Storytelling = ?

[foxandwarlock]

Just wondering what skill I should use if I wanted to reflect a profession in the art of telling tales? Is it Oratory?

Or do I just write down Storytelling and use the Oratory rules? Or should be Persuasion?

[Kublai]

We always use Singing to tell stories. Remember that scene in Spartacus where Kirk asks Tony to sing the slaves a song? Tony recites poetry of heros, he doesn't actually sing as we know it.

[luke]

you could make a Storytelling skill, if you wanted. But what's it's purpose? Poetry is medieval european storytelling, as is Singing. But those are performance skills. Are you looking for a social skill to use to convince people via story? Perhaps a new skill is in order, then.

-L

[foxandwarlock]

I'm just thinking classic inn scene where the person starts telling this story he heard in the last town about so and so. And by the end of the night, everyone is gathered around the common room's hearth sucked in by this guy's story. That's kind of where I was going with Oratory because he was emotionally affecting the crowd - i.e. going against the "evil" duke in the story, or getting them to love the "hero" in his tale, etc.

[Kublai]

If the teller has no intent besides to tell a good story for entertainment, than a poetry/singing/storytelling skill is good enough. However, if he wants to sway the crowd into a certain thinking or even into action with his tale, than Oratory or Persuasion is my choice.

[Thor]

However, if he wants to sway the crowd into a certain thinking or even into action with his tale, than Oratory or Persuasion is my choice.

With Singing/Poetry/Storytelling as a FoRK.

[Drozdal]

However, if he wants to sway the crowd into a certain thinking or even into action with his tale, than Oratory or Persuasion is my choice.

With Singing/Poetry/Storytelling as a FoRK.
And let's not forget about wises as FoRKS too. A bit of Sea Legend-Wise (night at the tavern), Wolf-Wise (to scare small children) or Ghost-Wise (campfire stories), ect. There is a whole new worrld to be discovered by storytellers and bards/skalds out there.

[csjames75]

We have a Viking-style skald in our campaign and he's loaded with skills like Oratory, Singing, Persuasion, Olgaric Lore (the culture he is from) and a load of traits like Sonorous Voice and Glib. He is a skilled speaker and entertainer and I've seen him do some interesting things with this mass of social skills, such as:

-- Raising the spirits of a crew sailing out the next day with tales of a homeland they have never visited (Oratory with a FoRK of Olgaric Lore)

-- Racking his brain, after seeing a depiction on the wall of an ancient dolmen about a white worm being slain by a person on the back of a dragon, to see if there was a story in Olgari culture about a white worm. Which their was, Victor and the White Worm, about a little boy who rides a white worm underground. (Olgaric Lore test)

Now that the duel of wits is canon, I can't wait to see how the skald will further refine his skills and develop as a master manipulator.

Great topic of discussion.