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Failure Result: <strong>The</strong> spy is forced to feed false information<br />
to the aggressor, inflicting a –2 penalty to all actions the<br />
aggressor House takes against the defending House. Each<br />
month, the aggressor may make a Gather Information<br />
check (DC 25), with a success indicating that the double<br />
agent is discovered and the penalty is lifted.<br />
Paper Tiger<br />
From time to time, it behoves a less powerful combatant<br />
in the Sheathed War to appear more powerful than is<br />
actually the case. For example, if an Intelligence Gathering<br />
campaign shows that a combatant with greater resources is<br />
about to move against you, it is best to make them rethink<br />
that plan. With this action, you create the appearance of<br />
greater strength, making your opponents believe (for a<br />
short time), that your Rank and Power are more impressive<br />
than is actually the case.<br />
Influence Requirement: 2,000<br />
Power Requirement: 1,000<br />
Cost: 1,000 gp per additional 1,000 ‘phantom’ Power<br />
Time: One month<br />
Skill DC: Intimidate (DC 20 + 5 per 1,000 ‘phantom’<br />
Power)<br />
Success Result: For a period of three months after the<br />
action is completed, all rival Houses and organisations will<br />
believe your Rank and Power are at an elevated level.<br />
Failure Result: If your Intimidate roll fails by five or<br />
less, all rival Houses and organisations see your Rank and<br />
Power as unchanged. If your Intimidate roll fails by more<br />
than five, your attempts at inflating your own importance<br />
are viewed as laughable and your effective Rank is lowered<br />
by one for three months.<br />
Public Relations Campaign<br />
By successfully wining and dining the nobility of a drow<br />
city, it is possible for a dark elf Noble House or other<br />
organisation to improve its public image and increase its<br />
influence within that city. Though extremely costly and<br />
difficult, this is the safest method of gaining Influence. As<br />
a result, drow nobility spend a great deal of time partying<br />
with one another and attempting to gain favour with other<br />
Houses.<br />
Influence Requirement: 1,000 per Rank<br />
Power Requirement: 0<br />
Cost: 2,000 gp per Rank of your Noble House; 500<br />
Influence per Rank of your Noble House<br />
Time: Three months<br />
Skill DC: Diplomacy (DC10 + current Rank)<br />
Success Result: If the Noble House succeeds at the<br />
Diplomacy check made at the end of this action, it<br />
immediately gains 2,000 Influence. Note that this action<br />
becomes more difficult as a House gains rank, as it requires<br />
greater and greater expenditures of time and effort to<br />
increase the influence of a powerful Noble House or other<br />
organisation.<br />
Failure Result: <strong>The</strong> Noble House neither gains nor loses<br />
Influence, though it has spent a ridiculous amount of gold<br />
and kept many of its Influence assets tied up for three<br />
months during the attempt.<br />
Smear Campaign<br />
A smear campaign is an attempt to weaken a Noble House<br />
by tarnishing their public image. In drow culture, this<br />
often means leading others to believe the House is weaker<br />
than it actually is, or that it is hamstrung by some sort of<br />
emotional or moral ideal held dear by its masters. Smear<br />
campaigns, while an effective way to undercut the strength<br />
of a Noble House, can fail spectacularly. If the campaign is<br />
exposed, it gives the targeted House a handle to use against<br />
their attackers. While the drow have no problem with liars,<br />
they really prefer it when a Noble House has the grace and<br />
style to at least lie successfully.<br />
Influence Requirement: 5,000<br />
Power Requirement: 0<br />
Cost: 2,000 gp per Rank of the target Noble House; 1,000<br />
Influence per Rank of the target Noble House<br />
Time: One month<br />
Skill DC: Bluff (DC 20 +1 per level or Hit Die of the<br />
target), opposed by target’s Sense Motive<br />
Success Result: If the attacker’s Bluff skill check result<br />
beats the target’s Sense Motive skill check result, the target<br />
Noble House suffers a loss of 1,000 Influence. If the<br />
attacker’s Bluff skill check result beats the target’s Sense<br />
Motive skill check result by more than ten, the target Noble<br />
House suffers a loss of 1d4 x 1,000 Influence<br />
Failure Result: If the attacker’s Bluff skill check result is<br />
ten or more less than the target’s Sense Motive skill check<br />
result, the target gains a +5 bonus to any counterattack they<br />
make in response to this action. If the Bluff skill check<br />
fails, but by less than ten, the money is wasted but there are<br />
no other ill effects for the attempt.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Enemy of My Enemy<br />
This action is extremely dangerous and monstrously<br />
expensive to the Noble House attempting it, but if successful<br />
can have wonderful benefits. <strong>The</strong> aggressor House chooses<br />
as targets two rival Houses or organisations that are not<br />
at the time actively engaged with one another. Through<br />
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