Perform (Draw Steel)

Skills

Definition

Perform is presentation as a craft: carrying a role convincingly in front of a court, delivering a speech that a crowd repeats afterward, staging a distraction loud enough that nobody watches the side door. It is a Presence skill because its whole effect lives in delivery. It comes up at festivals and funerals, during infiltrations that need a public face, when the party must sway a mob, and any time a scene needs an audience looking the wrong way.

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How it works

**Characteristic**: Presence. **Skill group**: Presence skills. **Test**: 2d10 + Presence; 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 holds the audience completely and produces the reaction you wanted. Tier 2 entertains without moving anyone. Tier 1 falls flat, drawing heckling or scrutiny. **Edges and banes**: Costume, a prepared piece, a stage, and a friendly crowd grant an edge (+2). A hostile audience, an unfamiliar tradition, improvising cold, or performing while injured imposes a bane (-2).

Tips

**Best for**: Troubadours and infiltrators, and parties whose plans include a public distraction. **Character concepts**: Entertainer career player, Aristocrat trained in oratory, a Shadow who works behind a stage name. **Synergies**: Music for the songs, Dance for movement, Deceive when the performance is a cover, Culture to pitch the piece at the right audience.

Frequently asked questions

How does Perform differ from Deceive?

Perform is a role an audience knows is a role. Deceive is making someone believe something false about the real situation.

Can a performance distract guards during a heist?

Yes. The Director may set a difficulty and grant the sneaking heroes an edge on a strong result.

Perform (Draw Steel)

Definition

How it works

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Further Reading