Culture (Draw Steel)

Skills

Definition

Culture covers how a people lives: their greetings, taboos, dress codes, how a guest is expected to behave, what an insult looks like in a place where nobody raises their voice. It is a Reason skill because it is learned knowledge about societies rather than instinct about individuals. It comes up at courts and festivals, when negotiating with a foreign delegation, when reading a ritual site, and any time the party is somewhere its own habits could get it thrown out.

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How it works

**Characteristic**: Reason. **Skill group**: Reason skills. **Test**: 2d10 + Reason; 11 or lower is tier 1, 12 to 16 tier 2, 17 or higher tier 3. Training grants a benefit and unlocks attempts untrained heroes cannot make. **How it is used**: Tier 3 recalls the specific custom and what it signals. Tier 2 gets the general shape right. Tier 1 misreads the situation, which in a formal setting can be a serious insult. **Edges and banes**: Prior travel among that people, a local guide, or written accounts grants an edge (+2). An isolated or secretive society, or a custom being deliberately obscured, imposes a bane (-2).

Tips

**Best for**: The party's diplomat and any hero who expects to travel widely. **Character concepts**: Aristocrat career envoy, Sage who studied peoples, high elf raised on centuries of protocol. **Synergies**: Persuade and Flirt once you know what will land, History for how a custom arose, Dress for looking the part.

Frequently asked questions

Does Culture help in a negotiation?

Yes. Knowing an NPC's motivations and pitfalls in advance is exactly what Culture and Read Person are for, and Directors often reveal one on a good test.

Do I know my own culture automatically?

Yes. Culture is for other peoples and for edge cases in your own, such as an archaic rite or a specialized court.

Culture (Draw Steel)

Definition

How it works

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Further Reading