Advanced Skill: Reputation

[MrNexx]

This is something I'm playing with, and wanted to get some feedback on.

Reputations are a special class of advanced skill, which represent one's influence within a faction. An individual may have several such Reputations, and they will apply in different situations.

Unlike traditional Advanced skills, Reputations do not have a skill-based prerequisite. Instead, their prerequisite is actions in service to a given organization or faction. Dice in reputations add to skills to influence individuals associated with those factions; usually Bargain, Command, Con, and Persuasion, but also Bureaucracy from the Knowledge skills. Note that, with opposing factions (such as the Rebel Alliance and the Empire), these Advanced Dice can sometimes be a hindrance, adding to the difficulty, not to the skill roll.

Once acquired, reputations may be improved by performing more tasks for the given faction (and therefore improved as a reward from the GM), or by dedicating time and energy to "scut work" for the organization, represented by spending training time and CPs improving the skill.

For example, Luke Skywalker is not necessarily good at Bargain, but when working with Rebel supply clerks, he's able to secure a lot more than usual, due to his high reputation. If he's trying to Con a stormtrooper into letting him go, it becomes a lot more difficult... unless he's trying to intimidate.

To an extent, this replaces the "Well-known/Well-Liked" modifier with a more flexible option, letting characters get well known to several organizations, and allowing characters who did not necessarily specialize in Perception-based skills to use notoriety where actual talent fails.
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[Dredwulf60]

[Naaman]

Reputation seems to be an important element in Star Wars.

Is there a reason wh you want it to be a skill, or in particular an advanced skill?

Not sure if you know the old d20 system (not Saga, the one before it). Characters either gaind fame or infamy by adventuring. Furthermore, the character's class (soldier, Jedi, Noble, etc) affected how much clout or pull they had.

For D6, there is no leveling system, so you will have to handle the reputation independently from the character's "experience level."

For whatever reason, I feel like making it a skill is a bit clunky, especially if the reputation is tied only to one faction, thus needing multiple "skills" for multiple factions.

Now, maybe I don't understand the exact thing you're going for, so forgive me if this doesn't do anything for you:

What if you made it so that the reputation was a result of the characters overall prominance in the galaxy (or, scale it based on the campaign), and factions that have a neutral opinion of the character (baaed on the factions he associates with) his base relutation, while factions opposed to him aplly the reputaation as a penalty (except on intimidate), and factions who regard him as an ally grant a bonus (1D or 2D perhaps)?

Although I feel like having modifier tied to the character's actions and results (and any propaganda that may be in effect) is the "smoothest" way to do it.

[jmanski]

Reputation should be a part of a bonus or penalty to checks such as con, bargain, command, etc, IMHO, especially as the bonus/penalty will be fluid even within a single session.

The problem with a linear approach (a skill or bonus die) is that not all rolls will be at the polar ends of the spectrum. A character who has a lot of clout with a bounty hunter guild, for instance, might see a modest bonus from the Empire and the rebellion, but a full bonus to bounty hunters (and a full penalty against targets).
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[MrNexx]

[Savar]

I would rather then skill have it a pool like CP.

each group would have it's own pool.

and then you would use the RP (Reputation Points) for actions associated with that group like CP and with other things like resources that you could spend RP on.

[CRMcNeill]

I've been considering something like this. In WOTC's The Force Unleashed Sourcebook, there is a section for building organizations and allowing characters to advance their rank and reputation within them. I was thinking of using advanced skills to represent increasing reputation, but it could also be a separate Dice value entirely, perhaps grouped under Story Factors.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Volar the Healer]

Hmmmmmm. an interesting idea.

Reputation skill would be a way for a person to craft a "public image". Some self important people do this now, why not in Star Wars?

How is reputation different from bargain/command/con/streetwise?
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[MrNexx]

[Savar]