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Conversation (Cyberpunk RED)

Skills

Definition

Conversation is the art of getting information out of someone who does not realize they are giving it. Not interrogation, not persuasion, just a long friendly exchange in which the other person keeps talking and you keep listening for the one detail that matters. It keys off EMP, which makes it the counterpart to Human Perception: one reads the person, the other keeps them going. At the table Conversation is the low-risk information tool. Nobody remembers the pleasant stranger at the bar the way they remember being questioned, so it produces leads without leaving the trail that heavier approaches do. In an investigation-driven campaign it quietly does more work than any combat skill on the sheet.

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How it works

**Linked Stat**: EMP **Category**: Social **Resolution**: 1d10 plus EMP plus skill level against a DV based on how guarded the target is and how sensitive the information is. A natural 10 rolls again and adds, a natural 1 rolls again and subtracts. **How it differs**: Conversation extracts information without the target feeling pressured, so it takes time and produces no hostility. Interrogation is faster and leaves the subject knowing exactly what happened, which is often the reason to use this instead.

Tips

**Best for**: Medias, Fixers, and any crew that gathers information before it commits to a plan. **Character concepts**: A journalist who never seems to be working, a bartender everyone confides in, an Exec who collects gossip at company functions, a Medtech whose patients talk while being treated. **Synergies**: Human Perception reads the answers, since both run off EMP and improve together. Wardrobe and Style and Personal Grooming get you into the room, and Streetwise tells you who is worth talking to in the first place.

Frequently asked questions

Conversation or Interrogation?

Conversation when you can afford time and want the target unaware. Interrogation when you need it now and do not care that they will know. One preserves the source, the other burns it.

Does the target know they were worked?

On a success, no, which is the entire point. They remember a pleasant chat. That is why Conversation is the tool of choice when you may need to come back to the same person again.

Is it worth points for a combat character?

A rank or two, yes. Even a Solo benefits from being able to hold a friendly conversation with the wrong person for ten minutes without the situation escalating.

Further Reading

Persuasion SkillHuman Perception SkillAll Cyberpunk RED Skills
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