Read person (Draw Steel)

Skills

Definition

Read Person is applied empathy: noticing that a merchant is more afraid than greedy, spotting the moment a guard decides to raise the alarm, hearing that a witness is telling the truth about the wrong night. It is an Intuition skill because it works on impressions gathered faster than reasoning. It comes up in negotiations, interrogations, first meetings with potential allies, and whenever the party must decide how much of an offer to believe.

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How it works

**Characteristic**: Intuition. **Skill group**: Intuition skills. **Test**: 2d10 + Intuition; 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 reveals the emotion and the motive under it. Tier 2 tells you something is off without saying what. Tier 1 gives nothing, or a wrong read the party then acts on. **Edges and banes**: Time to observe, a familiar species or culture, and a subject under stress grant an edge (+2). Masks and veils, trained liars, alien or undead subjects, and a rushed glance impose a bane (-2).

Tips

**Best for**: The party's negotiator, and any hero who wants to know who in the room is about to move. **Character concepts**: Criminal career fence who reads customers, Troubadour who works a crowd nightly, a Censor trained to judge the accused. **Synergies**: Lie and Deceive on the other side of the same exchange, Persuade to use what you learned, Psionics when the mind you are reading has been tampered with.

Frequently asked questions

Does this skill detect lies outright?

It reads people, not statements. A strong result flags discomfort or concealment; naming the specific lie is the party's job.

Can I read a nonhuman or undead creature?

Often with a bane. Creatures without familiar emotional cues may be unreadable, and the Director will say so.

Read person (Draw Steel)

Definition

How it works

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Further Reading