Rotes & Procedures

Adjustments, also referred to as subtle Procedures by some agents, are applications of Enlightened Science that do not typically strain the bounds of belief in technologically developed regions. The majority of the time, the Masses accept the results of an Adjustment as perfectly normal, rational, and reasonable. Adjustments are the preferred method of applying Enlightened Science outside of the safety of a Construct. The Adjustment below is routinely employed by field operatives.

The Master’s Edge (•• Mind; possibly with • or •• Entropy added)

The power of body language, posture, and other non-ver­ bal cues during face-to-face interactions cannot be overstated. Through the application of this Adjustment, an operative maximizes the impact of these factors to enhance social inter­ action. While this is commonly used to project a menacing or intimidating presence, the operative can easily apply the same principles to enhance virtually any social interaction.

System

Built on the foundation of basic Mind 2 prin­ ciples, this Adjustment affects the target’s mood, increasing susceptibility to the emotion the operative wishes to elicit. This is relatively standard Influence-Magick as described in How Do You Do That?, p. 116. The operative chooses what type of emotional state they wish to instill in their target, such as fear, calm, or even a sense of trust. The player then rolls

Enlightenment at a difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower Trait, or 4, whichever is higher. The target rolls Willpower at difficulty 6 to resist this effect, with each success canceling one of the operative’s successes. Any remaining successes reduce the difficulty (to no lower than -3) of the operative’s Attribute + Ability rolls when incorporating the impacted emotion for the duration. If projecting fear, this reduces the difficulty of Manipulation + Intimidation rolls, whereas an operative pro­ jecting an aura of confidence would enjoy reduced difficulties to Charisma + Etiquette rolls to impress a target.

By incorporating Entropy 1 into the effect, the operative gains insight into the target’s nonverbal responses to the pro­ cedure, allowing for minute adjustments to undermine the target’s resistance. This allows the operative to increase the difficulty of the target’s Willpower roll to resist this procedure by 1 per success, to a maximum of +3.

If the operative incorporates Entropy 2 into the Adjustment, random and subtle changes in the environment occur that enhance the targeted mood. This allows the operative to divide successes gained from the Enlightenment roll between impacting the difficulties regarding the effect as detailed above and increasing the difficulty of Willpower rolls and Attribute + Ability checks made by the target to resist all social Attribute + Ability checks made by the operative for the duration of the effect. Each success spent by the Technocrat in this fashion increases the difficulty of the target’s affected rolls by +1 to a maximum of +3.

Technocratic Focus Elements

Common Technocratic Paradigms

Common Technocratic Practices

Common Technocratic Instruments