(Host) Navigating Social Situations
Affecting Social Interactions with Spiritual Effects and Songs
Ministering Spirits and Minstrels can creatively utilize Spiritual Effects and Songs to affect Social Interactions. Situational Songs are straightforward, based entirely on the investment. However, manifesting War Songs or Spiritual Effects into the material realm in creative ways can be less clear in how they should affect a Social Interaction.
Below is a general guide that can help Hosts decide just how much of a bonus they should give when players are being creative in this way.
| How Relevant are the Spiritual Effects or War Songs in Use? | Enhancement |
| 1 very loosely relates to the Motive | no benefit |
| multiple very loosely relate to the Motive | +1 Adjustment |
| 1 relates to the Motive | +1 Adjustment |
| 1 very strongly relates to the Motive | Boon:1 |
| 1 very strongly relates to the Motive and multiple others relate | Boon:1 + 1 Adjustment |
| 2 very strongly relate to the Motive | Boon:2 |
It is recommended to rarely ever exceed Boon:2 from Spiritual Effects and War Songs manifested into the material world, though some circumstances could certainly warrant it.
Spiritual Effect and War Songs can also be used to weaken opposing Social Interactions. When this is happening the table above could be interpreted as having the opposite effect. For example, if an opponent were trying to Excite a human while an enemy is manifesting Lullaby on them, their Excite Interaction might lose Adjustments or have Bane applied.
Roleplaying Bonuses to Social Interactions
Players should not feel pressured to act out their Social Interactions. Everyone's comfort zone and what they enjoy about playing is different. Still, it can be immersive and helpful to building a story when players can imagine how their interactions play out. When a player comes up with a very fitting or creative idea that really seems like it should have a special impact, the Host is encouraged to reward it with a bonus.
A bonus for roleplaying should ideally reflect how the Host thinks the situation is being impacted. It could be a bonus to Skill or a Boon, or, if the Host thinks it is making the Target more susceptible rather than boosting the character's ability, it could be described as a reduction to the Target's Composure.
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Overlapping Bonuses
If there are multiple factors contributing bonuses to a Social Interaction like a Situational Song, manifested Spiritual Effects or War Songs, or other roleplaying actions that will all give a bonus, how they combine may not be an exact combination of them all. The recommended way to determine the final bonus is take the strongest bonus and then consider if the other factors are strong enough to push that bonus even higher.
Small bonuses might stack directly or might change the kind of bonus. For example, two factors each giving +1 Adjustment might combine to +2 Adjustments or could be combined into a Boon:1. Two Boon:1 bonuses might combine into a Boon:2, or maybe the Host feels the combination only warrants Boon:1 + 1 Adjustment. The larger the bonuses, the more likely there will be diminishing returns or no maybe even no increase. For example, a factor giving only +1 Adjustment might be entirely overshadowed by another factor giving Boon:2 or greater. As an exception, Situational Songs are not subjective bonuses, but specific bonuses the player is paying for. As such, they should most often be applied directly or enhanced by the combination, not reduced or ignored.
Sometimes the Host may find it appropriate to actually increase the combined results. This can happen with there is roleplaying momentum, the players are excited and cooperating, or the situation just feels really right. Sometimes, it may even be appropriate for the Host to determine a successful result without even requiring a roll when the situation just seems ordained and the story is lining up perfectly. If doing this, be sensitive to whether the players involved might feel blessed or if they might feel robbed of the accomplishment.