Class Features for Courtly Intrigue?

[Palanan]

Are there any feats, class features, etc. that are specifically designed to help a character navigate a royal court?

I’m aware that Diplomacy, Gather Information, etc. can be used in a courtly setting, but what I’m looking for are features that are explicitly intended to work in that setting alone. I’m thinking of features that would involve contacts, favors, patronage, influence, anything along those lines.

There are a few specific traits and feats in Heroes of the High Court, but most of the archetypes don’t seem to have much to do with the actual ins and outs of courtly life. Are there features from other Paizo sources that capture some of what I’m looking for?

[Nifft]

Mind-reading.

Detecting poison.

The suggestion spell.

Invisibility, clairvoyance, turning into a rat and spying from within the walls, sending a swarm of spiders to forge the prince's signature on a warrant, charming or dominating the grand vizier...

[Palanan]

Thanks, but those are applications of spells to particular scenarios.

What I’m asking is whether there are any class features which are intended to help with specific aspects of the courtly environment—for instance, with cultivating contacts or establishing patronage.

As an example, the Dragonlance Campaign Setting has a Noble class with the Favor class feature. The noble is able to make “favor checks” to make use of a network of contacts. The mechanic is fairly basic, but it’s the sort of thing I’m looking for, and I’m wondering if Pathfinder has anything similar.

[Florian]

What is a "Courtly Intrigue"?

As so often, you simply ask the wrong question, Palanan. Are we talking about using the mechanical stuff, like excelling in Social Combat, do we talk about the Influence rules?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Florian
As so often, you simply ask the wrong question, Palanan.

This is genuinely insulting.

I am asking the questions that occur to me based on my interests and needs. Claiming that this is somehow "wrong," or that my questions don't measure up to some imaginary standard, couldn't be more derogatory.

[Florian]

[QUOTE=Palanan;23415164]This is genuinely insulting.

Learn from it.

What exactly are you talking bout? Mechanics? RP? Sub-systems?

[Lotheb]

The ranger archetype dandy, specicially the hobnob, and partycrasher abilities.
The cavalier archtype courtly knight has imperious attitude, which only works on creatures that consider themselves lower status than the cavalier.

There's a lot of abilities that help with intrigue but most aren't specific to high society. Any paticular reason you're looking?

[OgresAreCute]

Learn from it.

What exactly are you talking bout? Mechanics? RP? Sub-systems?


Are there any feats, class features, etc. that are specifically designed to help a character navigate a royal court?

Feats and class features are mechanics, are they not?

[Florian]

Feats and class features are mechanics, are they not?

Not without stating the sub-system they're going to be used with. So: nope.

[Particle_Man]

Well, in Pathfinder there is the Master Spy prestige class, if you want to James Bond it up a bit. It also has the Vigilante base class which is all about secret identities and the reputation/social influence your "Bruce Wayne" persona can have when you are not "Batman"ing it up.

The d20 game Iron Heroes has a whole host of Social Feats and a means of influencing others (via collecting and spending social tokens), and has a class called the Thief whose capstone ability is to 1x/day autosucceed at a bluff check for a little while no matter what the sense motive score of your opponent, which if you time it right can be astonishingly effective.

3.5 has the Psion (Telepath) but that might be bypassing the difficulties of courtly intrigue and going straight for the "I win" button, depending on the campaign.

And of course, there is the Leadership feat, which can give you a whole host of loyal contacts (followers) and one trusted agent (cohort).

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Florian
Learn from it.

A simple request for information doesn’t justify this sort of ugly condescension on your part. If you can’t bring yourself to share what you know in a civil and respectful fashion, then don’t reply.




Originally Posted by Particle_Man
Well, in Pathfinder there is the Master Spy prestige class, if you want to James Bond it up a bit. It also has the Vigilante base class which is all about secret identities and the reputation/social influence your "Bruce Wayne" persona can have when you are not "Batman"ing it up.

I appreciate your trying to help, instead of mocking me for what I don’t know.

How does the Vigilante’s reputation and influence work? That sounds promising.


Originally Posted by Lotheb
The ranger archetype dandy, specicially the hobnob, and partycrasher abilities.

Also interesting, thanks. I appreciate the suggestions.

[legomaster00156]

I suggest looking into the Ultimate Intrigue book. It has a lot of the stuff you're looking for.

[Jack_Simth]

The Oracle (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/)'s Intrigue Mystery (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/mysteries/paizo-oracle-mysteries/intrigue-oracle-mystery/), perhaps. Some of the Curses (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/oracle-curses) might help in that regard as well... the Legalistic curse or the 3rd party Forgotten curse would have some uses.

[Particle_Man]

I appreciate your trying to help, instead of mocking me for what I don’t know.

How does the Vigilante’s reputation and influence work? That sounds promising.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/vigilante/

Look in the social talents first, which includes a promising feat list. And as noted above, you want to get the book Ultimate Intrigue, which contains all this. There is also some some in the Adventurer's Guide, I think.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Jack_Simth
The Oracle's Intrigue Mystery, perhaps.

This is excellent, thanks.


Originally Posted by Particle_Man
Look in the social talents first, which includes a promising feat list. And as noted above, you want to get the book Ultimate Intrigue, which contains all this. There is also some some in the Adventurer's Guide, I think.

Thanks. I’ve avoided the Vigilante because it seems like a really weird way to approach the concept, but I’ll give the social talents a look.

[singera]

Dreamscarred presses new rajah class does the job pretty well, if you have $5 to spare I'd suggest giving it a look, or checking if the play test documents where still up (last I checked they where)

[Hunter Noventa]

This is excellent, thanks.



Thanks. I’ve avoided the Vigilante because it seems like a really weird way to approach the concept, but I’ll give the social talents a look.

Vigilante is a little awkward to work with on a metagame level if your party isn't in on it, but it really is made to operate in a 'social' setting without being useless in combat. I love the idea of the class personally, it has meta-issues more than anything else.

[Ellrin]

The splatbook Inner Sea Intrigue is pretty much dedicated to this concept, offering several options for all sorts of characters to navigate the politer perils of high society.