There actually is a noteworthy difference between Authoritative Tone and Cool Resolve. Authoritative Voice *only* works when you are the active initiator of the social tests – like, you’re conning someone or you’re trying to negotiate with someone.
Cool Resolve does that, but it also works when *someone else* is initiating on *you*, such as trying to con you or intimidate you.
For a face you probably usually want to be initiating more, so Authoritative Tone is usually the go-to option, but there are distinct reasons to like Cool Resolve, and to have a character with both. (Sidenote: Kinesics is kind of the other way around, helping almost entirely with defensive social tests, and it’s even cheaper than Authoritative Tone, so you’re probably best off getting AT and Kinesics in relatively equal measures to start with, as 1 level each will cost 0.75 power points vs 1 for a rank of Cool Resolve.)
Great show as always. I wanted to pass along my thoughts on the “Leadership Face” as I have seen this archetype horribly abused in several games. While I agree with Mr. J and Bobbie that the Face does not need to ‘sit on their hands’, I do think the Leadership Face needs to show some restraint and pick their battles.
Leadership is a fantastic skill but, when taken to the ‘dark side’, it is the most overpowered (and broken) skill in 5E. The Leadership Face can literally add a ton of dice (potentially) to any and EVERY test in the game. I can’t think of any other character type that can insert themselves into everything else the team is doing throughout the entire run… and therein lies the problem. Yeah, it can be a great benefit to the team, but sometimes the team isn’t so appreciative of the ‘help’.
Let me provide an example using the actual play: Say the team had a Leadership Face. Adding that person’s skill to help Kenji with a Con test would be awesome. Kenji has a bit of skill with that, but it is not his forte. Now say that Leadership Face helped Maverick with shooting someone. Not only is that ridiculous, it is honing in and upstaging what is clearly a ‘Mav moment’. Unfortunately, this is what I see at my tables time and time again with the Leadership Face.
Bottom line: If you are playing a Leadership Face you can add dice to any and every test in the game… but that doesn’t mean you should! Save the Leadership for those moments when a teammate needs that extra die or two to pull off something they aren’t any good at doing. When it is their moment to shine, stay out of it. Trust me, it will save a lot of hurt feelings around the table.
There actually is a noteworthy difference between Authoritative Tone and Cool Resolve. Authoritative Voice *only* works when you are the active initiator of the social tests – like, you’re conning someone or you’re trying to negotiate with someone.
Cool Resolve does that, but it also works when *someone else* is initiating on *you*, such as trying to con you or intimidate you.
For a face you probably usually want to be initiating more, so Authoritative Tone is usually the go-to option, but there are distinct reasons to like Cool Resolve, and to have a character with both. (Sidenote: Kinesics is kind of the other way around, helping almost entirely with defensive social tests, and it’s even cheaper than Authoritative Tone, so you’re probably best off getting AT and Kinesics in relatively equal measures to start with, as 1 level each will cost 0.75 power points vs 1 for a rank of Cool Resolve.)
Great show as always. I wanted to pass along my thoughts on the “Leadership Face” as I have seen this archetype horribly abused in several games. While I agree with Mr. J and Bobbie that the Face does not need to ‘sit on their hands’, I do think the Leadership Face needs to show some restraint and pick their battles.
Leadership is a fantastic skill but, when taken to the ‘dark side’, it is the most overpowered (and broken) skill in 5E. The Leadership Face can literally add a ton of dice (potentially) to any and EVERY test in the game. I can’t think of any other character type that can insert themselves into everything else the team is doing throughout the entire run… and therein lies the problem. Yeah, it can be a great benefit to the team, but sometimes the team isn’t so appreciative of the ‘help’.
Let me provide an example using the actual play: Say the team had a Leadership Face. Adding that person’s skill to help Kenji with a Con test would be awesome. Kenji has a bit of skill with that, but it is not his forte. Now say that Leadership Face helped Maverick with shooting someone. Not only is that ridiculous, it is honing in and upstaging what is clearly a ‘Mav moment’. Unfortunately, this is what I see at my tables time and time again with the Leadership Face.
Bottom line: If you are playing a Leadership Face you can add dice to any and every test in the game… but that doesn’t mean you should! Save the Leadership for those moments when a teammate needs that extra die or two to pull off something they aren’t any good at doing. When it is their moment to shine, stay out of it. Trust me, it will save a lot of hurt feelings around the table.