💬 Speech represents a character’s ability to influence others through words, presence, and force of personality. It is primarily used in social encounters, but it also grants combat leadership abilities through the 👉 Command action and ♟️ Followers system.
Speech allows characters to:
- Influence NPC behavior and decisions
- Detect lies, contradictions, or hidden motives
- Lead and coordinate ♟️ Followers in combat
- Intimidate or provoke enemies
- Negotiate terms (distinct from 💰 Barter, which handles transactions)
Speech is not mind control. NPC motivations, loyalties, and circumstances always matter. Even a master orator cannot convince someone to act completely against their core interests.
Quick Reference
Speech Test:
- Persuasion: CHA + Speech vs opponent’s CHA + Speech
- Intimidation: STR or CHA + Speech vs opponent’s Composure
- Deception: CHA or INT + Speech vs opponent’s CHA or INT + Speech
Key Milestones:
- +3: Command (direct intelligent Followers in combat)
- +5: Call ‘Em Out (expose NPC contradictions, gain Advantage)
- +7: Rally the Troops (Command Action: +3 AP to all commanded Followers)
- +10: Unifier of the Wastes (convert 3 neutral NPCs to temp Followers, 1/Long Rest)
Speech vs Barter:
- Speech = behavioral change (do something, believe something, reveal something)
- Barter = transaction (exchange goods, services, or resources)
Speech Tests
💬 Speech Tests are Opposed Tests in most cases:
Your CHA + 💬 Speech vs Opponent’s resistance
The opponent’s resistance depends on the context:
| Approach | Your Roll | Opponent Resists With |
|---|---|---|
| Persuasion | 👄 CHA + 💬 Speech | 👄 CHA + 💬 Speech (or 😌 Composure) |
| Intimidation | 💪 STR + 💬 Speech (or 👄 CHA + 💬 Speech) | 😌 Composure |
| Deception | 👄 CHA + 💬 Speech (or 🧠 INT + 💬 Speech) | 👄 CHA + 💬 Speech (or 🧠 INT + 💬 Speech) |
| Inspiration | CHA + 💬 Speech | No resistance (affects allies) |
Contextual Attributes
While Speech is a 👄 CHA skill by default, the GM may call for a different 🎂 SPECIAL attribute depending on the character’s approach:
- 👄 CHA + 💬 Speech: Charm, appeal to emotion, friendly persuasion, social grace
- 💪 STR + 💬 Speech: Physical intimidation, threatening, imposing presence
- 🧠 INT + 💬 Speech: Calculated manipulation, logical argument, exploiting information
- 🏊 END + 💬 Speech: Enduring a prolonged interrogation or negotiation without cracking
Players may suggest which attribute they want to use based on how they describe their approach. The GM has final say on which attribute applies.
Speech Test Difficulty
Most Speech Tests are Opposed Tests — your roll vs the NPC’s roll. The GM rolls for the NPC using their relevant stats.
In some cases, the GM may set a fixed DC instead:
- Convincing a crowd (no single opponent to roll against)
- Attempting to influence someone who isn’t actively resisting
- Situational checks (maintaining composure, delivering a speech under pressure)
Speech vs Composure
When Speech is used to intimidate, interrogate, expose, or incite a response, the target resists with 😌 Composure rather than their own Speech skill:
Your CHA + Speech + d20 vs Opponent’s Composure + d20
😌 Composure represents how well a character keeps control under psychological pressure. Characters with high 👄 CHA and level have higher 😌 Composure, making them harder to intimidate or rattle.
This means 💬 Speech is more effective against targets with low 😌 Composure (low 👄 CHA, low level) and less effective against composed, experienced characters.
Speech vs Barter
💬 Speech and 💰 Barter serve different purposes in social situations:
💰 Barter is used when the outcome is a transaction — goods, services, or resources are being exchanged. Both parties give something and receive something. Money changes hands or equivalent exchange occurs.
Speech is used when the outcome is a behavioral change — you want someone to do something, believe something, feel something, or reveal something. No exchange is required. You are appealing to their reason, emotions, fears, loyalties, or desires.
The Grey Area
Some negotiations involve both. “Help us defend the town and we’ll pay you 500 caps” has a Barter component (the payment) and a Speech component (convincing them the fight is worth it).
In these cases, the GM determines which skill is primary based on what the NPC cares about most:
- If the NPC is a mercenary who only cares about payment → Barter
- If the NPC is a reluctant ally who needs convincing → Speech
- If both matter equally → the GM may require both tests in sequence
Speech in Combat
Speech has several combat applications:
Command Action (Requires Speech +3)
The primary combat use of Speech is the 👉 Command action, which lets you direct intelligent biological ♟️ Followers in combat. See 👉 Command for full details on Command Actions (Attack, Defend, Retreat, Assist, Rally).
Convincing Enemies to Surrender
Any character may attempt to convince enemies to surrender or stand down during combat. This is not a specific action — the player describes what they want to say, and the GM determines the appropriate Test and ⚡ AP cost based on context.
Typically this is a 👄 CHA + 💬 Speech Test opposed by the target’s 😌 Composure. Factors that affect the outcome include:
- How badly the combat is going for the enemy
- Whether the enemy has reason to trust you
- The enemy’s morale and loyalty
- Whether surrender is a realistic option for them
The GM should warn the player that this will cost AP and may not succeed before they commit to the attempt.
Terrifying Presence (Perk)
The Terrifying Presence perk grants dedicated intimidation abilities in combat, including the Terrify ability at Rank 2, which inflicts Fear. See the perk description for details.
Taunt (Perk)
The Taunt perk allows you to provoke enemies into focusing their attacks on you, inflicting the Taunted debuff. See the perk description for details.
Followers and Speech
Speech is one of three skills that grants access to the 👉 Command action:
| Skill | Follower Type |
|---|---|
| 💬 Speech +3 | Intelligent biological Followers |
| 🔬 Science +3 | Robotic Followers |
| 🏕 Survival +3 | Animal Followers |
Without the appropriate milestone, ♟️ Followers act according to their own instincts under GM control. The Command action gives you direct influence over their behavior in combat.
Your 🧑🤝🧑 Follower Limit determines how many Followers you can have.
See ♟️ Followers and 👉 Command for full details.
Relevant Perks
| Perk | Effect |
|---|---|
| Terrifying Presence | Rank 1: -2 Composure to targets of your threats. Rank 2: Unlock the Terrify ability (4 AP, inflict Fear). |
| Taunt | Rank 1: Taunt a target (4 AP), inflicting Taunted (Disadvantage on attacks against others). Rank 2: Taunt 2 targets, Taunted enemies have -2 Accuracy against you. |
| Inspirational | Rank 1: +1 Evasion, +1 Accuracy, +1 Composure to party members and Followers in Close range. Rank 2: Doubled. |
| Smooth Talker | +2 Composure when recruiting intelligent Followers. |
| Lady Killer | Once per Long Rest, convert first CRITFAIL to failure on CHA tests to influence characters of the chosen gender. +2 damage against them. |
| Scoundrel | +2 Composure in social contexts per rank. |
Relevant Book Perks
| Book | Effect |
|---|---|
| Meeting People | Once per Long Rest, convert a CRITFAIL on a Speech Test to a normal failure. |
GM Guidance
Adjudicating Speech Tests
Speech Tests should always consider context. Factors that affect difficulty and outcomes:
- NPC personality — a paranoid raider is harder to persuade than a friendly settler
- Loyalty and alliances — faction members resist Speech from outsiders
- Risk involved — asking someone to risk their life is harder than asking for directions
- Player reputation — past actions affect how NPCs respond
- Evidence presented — Speech backed by proof is more effective than baseless claims
- Approach — the right approach for the situation matters. Intimidating a Brotherhood Paladin is less effective than appealing to their sense of duty.
Speech Is Not Mind Control
Even a CRIT on a Speech Test cannot force an NPC to act completely against their core motivations. A mother will not abandon her child. A fanatical cultist will not renounce their beliefs from a single conversation. A guard will not let you into the armory just because you’re charming.
What Speech CAN do is shift perspectives, reveal information, create doubt, inspire action, and exploit existing motivations. The best Speech characters work WITH NPC motivations rather than against them.
Multiple Speech Attempts
If a Speech Test fails, the player should not be allowed to simply retry with the same approach. The NPC has already heard and rejected their argument. To try again, the player must present new information, a different approach, or changed circumstances.
The Negotiator perk (Barter) provides a similar second-chance mechanic for failed Barter Tests.