jchokey
03-21-2008, 01:11 PM
Per the rules, one can use Persuasion, Oratory, and Rhetoric as primary dueling skills in a DOW (and I don't have the rules with me, but I think that Suasion or Falsehood can be used if the nature of the argument call for it).
I don't believe the rules say anything about it (again, I don't have them in front of me), but I'm curious as to whether the use of Persuasion or Oratory as skills are limited to situations that are appropriate for them.
That sounds a bit abstruse, so let me explain. Persuasion, as a skill outlined in the CB, is supposed to be used for persuading a single person-- or maybe a very small group of people. Whereas Oratory is the skill that's used for persuading and manipulating the sentiments of crowds.
So... let's say you're having a very public duel of wits between two characters. (Two advocates in a crowded courtroom, two envoys in a royal court, or two public orators each trying to sway an angry mob to a different course of action... whatever... the point is that there's a large crowd.) It's a clear "Oratory-type" situation rather than a "Persuasion-type" situation, in terms of what skill is most relevant, per the skill descriptiosn. But could a duellist still choose to use Persuasion, rather than Oratory, as the primary duelling skill since the DOW rules list it as an option?
Or, to take the reverse example... where two duellists are having a private one-on-one DoW-- or something similar-- there's no crowd or third party-- it's really just that they really are trying to persuade each other as individuals. It's clearly a "Persuasion-type" situation rather than an "Oratory-type" situation, in terms of skill descriptions. But-- can one still use Oratory as the primary duelling skill in such a situation?
I don't believe the rules say anything about it (again, I don't have them in front of me), but I'm curious as to whether the use of Persuasion or Oratory as skills are limited to situations that are appropriate for them.
That sounds a bit abstruse, so let me explain. Persuasion, as a skill outlined in the CB, is supposed to be used for persuading a single person-- or maybe a very small group of people. Whereas Oratory is the skill that's used for persuading and manipulating the sentiments of crowds.
So... let's say you're having a very public duel of wits between two characters. (Two advocates in a crowded courtroom, two envoys in a royal court, or two public orators each trying to sway an angry mob to a different course of action... whatever... the point is that there's a large crowd.) It's a clear "Oratory-type" situation rather than a "Persuasion-type" situation, in terms of what skill is most relevant, per the skill descriptiosn. But could a duellist still choose to use Persuasion, rather than Oratory, as the primary duelling skill since the DOW rules list it as an option?
Or, to take the reverse example... where two duellists are having a private one-on-one DoW-- or something similar-- there's no crowd or third party-- it's really just that they really are trying to persuade each other as individuals. It's clearly a "Persuasion-type" situation rather than an "Oratory-type" situation, in terms of skill descriptions. But-- can one still use Oratory as the primary duelling skill in such a situation?