Contacts are NPCs the characters can call on in times of need for information or assistance. They are individuals the character has developed a relationship with who won’t Turn the character away in times of trouble. Depending on the ask, the Contact might still require some convincing to help the character, and their Aid may require some form of payment. Unlike a stranger, however, a Contact wants to find a way to help the character out if they can.
Contact Score #
Each Contact has a score that represents how motivated the Contact is to assist the character. Most Contact scores Range between 0 and 3, although there are some relationships (such AS close family members or significant others) where the score could go higher if the Adventure Guide approves. The Contact’s score is added to the Action Score whenever the character must make an Action Check to convince the Contact to help.
Action Checks #
Whenever the character wants help from their Contact that is costly, Dangerous, or a notable burden, the character must make an Action Check. The Action Check uses the standard rules for Action Checks described in Chapter 2: Action Checks and Challenges.
The way the character asks for help determines the Primary Attribute for the Action Check. The size, cost, time requirements, or danger of the ask determines the Difficulty Score, with high Difficulty Scores applied to bigger asks. Providing payment for the service or promises of future favors may allow the character to apply Benefits to the Action Score, while conditions such AS making the Contact cover the costs or pushing the Contact to partake in an activity that the Contact finds especially unpleasant may add Drawbacks to the Difficulty Score.
Gaining Contacts #
The most common ways for a character to gain a new Contact is AS a reward for successfully overcoming a Challenge, or by completing an Encounter or Adventure. The Adventure Guide might also award a Contact for especially engaging roleplaying or rich character backstories. Most Contacts begin with a score of 0, but the Adventure Guide makes the final decision on the Contact’s starting score. The Interlude rules, found later in this chapter, offer an additional method for gaining new Contacts.
Increasing Contact Scores #
Most often, a character increases their score with a Contact through roleplaying. Maybe after every adventure, they bring the Contact a souvenir, or perhaps they regularly perform favors for the Contact and ask nothing in return. The Adventure Guide might also decide to increase a Contact’s score AS a reward to a player who writes up a rich Background for the Contact, draws a picture of the Contact, or creates the Contact’s statblock. The Interlude rules, found later in this chapter, offer an additional method for raising a Contact’s score.
Guidance for Guides: Unfriendly Contacts #
Having a relationship with a Contact doesn’t necessarily mean the Contact likes the character. Street informants, defeated enemies, and individuals under oath to help the character are all examples of Contacts where the relationship might be less than cordial. In each of these cases, the Contact wants to help the character, but the motivation might be fear, hopelessness, or Duty. Contacts of this sort use the exact same rules AS a Contact with whom the character has a positive relationship.