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Slander     Adventuring parties who make a name for themselves often make that name a target for their enemies. Sometimes it's a simple matter of petty rivalry with another party; other times it's a major enemy made by taking a stand. Slander is not only something a renowned party must defend themselves against, but an important weapon against foes too powerful or popular to accost physically. The threat of slander can also be a further incentive for strong-willed characters to acquiesce to your persuasion.
    In game terms, slander is an attempt to reduce the renown of another character or party. In-character, the confusion and rumors introduced by your verbal attacks interferes with your adversaries' fame. To slander someone, both you and they must have at least 1 renown in your current region. You must first gather a crowd; this must be done in a village or city that the target character has been in within the last 10 days. You may target multiple characters if they are in the same party or are otherwise tightly associated in a similar small group. Next, spend 10 insight and make a social offense roll of d20 on INT. Be careful - if you fail this roll, the attempt will backfire on your own renown, as detailed below under Effects of Slander.
    Slander proceeds quite differently depending on whether or not the target character(s) are present to defend themselves. Characters can defend themselves from slander by being actually present. If they are not present to defend themselves, you must add 2 Hindrance to the social offense roll above, as your listeners will be more hesitant to accept your assertions.
    If your offense roll succeeds and the would-be victims of slander are present, one of them may make a social defense roll of d20 on INT. If successful, the slander attempt fails, and neither side is affected.
    The reactive +TN from using Willpower cannot be applied in the social offense and defense rolls for slander.

Renown Hindrance/Easing     It is very difficult to slander characters who are more renowned than you are, as you seem to be overreaching or envious. Conversely, slandering a much less-renowned character can be perceived as petty or cruel. If the character you are slandering has at least 2 times your renown (if targeting a group, consider the most-renowned character), you must add 2 Hindrance to your social offense roll, plus another 2 Hindrance for every additional multiple of your renown theirs meets or exceeds - for example, 6 Hindrance against a character with 4 times your renown. Likewise, the same Hindrance would apply if the more-renowned character slanders you.
    For all of these rules, compare only the renown effective in your current region. Remember that slander is impossible if either party has 0 effective renown.

Impersonal Reputation Hindrance     If the crowd perceives the slandered character as the Impersonal reputation type, it is difficult to motivate them to change their opinions, as the character's renown matters little to them. You must add 2 Hindrance to your offense roll to slander such a character.

Persuasion Victory Slander     If you have "won" a persuasion attempt against another character(s), but they have made a persuasion endurance roll instead of agreeing to your request, you may proceed to turn the exchange into a slander attempt. If you do so, and if the crowd both witnessed your persuasion victory and does not object to your persuasion goal for the other character, you gain 4 Easing in your social offense roll for slander, and the target does not receive a defense roll. This rule is not affected by whether or not the slandered character succeeded on their persuasion endurance roll. If the persuasion goal was such that it cannot be immediately determined whether the other character(s) complied, but it becomes clear later that they will not, the same easier slander attempt may be made at that point.

Effects of Slander     If successful, a slander attempt's effects depend on the size category of the gathered crowd:
   

Crowd Size	Slander Effects
Small	Target character(s) have a 50% chance of losing 1 renown
Medium	Target character(s) have a 75% chance of losing 1 renown
Large	Target character(s) lose 1 renown

    If you fail the attempt's offense roll, the effects backfire on you (but not your fellow party members), and you lose renown according to the same rules.
    Renown lost to slander is fully removed, but is also tracked as a separate value; it is relevant to the rules below for altered reputation and undoing slander.
    Characters who are not currently within civilization do not become aware of the effects on their renown until they return to a village or city. Because slander attempts are partially based on the renown of the slanderer, the victim can always discover which individual or group is responsible.

Slander Limits     A character cannot lose more than 1 renown per day due to slander, nor may a party make more than 1 slander attempt per day in the same renown region (regardless of target, or of whether the attempt succeeds). If you make a slander attempt, other members of your party must also wait until tomorrow to try.

Altered Reputation     When you successfully slander a character or group to such an extent that the amount of renown lost to your party's slander is at least 1/2 the value of their current renown (or, in other words, your party has taken away 1/3 of their renown), you may cause their reputation with the common masses to change to Comical. This effect can be removed by undoing slander (see below).

Undoing Slander     In practice, a dangerous social enemy will almost always try to slander you when you aren't around, as a competent Appeal character has more tools to succeed on a difficult social offense roll than to interfere with your social defense roll. Fortunately, when you find out about such damage, you might be able to repair it and restore your renown; any lingering confusion amongst the masses will be offset by the excitement of the drama.
    Attempts to undo slander are only effective to regain points of renown you have lost when you could not defend yourself with a roll, which you have not already undone, and which were not self-inflicted by a failed slander attempt. To undo slander, you must gather a crowd, specify whose slander you are refuting, spend 20 insight, and make a difficult 2d20 social defense roll on INT. The reactive +TN from using Willpower cannot be applied in this roll. If successful, refer to the chances based on crowd size for normal slander above; you have an identical chance of refuting the slander and regaining 1 point of renown. If you are refuting an attempt which was made against your entire party, your entire party regains the point of renown. If the regained point results in the slanderer no longer having a sufficient ratio of slander successes to your current renown, you can undo an altered reputation as well; your reputation type with the masses is restored to what it would normally be.
    You cannot undo slander if you or your party have already attempted to either slander or to undo slander today (regardless of whether the attempt succeeded). If you attempt to undo slander, you and your party are also unable to make a slander attempt until the next day.

Exhortation     These rules can lend real power to your positive words to other characters. Exhortation can describe anything from an emotional conversation between adventuring friends, to a noble rallying his troops on the eve of battle, to a quick encouraging word for another party member. If you have the insight to spend and the time to talk, add in a die roll and perhaps lend some support to your allies:

Short Exhortation     This describes a short but meaningful encouragement that can fit into a sentence or two, or even a hearty cheer or shout. To use a short exhortation, spend 4 insight and make a social offense roll of d20 on INT. If successful, your words provide a +TN to all characters within earshot you desire to affect; the +TN is 2 for characters with whom you have High Rapport, or 1 for Medium Rapport. It has no effect on lesser Rapport. If you succeed on the INT roll by 10 or more, the +TN is increased by 1. This +TN applies to any roll that is not a blind roll. If used in combat, it is a verbal free action; it is effective on all the characters' rolls, but only until the beginning of your next turn. If outside of combat, it is effective on the character's next roll, provided it occurs reasonably soon. Rolls which are not potentially valid for Willpower use are unaffected by this +TN. It can be used to assist others in the rolls for persuasion, in which case it is effective on all their rolls for 1 persuasion round. It can be used to assist others in the rolls for persuasion, in which case it is effective for 1 round.
    Short exhortations do not stack; that is, a character is only affected by the highest +TN amongst all exhortations they are hearing. You can continue to use short exhortations for as long as you have the opportunity and insight to do so (though you may only make one attempt per combat round or persuasion round, or one per another character's out-of-combat roll). You cannot exhort yourself.

Long Exhortation     This describes an encouraging conversation or speech of decent length. It cannot be used in combat or during another social action, but its effects are more long-term than a short exhortation. To use a long exhortation, spend 10 insight and make a social offense roll of d20 on INT. If failed, you may repeat the roll, at a cost of 10 insight per attempt. Long exhortations are normally effective on only one person; if you have Social Competence (Appeal), you can make a long exhortation effective on everyone within earshot you want to affect by adding 2 Hindrance to the social offense roll. You do not affect yourself. The reactive +TN from using Willpower cannot be applied in the offense roll for a long exhortation.
     Affected characters may make a social boost roll of d12 on WILL. Characters who have High Rapport with you may add 2 Easing.
     Repeated long exhortations tend to desensitize a character. When rolling the social boost roll from a long exhortation, a character must add 3 Hindrance for every previous long exhortation successfully targeted at them the same day by any character.

Rebuking     These rules can lend real power to your verbal assaults against other characters. Rebukes can describe anything from a philosophical attack, to adventurers bickering and shouting at one another, to a quick insult on the battlefield.

Short Rebuke     This describes a short but nasty attack or insult that can fit into a sentence or two. To use a short rebuke, spend 4 insight and make a social offense roll of d20 on INT. If successful, your words force a -TN of 1 on all characters within earshot you desire to affect. If you succeed by 10 or more, the -TN is 2 instead. This -TN applies to any roll that is not a blind roll, and cannot be resisted (if nothing else, you at least inflict some distraction). If used in combat, it is a verbal free action; it is effective on all the character's rolls, but only until the beginning of your next turn. If outside of combat, it is effective on the character's next roll, provided it occurs reasonably soon. Rolls which are not potentially valid for Willpower use are unaffected by this +TN. It can be used to hamper others in the rolls for persuasion, in which case it is effective for 1 round.
   Short rebukes do not stack; that is, a character is only affected by the worst -TN amongst all rebukes they are hearing. You can continue to use short rebukes for as long as you have the opportunity and insight to do so (though you may only make one attempt per combat or persuasion round, or one per another character's out-of-combat roll).

Long Rebuke     This describes a berating speech of decent length. It cannot be used in combat or during another social action, but its effects are more long-term than a short rebuke. To use a long rebuke, spend 10 insight and make a social offense roll of d20 on INT. If failed, you may repeat the roll, at a cost of 10 insight per attempt. Long rebukes are normally effective on only one person; if you have Social Competence (Appeal), you can make a long rebuke effective on everyone within earshot you want to affect by adding 2 Hindrance to the social offense roll. The reactive +TN from using Willpower cannot be applied in the offense roll for a long rebuke.
    Affected characters must make a social endurance roll of d12 on WILL. Rapport has no effect on long rebukes (though obviously a rebuke may be grounds for lowering your Rapport with that character).

    Repeated long rebukes tend to desensitize a character. When rolling the social endurance roll from a long rebuke, a character receives 3 Easing for every previous long rebuke successfully targeted at them the same day by any character.