smelling good, and every family has its own secret recipe for shiny, healthy hair. Many outsiders consider this yet another example of Taldan vanity, but the truth is more complex. Taldans' world travels have brought a wide array of parasites home over the centuries; clean hair is a simple comfort that also promotes health.
6. Taldans Will Eat Anything. You can't be a refugee or a soldier on the march and still be a picky eater. Since the founding of their nation, Taldans have embraced a philosophy of "whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger," and that very much extends to their embracing of unusual and exotic foods. For nobles, this translates to eating almost anything that walks, crawls, flies, slithers, or swims, while for commoners it more often means making a meal out of whatever parts the rich won't eat.
5. Taldans Are Creative. Shelyn began as a Taldan god, and Taldor still reveres the arts in every form. "Anything worth doing is worth doing with a flourish," the Taldan saying goes, and almost every citizen of the empire pursues an art in her spare time, especially music and dance. Most families have a long tradition associated with a particular skill they may turn into a business - such as painting, weaving, or woodcarving — but just as many are farmers who pluck away at their lyres after work or sing reprises from their favourite operas to make the harvest pass more quickly. Illustrated or illuminated books are especially popular, and many families record their history in books passed down and doodled in over generations.
4. Taldans Love Dogs. Taldor claims it domesticated the first dog, but then again, Taldans claim to be the first to do a lot of things. Realistically, while dogs were rare in Azlanti society, they were common among the Kellid and Garundi societies that early Taldans filtered themselves through, and dogs became companions and workers in a culture hard up for extra hands. In those first unstable centuries, Taldor bred a hundred specialty dog breeds to assist with herding, pest control, physical labour, warfare, and even kitchen work, and as the Taldans' fortunes rose, they also bred dogs to serve purely as companions.
3. Taldans Love Pie. Since before the first Army of Exploration, Taldans have been sealing their tastiest treasures — and especially leftovers — inside pie shells to help preserve them, and that trend continues to this day. Sweet pies are the traditional breakfast, while farmers and laborers carry a savoury hand pie or two with them for a midday snack. Taldans particularly love blending the sweet and the savoury into pies, creating treats such as jubilee pie, a rich mix of currants, cherries, and fowl served at almost every major event.
2. Taldans Are Very Polite — Until They’re Not. Taldans live by their politics and succeed through cooperation. Sometimes that means smiling politely and shaking the hand of the man who tried to kill you last week. Rudeness isn't just unseemly... It’s un-Taldan! They instead couch insults in careful language, usually as unhelpful critiques and backhanded compliments, most notably the cold Taldan "Well, aren't you a treasure." Once Taldans decide to stop being polite, they take their outrage and insults up to 11, insulting, scolding, threatening, and yelling in tirades that usually end in duels.
1. Taldans Never Quit. While most of Azlant sank, the ancestors of modern Taldor dragged themselves onto a foreign shore and pulled their lives back together. Orcs attacked and they rebuilt. Kellids plundered them and they rebuilt. They founded a kingdom and ran into one natural barrier after another - from rivers to forests to deserts to more orcs — and every time they pushed forward again. Taldor's glories stem from bravery and skill, to be sure, but more than anything they come from the fact that Taldans never look at a challenge and say "maybe not this time."
Agents of Change - The Persona System:
Most player characters are exceptional people distinguished by extraordinary deeds. When it comes to bringing about lasting social change, however, PCs must rally others to their cause. The rules system presented below provides a framework for PCs to cultivate their public personas, gather loyal agents, and send those agents on missions on their behalf.
Facets of Persona
A wide variety of traits can inspire people to follow a budding leader, so instead of representing a PC's reputation as a single statistic, this system divides their public persona into six different facets: Charm, Genius, Heroism, Sacrifice, Sagacity, and Subterfuge. For each facet, a PC has a number of Facet Ranks ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 means the character is generally believed to lack that quality, and 10 means the character is seen as a paragon of it. The term Facet Rank is sometimes shortened to Rank, except in situations where it could be confused with skill rank. The meaning of each facet and its general effects on play are summarized below.
Charm: Charm represents a character's personal magnetism and force of personality. A character with a reputation for being charming has an easier time than most gaining access to social events, whether they're artistic performances or high-society balls. Charming characters have an easier time winning strangers' trust.
Genius: Genius represents a character's reputation for brilliance, whether measured in terms of knowledge or strategic vision. Characters with a reputation for genius have an easier time convincing others to follow their plans and trust them as intellectual authorities.
Heroism: Heroism represents a character's reputation for bravery and perseverance. It also captures the effectiveness with which a character earns admiration for their most exceptional deeds. Characters with a reputation for heroism are more likely to be asked to fight monsters or face seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Sacrifice: Sacrifice represents a character's reputation as an upstanding member of society who gives of themselves to improve the lives of others and who is capable of persevering through great hardships. Characters with a reputation for sacrifice have an easier time convincing others of their righteousness and inspiring others to make sacrifices of their own.
Sagacity: Sagacity represents a character's reputation for having good judgment. Characters known for their sagacity are more likely to be sought out for advice in complex matters, ranging from tangled interpersonal disputes to questions of morality, philosophy, or religion.
Subterfuge: Subterfuge represents a character's ability to operate effectively in the shadows, whether as a sly politician skilled in backroom dealings or a shrewd investigator who digs up dirt on their enemies. A character's skill at subterfuge is likely to be less widely known than the other facets of her persona, but it still helps them cultivate contacts in just the right places.
Starting Rank
Characters can start using this system when they are level 4. Characters whose mental ability scores are 14 or higher begin with 1 Rank in certain facets: a high Intelligence score grants 1 Rank in Genius, a high Wisdom score grants 1 Rank in Sagacity, and a high Charisma score grants 1 Rank in Charm.
Additionally, 1 rank in one of the other three facets is granted by the GM based on the character's actions during the campaign so far.
Persona Phase
PCs leverage their influence in periods called persona phases, which are abstract representations of time spent building up their reputations or directing their agents to complete missions on their behalf. These phases take place separately from normal gameplay; a player typically makes all related decisions at the start of each persona phase, and those decisions stay in effect until the start of the next persona phase.
At the beginning of a persona phase, each PC chooses from one of two actions: developing her persona or launching an operation. The phase ends when the PC has chosen their action and made the associated decisions and actions (such as an Operation check).
Developing Persona
A PC might decide to spend their persona phase publicly demonstrating their prowess and character, giving them the chance to increase the Rank of one of their persona's facets by 1. To do so, the PC first selects one of the tasks from the list below (with the associated facet noted in parentheses), or they can work with the GM to create another appropriate task. Then the PC attempts a skill check associated with that task, with a DC equal to 15 + twice the Rank they is trying to achieve. If they succeeds at the check, their Rank in that facet increases by 1.
The scope of a PC's persona is limited by their character level. Their Facet Ranks for a facet can't exceed their character level, and they can have a total number of Facet
Ranks equal to no more than twice their character level. Checks to increase a PC's Facet Ranks represent placing the PC's skills squarely in the spotlight. As a result, PCs can't take 10 on these checks or receive direct assistance in the moment, such as aid another from other characters. Effects that boost PCs' skills and abilities apply only if their duration is at least 24 hours.
Agents: When they first gains access to the persona rules, a PC gains a number of agents equal to twice their total starting number of Facet Ranks, reflecting their newfound renown. Each time a PC increases their Facet Ranks in a facet, they rallies two additional agents to their cause. These agents represent people who flock to the PC for a variety of reasons, whether they are ardent admirers of the PC's cause, members of the PC's staff, or even people the PC has blackmailed into assisting them. Agents are generally much less capable than the PCs and not strong enough to accompany the PCs on adventures. However, as a PC increases their Facet Ranks, they unlock the ability to direct these agents to perform operations on their behalf. Particularly dangerous operations can cause the PC to lose agents, which they can replace through the recover agents operation.
Basic Operations: A PC who has at least 2 Ranks in a facet can send their agents on basic operations related to that facet. Basic operations are relatively safe and straightforward, requiring few agents to complete.
Skill Bonus: A PC can sometimes leverage their persona to gain a bonus on a skill check. Once per persona phase, a PC can apply a skill bonus to a single check for one of the facets in which they has at least 3 Ranks. The PC can apply this bonus after rolling their skill check, but before the results are announced. The exact skills to which this bonus can be applied depend upon the facet (see below). The skill bonus begins at +2 and increases to +4 when the PC has 7 Ranks in the appropriate facet. For example, a PC with 7 Ranks in Heroism and 3 Ranks in Subterfuge can grant themselves either a +4 bonus on an Intimidate or Perform check or a +2 bonus on a Disable Device or Stealth check, but they can still gain only one bonus per phase.
Persistent Operations: While most operations conclude at the end of a persona phase, persistent operations begin the first time the PC succeeds at the DC 17 Operation check for that operation and continue until the PC calls back their agents. A PC can maintain only one type of persistent operation at a time, and they must send at least five agents; these agents are not available for other operations until the persistent operation ends. Persistent operations must generally be focused on one location (at the GM's discretion, though generally limited to one town or a large neighbourhood in a city); a PC can maintain the same persistent operation in as many locations as they has enough agents to support.
Risky Operations: Some operations are dangerous to agents' safety or morale. If a PC fails a risky operation's check by 5 or more, or if they roll a natural 1 on the check, the PC loses all of the agents they sent on the mission. These losses could represent the agents' imprisonment, their death, or their abandonment of the PC's cause.
Operations
Instead of using the persona phase to develop their persona, a PC can send their agents to perform an operation on their behalf. A PC gains access to basic operations for a given facet when they has 2 Ranks in that facet, and they gain access to advanced operations when the PC has 6 Ranks in that facet. A PC can initiate only one operation per phase. They must decide which operation they intend to perform at the start of the persona phase. To determine the outcome of the operation, the PC rolls an Operation check. An Operation check is a d20 roll with a bonus equal to the number of agents the PC sends on the mission, and its DC is set by the specific operation. A PC must choose how many agents to send before the roll, up to a maximum of the number of Facet Ranks they have in the relevant facet. Operations always fail on a roll of 1 on the die and always succeed on a natural 20.
