Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 15; Unspecific Lore: DC 13; Specific Lore: DC 10
Most who end up in a jail, dungeon, or prison are just biding their time until their imprisonment ends, trying to find ways to make it through interminable days of boredom and deprivation. Some, however, may use their time on the inside to strengthen their criminal connections. Using force and intimidation to gain status among other prisoners, they create makeshift weapons to take down their enemies and give them an edge if escape becomes possible. Even for prisoners who don't become involved in the world of prison politics, learning to stand up for themselves and projecting an air of toughness can become essential for survival in a place where people have little left to lose.
Downtrodden
Unfortunately, every society has people living on its fringes. While good communities work to grant aid and respite to their downtrodden, sometimes—due to economic downturn, famine, or war—the ranks of the less fortunate exceed the community's capacity to support them. In heartless neutral and evil societies, poverty is seen as an inevitability that can never be truly eradicated, or even worse, as a tool to be manipulated for political gain.
Braving The Mob
A mob is a violent crowd that works as greater difficult terrain and hazardous terrain, dealing damage for each square entered. A creature can spend a single action to attempt a DC 16 Intimidation check, clearing the mob from all squares adjacent to them on a success (or all squares within 10 feet on a critical success). This action has the concentrate, emotion, manipulate, and mental traits.
Word On The Street
Privy to all sorts of conversations from passersby, the downtrodden can provide eyes and ears on the street. Finding a reliable contact can give a character a circumstance bonus to checks to Gather Information if they return to that source. This bonus is usually +1, but could be +2 or +3 if the contact lingers in a market where influential politicians shop, sweeps a noble estate, or the like.
Befriending NPCs in advance can also help the heroes in action scenes. A friendly urchin might show a character a shortcut to catch an escaping enemy, a crowd of fans who frequent a bard's performances might throw rocks to distract someone trying to fight the bard, and so on. — Gamemastery Guide pg. 215 |