Linked Attribute: Presence + Willpower
Specializations: Commercial Treaties, Federation Law, Intergalactic Affairs, Intergalactic Law, Negotiation, (Specific Planet) Affairs
The Diplomacy skill reflects a character's ability to conduct (or assist with) negotiations between various bodies (such as governments or corporations). It also includes a knowledge and understanding of intergalactic law, politics, and alliances.
In game terms, a character can use Diplomacy to make others view his position more positively. He makes an Opposed Test pitting his Diplomacy against the other character's Diplomacy (or simply Presence + Willpower). If he succeeds, he has convinced the other character; the Narrator should reduce the Difficulty of all related Tests to persuade the target to do something or grant some concession. If he fails, the target remains unconvinced that the character's position is the correct one. In a more abstract sense, you can use an Opposed Diplomacy Test at a crucial point during an episode or scene to determine whether a negotiation succeeds or fails.
Although similar to Persuasion and Charm, Diplomacy also differs from them significantly. A character with Diplomacy knows how to negotiate with other characters to reach a mutual, equitable solution to some problem (typically this involves some concessions from both sides). A character with Persuasion can convince others to agree with him through skillful, forceful arguments without making any concessions (many diplomats have this skill as well as Diplomacy). A character with Charm knows how to use personal charisma and emotional appeals to win friends and influence people.
- Routine: Keeping an allied ambassador friendly
- Moderate: Forming an alliance with a willing planet
- Challenging: Negotiating a boundary with a new, but not unfriendly, species
- Difficult: Negotiating a peace with an enemy species
- Nearly Impossible: Building a long-lasting alliance with an enemy species