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VoxRationis
2017-09-18, 02:18 AM
My current character in a 3.5 game is an exiled noblewoman, the last of her house, and thus the sole heir to the arms and properties thereof. She cares for little so much as the resurrection of her family's station, and thus she seeks to marry a man of low rank in order to have children who will continue the name and arms of her family. As such, I intend on attempting to seduce at least 1 PC and possibly, should that fail, one or more NPCs.

The problem is that I have no idea how seduction and flirtation work. As far as I can tell, no woman has ever flirted with me, nor vice versa, and every time the subject has come up in roleplaying games, I've fallen flat on my face. I haven't the faintest idea about how to do this, and since this is D&D and not L5R or ASOIAF, there isn't really easy rule support. So I need some understanding of the subject, and I thought I'd delve into the Playground's diverse knowledge base for it.

The two major restrictions here are that 1) she is Neutral Good and thus isn't going to be a black widow, so whoever she lands she's going to be stuck with for a while, and 2) she needs a legitimate heir, so she can't sleep with anyone until she's married.

Frozen_Feet
2017-09-18, 03:17 AM
Uh huh.

How about the easy road of reading or watching some romance stories? Mimicking those will get you close enough for purposes of a game.

For nobility, seduction and flirtation rarely were the way to start marriages. For them it was closer to political negotiations, with often the parents of the supposed spouses being the ones who did all the work based on what was politically and economically advantageous for the family.

As a solitary woman, you are at massive disadvantage. The most likely suitors would be from better-off families wanting to annex whatever land, property or title you have left.

Your best strategy would be to get filthy rich. That way, you might attract a suitor from a merchant family or an inheritance-less lower noble. That is, someone poor enough to care more for improved living conditions than having their family name on the banner.

Pilo
2017-09-18, 03:25 AM
Well, it is quite easy. First, ask the player who plays the character your character is into if s/he is ok with something like that happening to his/her PC, if s/he agrees, go for it with clumsiness, it is cute and it might work. If there is no players agreeing to have his/her character marrying yours, you probably should tell the DM your wish have the seduction done on down time and maybe roleplay the ceremony.

Plus you can ask the DM for a custom husband. For exemple, s/he may run an adventure where you meet your soulmate by rescuing him, have an ellipse, and then play the ceremony.

Otherwise, if you want some tips, you have a lot more chance to get a boy/girl if you have the guts to ask them out, if you don't ask, they cannot accept or know your interested in. Don't be rude, accept nicely to be rejected. Flirt at the right time (target in good mood, not already in a relationship, the activity is appropriate to flirt, like after watching a romantic movie/play together). Have a good hygiene, wash yourself daily and wear clean clothing. Find out about your what you like, then find people with the same interests. Learn about the other person by talking with him/her, make sure your tastes are compatible, otherwise your relationship might become dull.

Bastian Weaver
2017-09-18, 04:13 AM
Use a love potion! :)

Anymage
2017-09-18, 04:53 AM
The good news is that if the other player and/or the DM are amenable, a certain amount of stuff can be assumed to happen offscreen. This is because the other players may not be the best social butterflies themselves, and may well not want to get too detailed. If one of my players' characters hits on the barmaid, I really don't want to have to play out the nitty-gritty of the flirtation and aftermath. Also, in real life, different people can be attracted to different things. It stands to reason that there's someone out there in the campaign world who is intrigued by your character. Just hope the DM makes it easy to meet them, and doesn't have them turn out like Hans from frozen.

The bad news is that if the mechanics of proper socialization could be expressed over a succinct forum post, the world would look very different than it does today. Don't have your character try to mack on anybody. Just hope that the DM or other player will play along nicely, and let things play out without too much fanfare.

Pleh
2017-09-18, 05:02 AM
Romance and seduction can be awkward in roleplaying games if your group wasn't expecting the issue to come up. D&D generally isn't built to mechanically handle the scenario (Diplomacy, Bluff, Charisma/Wisdom checks, but no set DCs or anything).

It really comes down to telling your DM (maybe the rest of the group depending on how much a secret it needs to be) because this falls into the realm of "personal sidequest."

If the DM doesn't have room to incorporate your romance in the larger plot, it could be assumed that finding a partner takes no mechanical effort beyond rolling a die to see if you find someone, then crafting a cohort npc to fill in as the husband (who stays home, probably).

The DM may feel inspired to build it into the campaign: falling in love with someone who turns out to be the BBEG is a classic romance drama trope. This is why the table needs to be on board, though. Love often makes the politics of hack n slash far more complicated than some groups want to deal with.

Simply put, most games I've played would just stick spouses into character backstory and wouldn't even roll stats unless they were going to be on the scene somehow. Low maintenance stats would be used if the character were minimally related to the narrative. A regular character sheet if they were integral to the plot.

Another point: you mentioned possibly romancing a fellow PC. This requires unambiguous permission from the DM and the other player in question. Even if success in the relationship is played out over time, that has to be a game the other player would enjoy and one that the DM would run. If the invitation is to your whole table, let players opt out, making it clear to your character they are not available.

Anonymouswizard
2017-09-18, 05:39 AM
if s/he agrees, go for it with clumsiness, it is cute and it might work.

But I can say from Real Life experience it normally doesn't, it just ends up with every girl saying 'sorry, I don't like you, but whoever you end up with will be a lucky girl/guy'. Seriously, like six times in four years, and people wonder why I don't ask people out or flirt most of the time.

To OP, it's weird. When I actually flirt it's generally not consciously, I've done it on purpose occasionally but I'm really bad at it. For me at least it's just something that happens when I'm comfortable. For me it's rather jokey, because I slip into jokeyness when comfortable anyway, although for other people it can differ.

In a tabletop game, it normally works in the following way: we begin flirting with the GM, and when he's sufficiently uncomfortable he gives us what we want. Unfortunately half of my last group was bi, and despite being straight the GM had no problem with homosexual flirting (he used to do it with his friends to troll homophobes), so it never worked there.

Mordaedil
2017-09-18, 05:45 AM
This topic makes me somehow lose faith in humanity's future, Jesus nuts.

Anonymouswizard
2017-09-18, 05:55 AM
This topic makes me somehow lose faith in humanity's future, Jesus nuts.

Wait, you think that the people talking about flirting on the internet, instead of doing it in real life, are going to be good at flirting or have any actual experience?

Furthermore, you expect people on a D&D forum to be good at flirting?

Apologies to those on this D&D forum who are good at flirting. All four of you :smalltongue:

Darth Ultron
2017-09-18, 06:21 AM
Well, as said, you might want to just watch some Seduction type movies. Cruel Intentions and Basic Instinct would be on that list. And the movie Greedy. And really it is a huge list, if you count all romance too.

Anymage
2017-09-18, 06:30 AM
I'm tempted to recommend The Room here too, but there's a nonzero risk that someone would take that suggestion seriously.

Bastian Weaver
2017-09-18, 06:38 AM
I'm tempted to recommend The Room here too, but there's a nonzero risk that someone would take that suggestion seriously.

What a story, Mark.

Dimers
2017-09-18, 06:54 AM
You expect people on a D&D forum to be good at flirting?

Apologies to those on this D&D forum who are good at flirting. All four of you :smalltongue:

Apology accepted. :smallwink:

My RPG-related answer will be different from most people's, because most people don't dig the idea of "RP by committee".

I'm very mechanistic about RP: I roll my skill first, then try to match my words to the roll result. And when I don't have a clear idea of what that would sound like, I ask my tablemates. Like, "Wow, I just hit 28 with Intimidation, but I have no actual idea how to scare this guy. Help?" Or "I know exactly what would be helpful to say to this noble but with a whopping 7 I ain't gonna say it. Anybody got suggestions on a fun way to flub this conversation?"

My IC phrasing will still be my choice, but I can get advice OOC before making that choice. And that's what I'd suggest for you here. Since it's not a single roll you're concerned about but a pattern over time, tell your friends that you're not as good at flirting as you want this character to be, and ask them to help you find the right times and the right words. Maybe I just hang with especially good people, but I find folks are generally quite happy to help/teach/guide.

If your table is good at this, you could even end up learning something usable IRL. It's worked for me.

aberratio ictus
2017-09-18, 08:57 AM
Hey Vox rationis :smallsmile:

Okay, so you are playing a noblewoman. That's actually great for you, since you can disregard any male-type advise so far.:smallsmile:

As a noblewoman, you simply don't initiate flirting in the male sense. You only react to flirtation, preferably in a witty and subtle way. You especially don't want to appear over-eager, which is the worst you can do. The man has to to the work, at least it has to seem that way outwardly.

So your flirting is mostly 'defensive'. You can do 'aggressive' flirting as a noblewoman as well, of course, but as it has to be very subtle, you might want to stick to defensive flirting for now.

'Defensive flirting' of course, doesn't mean you can't choose your target, if you want. The subtle initiation of flirting works by a glance, or a seemingly unrelated comment in an unrelated discussion. Know your target for the last one. In any case, the man has to be able to feel like a conqueror. :smallwink:

As a noblewoman with prospects, you are actually in an excellent position. Just throw on a dress that looks good on you, go to an upper-class social gathering (they exist for exactly that reason, after all) and wild suitors should appear.

Also, look for allies amongst other women. They can provide introductions and work on your targets if needed, provide information about their tastes and interests.
Learn the glove code or fan code if you need to communicate during a ball without anyone noticing, for spontaneous introductions or help in getting away without offending anyone.

Good luck and have fun! :smallbiggrin:

Tinkerer
2017-09-18, 10:38 AM
The two major restrictions here are that 1) she is Neutral Good and thus isn't going to be a black widow, so whoever she lands she's going to be stuck with for a while, and 2) she needs a legitimate heir, so she can't sleep with anyone until she's married.

Disregard those who say to check out romance type literature, that is the GMs responsibility here if someone tries to woo you since you specified that you weren't seeking out romance. In many old fashioned marriages it was less of a romance and more of a business arrangement. Think more as a job interviewer who can take their time filling the position.

Since you aren't aiming to marry up but rather specified that you were seeking low born individuals you have the pick of the litter. Hold the suitors up to the highest standards. Since the heiress is essentially dumpster diving for mates she probably doesn't expect to meet any sort of resistance. Don't toy and don't be coy, be blunt and upfront (hey that rhymed). Ask them deeply personal and inappropriate questions. If you run into any potential mates family take them aside and ask for family history and any medical concerns. Bear in mind that the majority of social graces that she was taught are only meant to be used on equals in the social situation.

Part of the reason that I say this is that you said you are looking to seduce the fellow PCs. Now I see two options here, hilarity or so much cringe. Actual seduction attempts are more likely to result in all of the cringe.

Of course without knowing the specifics of the culture which the noblewoman is engaged in it is tricky to advise more specifically than that. Also without knowing the characters stats.

Brother Oni
2017-09-18, 10:50 AM
I'm with Frozen_Feet in that in a medieval era, nobility marriages were mostly political unions to cement or further political ambitions.

Since your character is exiled and presumably your lands and holdings are otherwise unavailable, someone furthering themselves politically by marrying you is off the cards. In addition. since your character wants to further her own family line, any suitor would have to marry into her family, taking first born male nobility off the available suitor list.

This means the only option is to make yourself more valuable to marry, so your character could be adventuring to build up her dowry (money generally is a great incentive), with an aim of snagging a merchant's son (their son leaves the family, but they get elevated to the nobility) or the second (or subsequent) son of another noble family.
If your character has a plan to reclaim her lands, that's just an added bonus for potential suitors.

VoxRationis
2017-09-18, 10:58 AM
She very much understands the political union aspect. The problem is, as you've ascertained, she doesn't really have anything to offer just yet, although she definitely plans on reclaiming her home. She also can't marry nobility because then her family name and arms will at best be quartered. Speed is also of the essence; she hopes to marry, have a child, and leave the kid with a trusted wet nurse as soon as possible, since she spends most of her time in mortal peril. Hence why she's inclined to try laying on the charm (although probably not the charm spell, as that would be unethical).

Grod_The_Giant
2017-09-18, 11:12 AM
Well, it is quite easy. First, ask the player who plays the character your character is into if s/he is ok with something like that happening to his/her PC, if s/he agrees, go for it with clumsiness, it is cute and it might work. If there is no players agreeing to have his/her character marrying yours, you probably should tell the DM your wish have the seduction done on down time and maybe roleplay the ceremony.
This. Make a plan with the appropriate person ahead of time; that way you can play off bad flirting as being awkwardly cute and/or push anything you don't feel comfortable with off-screen. Also, you absolutely, positively must discuss potential romances with another PC with said player before you try to push them in-game.

LibraryOgre
2017-09-18, 11:27 AM
If you're going to involve another PC as the paramour, then definitely talk to the other player and see if you can't get them on board with it. I've had a few successful IC romances, but they relied on the other player being down with it.

Another possible role for another player is to act as your agent or go-between. You don't go up to Lord Lordington and say "Nice boots, wanna ****?", you instead send your confidant to approach Lord Lordington and inquire if he would be interested in calling upon you. As you gain fame, Lord Lordington will come to your confidant (aka your social secretary) with such questions.

However, if you're looking for specifics, start looking for the minor nobility and second sons and such... people unlikely to inherit anything worthwhile, and so might be open to your offer of "Marry me, take my name, knock me up, and help raise the heirs to this line." As you gain in power and influence, it'll be a more attractive offer. If someone is the heir's spare's spare, they might be up for that, allowing them to keep their social station, even if they don't do it as a Lordington.

JNAProductions
2017-09-18, 12:10 PM
Carefully. Talk to your DM and other players to see if they're cool with it, and how detailed you should get.

Some tables are fine with explicit sexual roleplay, on one extreme.

On the other extreme, you'll have tables where even basic romance is forbidden.

Find out where your table is at before you try it.

As a GENERAL RULE, I'd say feel free to seduce NPCs and the like, but be prepared to fade to black at any moment.

If you're trying to seduce/flirt with a fellow PC, always, always, ALWAYS see if the other player is okay with it.

Thrudd
2017-09-18, 03:24 PM
You say: "my character flirts with her in an attempt to seduce her." If more detail is needed "I complement her beauty and make charming small talk. If she seems friendly to that, I introduce more romantic small talk."
If that is successful, then you tell the DM what you are trying to convince her of. They'll roll or tell you to roll something, and tell you what happens.

Friv
2017-09-18, 03:44 PM
But I can say from Real Life experience it normally doesn't, it just ends up with every girl saying 'sorry, I don't like you, but whoever you end up with will be a lucky girl/guy'. Seriously, like six times in four years, and people wonder why I don't ask people out or flirt most of the time.

Okay, at the risk of diagnosing your life, I would note that your problem here isn't that you're bad at flirting. Actually it sounds like you're pretty medium-okay at it, since your interactions aren't ending with thrown drinks or harsh language or awkward cutting off of contact. Your problem is that you've only done this like six times in four years. That's a pretty small sample size. And then I will move to discussing this in terms of your character.

People who are seductive or flirtatious are going to be acting seductive six or more times in one night, and when someone brushes them off they will just keep at it with someone else. They'll find situations where people are expecting flirtation (i.e. taverns, formal balls, the immediate aftermath of a deadly situation) and they will drop feelers there, and if those feelers aren't responded to they will smile and move on (I mean, presuming that they are, as you say, Good. Evil people probably get angry or pushy.) The key for playing it is to be confident in the moment, and shrug off failures. Fortunately, both of these things are pretty easy in a game, because it's not really you doing it.

In terms of details, aberratio ictus and Mark Hall have the best approaches. Just remember that you can easily say, "I contact fifteen or twenty people", and the GM can say, "two of them express interest."

Anonymouswizard
2017-09-18, 04:06 PM
Okay, at the risk of diagnosing your life, I would note that your problem here isn't that you're bad at flirting. Actually it sounds like you're pretty medium-okay at it, since your interactions aren't ending with thrown drinks or harsh language or awkward cutting off of contact. Your problem is that you've only done this like six times in four years. That's a pretty small sample size. And then I will move to discussing this in terms of your character.

People who are seductive or flirtatious are going to be acting seductive six or more times in one night, and when someone brushes them off they will just keep at it with someone else. They'll find situations where people are expecting flirtation (i.e. taverns, formal balls, the immediate aftermath of a deadly situation) and they will drop feelers there, and if those feelers aren't responded to they will smile and move on (I mean, presuming that they are, as you say, Good. Evil people probably get angry or pushy.) The key for playing it is to be confident in the moment, and shrug off failures. Fortunately, both of these things are pretty easy in a game, because it's not really you doing it.

Oh I know that, I'm just not interested enough to try it like that. I've gone twenty three years without a relationship, I don't need to start acting desperate. It's a hilarious sample size, and I can't believe one of my friends takes my despair at my 0% success rate seriously (another of my friends always asks me how many it is and then points out it's a stupidly small sample, but I can't tell if he's just playing along). The statement wasn't literally true (one girl has said that), but it's always been the kind of nice 'I'm sorry but I'm just not interested', and I was using personal experience as a basis for a joke.

Except for one girl, but I rant enough about 'letting down gently' in real life. I can handle a no!

I could continue on this, but that would be tangenting. Suffice to say, I know that my lack of success with relationships is due to not trying enough, but I'm uncomfortable meeting new people as it is. Hopefully one day I'll meet someone where there's a mutual attraction, until then as you say I'm not exactly bad I just don't do it enough to get any results.

(I mean, I might also have more luck if I wasn't a xenophile, but that one always freaks people out when I admit it. I think everybody I've actually asked out has been a foreigner.)

dps
2017-09-18, 05:11 PM
The problem is that I have no idea how seduction and flirtation work.

You do realize that a forum full of gaming nerds isn't the best place to ask for advice on this, right? :smallbiggrin:

Mordaedil
2017-09-19, 01:27 AM
Wait, you think that the people talking about flirting on the internet, instead of doing it in real life, are going to be good at flirting or have any actual experience?

Furthermore, you expect people on a D&D forum to be good at flirting?

Apologies to those on this D&D forum who are good at flirting. All four of you :smalltongue:

I reckon it's a bit of following a stereotype there, but most nerds I know have had girlfriends or wives, so I don't think it's actually that accurate of a stereotype. That said, flirting is definately not something that is a pre-requisite for dating or getting married, strangely enough.

I assume you have read a fair share of prose, since as nerds we love reading, so I don't think I need to help in the words department. But just in case, the secret to good prose is allegory, dry humor and suggestiveness through subtlety.

As for actions, which is what I assume most nerds struggle a bit with, emphasize body language, physical contact and how your eyes focus. When talking about someone, you want to focus on their eyes and when making suggestives, trace your eyes towards their most admirable physical trait.

For determining this, ask the DM what they look like, for men, ask how big their arms are, if their abs look muscly, if their pants has a bulge, and then ask details about the face, including things like eyebrows, hair, nose, eye contour, mout, chin and ears in that order. For women, focus goes nails, shoulders, navel (if exposed), hips, breasts, neck, hair, contour, nose, mouth, eyes. Ask about birthmarks and figure out if your character likes it or not.

But this is just an abstract view of the whole deal, the rough point is being able to read the mood by understanding the body language, tone of voice and athmosphere. You have to read it and manipulate it and there's the trick where practice makes perfect and I am a novice myself.

AMFV
2017-09-19, 01:59 AM
A great deal depends on the exact rules for inheritance and the passing on of titles in your kingdom in your setting. Also a great deal depends on things like dowry or bride price, and if those are elements in your setting. As a few people have pointed out, your character is entering into a business transaction without a great deal to offer, her lands are confiscated, presumably her funds are limited as well, and she's not giving them a title or a name. So I would suggest that treating it as a business transaction is probably the least effective way for your character to achieve her aims. Although that depends heavily on inheritance and marriage laws in your setting.

I would say that marrying for love is a better option, in that your character's lack of prospects may not be that limiting. It's important to note that basically opens your options up to anybody your character would be interested in or attracted to, and that would be attracted and interested to you. It's important to note that nobles ARE NOT necessarily excluded. Remember that Queen Elizabeth II married somebody with almost equal standing who had to give up his own titles to marry her. If that is something that exists in your society you could certainly include that. So you're looking for a Jane Austin type scenario, that's the one I would look into, since that's basically all scenarios where somebody marries for love (or political standing) in a situation of somewhat similar type. There's also plenty of Bollywood films that are similar in that respect, and things from that part of the world often contain those elements.

As far as nerds/flirting, I'm a massive nerd, I play D&D and W40k, and am seriously interested in HEMA. I've never had any problems dating.

Brother Oni
2017-09-19, 07:18 AM
She also can't marry nobility because then her family name and arms will at best be quartered.

Not necessarily, although as AMFV points out, it depends on the laws in your setting. If the nobleman has no claim to his family title, then he would be marrying into his wife's family if she's of senior social standing.

As mentioned earlier, Queen Elizabeth II's husband is known as Prince Philip rather than King Philip, since she is the ruling monarch (his technical title is Prince consort).

Similarly, since the title for your character's lands descends through her, she would be appropriately styled (if/when she regains her title), while he would have an honourific title, much like Prince Philip.

VoxRationis
2017-09-19, 11:25 AM
I already asked my DM about the laws in my setting. If she married a noble, she would either have to basically get a prenup, and that usually would only work on the basis that the second or third son would have her name. This character has a crappy Constitution, so it's not really safe to assume she could even survive to bear that many children. The other options are marrying a commoner who would take her name, or getting royal permission to adopt or to legitimize a bastard. Of these, the character would much rather have a legitimate child of her own blood than raise another's child or have a kid on spec, hoping the Queen will retroactively make them a legal heir.

Nifft
2017-09-19, 01:36 PM
I already asked my DM about the laws in my setting. If she married a noble, she would either have to basically get a prenup, and that usually would only work on the basis that the second or third son would have her name. This character has a crappy Constitution, so it's not really safe to assume she could even survive to bear that many children. The other options are marrying a commoner who would take her name, or getting royal permission to adopt or to legitimize a bastard. Of these, the character would much rather have a legitimate child of her own blood than raise another's child or have a kid on spec, hoping the Queen will retroactively make them a legal heir.

Working around the Con issue... and the married name issue...

Can she get herself a hat of alter self and father some children?

AMFV
2017-09-19, 02:19 PM
I already asked my DM about the laws in my setting. If she married a noble, she would either have to basically get a prenup, and that usually would only work on the basis that the second or third son would have her name. This character has a crappy Constitution, so it's not really safe to assume she could even survive to bear that many children. The other options are marrying a commoner who would take her name, or getting royal permission to adopt or to legitimize a bastard. Of these, the character would much rather have a legitimate child of her own blood than raise another's child or have a kid on spec, hoping the Queen will retroactively make them a legal heir.

I think in that case finding a marriage that is based on love rather than one that is a business arrangement is the way to go. Because she either needs a partner of lower station (who would not significantly experience the benefits of a higher station in marrying your character), or she needs a noble who is willing to make an unusual prenuptial agreement that would unusually limit them. For that you're looking at a relationship based on love, at least on their part.

Given that she is Good, most ways of artificially inducing such a state are off-the table. So I suspect what she might want to do is learn how to make people fall in love with her, work on developing that as a skill. That would be likey her aim, since she's the equivalent of an adventuress in Regency times, or very close. She wants somebody to fall in love with her and exploit that for her own political aims. If she's good she likely wants to find somebody who she is equally compatible with, allowing the love to be the equal reward for the relationship. So again, Jane Austen, I would seriously examine her stuff, it's all almost exactly the same sort of situation as is being described... With the exception of Emma.


Working around the Con issue... and the married name issue...

Can she get herself a hat of alter self and father some children?

Well presumably the children she father as a result of magical alteration might not be considered legitimate, the question is about paternity and how magic factors into that.

Edit:

Also the Dragon Age: Origins dwarf commoner origin has an example of this sort of thing. Rica, the main character's sister is taking actions to make herself more attractive to noble men so that they'll willingly enter into a disadvantaged relationship with her. So your character could take similar steps, learn poetry, to play the harp, whatever her society considers to be the marks of a desirable woman.

overlordseamus
2017-09-19, 07:45 PM
Rope. Duct-tape, or your in-game equivalent. A well bribed celebrant.

Nifft
2017-09-19, 08:39 PM
Rope. Duct-tape, or your in-game equivalent. A well bribed celebrant.

Raping a PC?

The only thing you're flirting with is disaster.

RazorChain
2017-09-19, 09:35 PM
Okay, at the risk of diagnosing your life, I would note that your problem here isn't that you're bad at flirting. Actually it sounds like you're pretty medium-okay at it, since your interactions aren't ending with thrown drinks or harsh language or awkward cutting off of contact. Your problem is that you've only done this like six times in four years. That's a pretty small sample size. And then I will move to discussing this in terms of your character.

People who are seductive or flirtatious are going to be acting seductive six or more times in one night, and when someone brushes them off they will just keep at it with someone else. They'll find situations where people are expecting flirtation (i.e. taverns, formal balls, the immediate aftermath of a deadly situation) and they will drop feelers there, and if those feelers aren't responded to they will smile and move on (I mean, presuming that they are, as you say, Good. Evil people probably get angry or pushy.) The key for playing it is to be confident in the moment, and shrug off failures. Fortunately, both of these things are pretty easy in a game, because it's not really you doing it.

In terms of details, aberratio ictus and Mark Hall have the best approaches. Just remember that you can easily say, "I contact fifteen or twenty people", and the GM can say, "two of them express interest."

This ^

I knew a guy that just walked around at pubs/bars during weekends and asked the girls if they wanted to go home with him and have sex. He went home with a girl almost every weekend, sure he got punched and had drinks spilled on him but it worked.

As for the OP. Just discuss it with your fellow players and GM. I usually discuss this with my players, 2 of them have romantic interests that cropped during play. When I feel there is an interest for an NPC I usually talk to my players about it and if they have an interest in developing a romance.

I know that some of my male players are going to have problems flirting with me, a hulking, bearded, bear of a man. It poses no problem for me, I can easily put up a coquettish smile, batter my eyelashes and flirt with the best of them. Sometimes I even manage to pull it off.

Last session the PCs scared of a couple of muggers that were mugging a pretty girl. The girl immediately showed interest in one of the PC's and asked if he could walk her home safely. The PC obviously agreed. When they arrived at her place she wistfully informed him that her mother was at home but informed the PC seductively that if he would take her to the mayfair she would show him how grateful a girl can be. Then she planted a big, fat kiss on the PC. The player was grinning like an idiot...at least until his PC was going to pay for his next ale and found his pouch missing.

Mordaedil
2017-09-20, 01:01 AM
Raping a PC?

The only thing you're flirting with is disaster.

He didn't say chloroform, so I think it's more BDSM than rape.

weckar
2017-09-20, 07:31 AM
Often the trick is taking them off-guard by being extremely forward.

I wolverine-clawed an unarmored Ogre through the chest that way. No better way to ignore Armor AC than getting them to take it off.

It helped that the PC in question was a bit of a madwoman who Always got her way no matter what.

Frozen_Feet
2017-09-20, 08:15 AM
I knew a guy that just walked around at pubs/bars during weekends and asked the girls if they wanted to go home with him and have sex. He went home with a girl almost every weekend, sure he got punched and had drinks spilled on him but it worked.

Ah, the statistical approach to courtship. No need to invest skill points to those social skills, just keep rolling untill you get that natural 20. :smallamused:

Works best in settings where "insulting a woman's honor" is not grounds for hanging, duel to a death or crossbow marriage. Though if you're a woman yourself, you may be exempt of such anyway.

ArendK
2017-09-20, 10:18 AM
Wait, you think that the people talking about flirting on the internet, instead of doing it in real life, are going to be good at flirting or have any actual experience?

Furthermore, you expect people on a D&D forum to be good at flirting?

Apologies to those on this D&D forum who are good at flirting. All four of you :smalltongue:

Your apology is noted.
:)

Friv
2017-09-20, 11:23 AM
He didn't say chloroform, so I think it's more BDSM than rape.

No, a celebrant is someone who performs weddings. The joke is about kidnapping someone and then marrying them (although it's not actually a rape joke, since you can marry someone without that.)

Pleh
2017-09-20, 11:43 AM
Not sure why people haven't suggested the obvious yet:

Invocation candles to bind a solar to use a Wish SLA to conjure a perfect mate and/or spouse.

Problem solved.

LibraryOgre
2017-09-20, 12:44 PM
Not sure why people haven't suggested the obvious yet:

Invocation candles to bind a solar to use a Wish SLA to conjure a perfect mate and/or spouse.

Problem solved.

Hmmm... that does raise an interesting question: How would "Impregnated by a Celestial Being" impact inheritance? In this case, I can see it easily being an "technical bastardy" that would get overlooked, but there's also the element of coercion in using something like Invocation candles... Summon the Solar and ask nicely?

Pleh
2017-09-20, 03:11 PM
I figure power of a Wish could set you up so no one would know what you did (if you phrase the request right).

Might even bypass the dangers of childbirth.

Anonymouswizard
2017-09-20, 04:31 PM
This ^

I knew a guy that just walked around at pubs/bars during weekends and asked the girls if they wanted to go home with him and have sex. He went home with a girl almost every weekend, sure he got punched and had drinks spilled on him but it worked.

And of I gave a darn about having sex I might have tried that approach by now. As it is I don't, so I'll give it a skip. My problems more on the other end, I don't notice when a man or woman is flirting with me or propositioning me until someone tells me. I'd blame the Autism, but it's really busy having a low Wisdom score and no ranks in sense motive.

RazorChain
2017-09-21, 12:20 AM
And of I gave a darn about having sex I might have tried that approach by now. As it is I don't, so I'll give it a skip. My problems more on the other end, I don't notice when a man or woman is flirting with me or propositioning me until someone tells me. I'd blame the Autism, but it's really busy having a low Wisdom score and no ranks in sense motive.

I know what you mean about the cluelessness. My wife knew about it how clueless I was, so she used a very direct approach. I often had my sister as a "wing man" where she would tell me when girls were hitting on me or showing interest :)