The Imperial families exert control over the Empire in many ways both obvious and subtle. Although the Otomo family is best known for its ability to overawe and crush rivals through the sheer weight of Imperial favor, some of the family’s greatest masters follow a subtler path, shaping entire courts through things as deceptively simple as hosting dinner parties. The Influencer Technique is sometimes credited to Otomo Madoka, the author of The Subtlety of the Court, but whether it was devised by her or by some more ancient Otomo master courtier, its subtle but relentless power cannot be denied.
School Type
Source
Source Book
Clan School
Replaces
Otomo Courtier 3
School Techniques
Follow My Lead - At any courtly event you are hosting (such as a moonviewing party, a musical performance, or a dinner party), you may roll Courtier (Manipulation) / Awareness at TN 30 to set the dominant tone of the event. This tone may be broadly positive or negative and can also have a specific flavor such as friendly, hostile, hedonistic, suspicious, conciliatory, competitive, or anything else which suits your needs. Anyone who makes a Social Skill Roll during this event while acting against the tone of the event must call two Raises to no effect - if they fail the roll due to those Raises, they are considered to have committed a Minor Breach of Etiquette. Conversely, anyone who makes a Social Skill Roll while acting in concert with the flavor of the event (including yourself) gains a +2k0 bonus to their rolls. These effects last until the end of the event.
If you are not the host of the event, you may still attempt to set the tone, but your Courtier (Manipulation) rolls is now a Contested Roll against the host. Also, whether you are the host or not, other guests at the event may opt to oppose your setting of tone by making Contested Rolls of Courtier (Manipulation) against you. For all such Contested Rolls, the character with the higher Status Rank gains a +1k0 bonus for every such Rank of Status. If you lose the Contested Roll, you are unable to set the tone for this event. However, if lower Status characters fail such a Contested Roll against you, they have committed a Minor Breach of Etiquette. Likewise, if you fail to overcome the host with this Technique, you have committed a Minor Breach of Etiquette.
If you are not the host of the event, you may still attempt to set the tone, but your Courtier (Manipulation) rolls is now a Contested Roll against the host. Also, whether you are the host or not, other guests at the event may opt to oppose your setting of tone by making Contested Rolls of Courtier (Manipulation) against you. For all such Contested Rolls, the character with the higher Status Rank gains a +1k0 bonus for every such Rank of Status. If you lose the Contested Roll, you are unable to set the tone for this event. However, if lower Status characters fail such a Contested Roll against you, they have committed a Minor Breach of Etiquette. Likewise, if you fail to overcome the host with this Technique, you have committed a Minor Breach of Etiquette.
Requirements
Awareness 4, Etiquette 5, Sincerity 5
Path Technique Rank
3