Influence Encounter
Perception: 1d20+5; low‑light vision, techsense (imprecise) 100 ft.
Will: 1d20+6
Discovery
Perception DC 17 – Read their emotional “mood” from glitch patterns, laughter over comms, and sprite behavior.
Computers DC 15 – Analyze recurring errors and iconography to realize they’re obsessed with access, novelty, and “fun” system responses.
Nature or Occultism DC 13 – Recognize them as Rift‑touched tech fey from Undersong micro‑cyclones, attuned to Blue/Red mana clashes.
Chronologist Lore DC 15 – Recall reports that some guilds use botnibs as living IDS/“stress‑test” gremlins and bribe them with access instead of trying to purge them.
On a success, the PC learns one of:
Which skill has the lowest Influence DC (Computers).
One resistance.
One weakness.
Influence Skills
Skill | DC | Notes |
14 | “Show us something fun.” You let them ride your slate, sandbox, or ship subsystem, promising new glitches and games if they cooperate. | |
16 | You stage a little “error show”: bogus warning sounds, fake UI sprites, or animated emojis that play to their love of spectacle. | |
16 | You spin a tall tale about legendary gremlin exploits or fake system vulnerabilities that flatter their status and potential. | |
18 | You treat them as legitimate stakeholders in the station’s ecology, negotiating safe targets for their mischief and boundaries they won’t cross. | |
20 | You credibly threaten disciplined maintenance, cold‑iron traps, or Chronologist purges if they keep pushing a critical system too far. |
Thresholds
2 IP – “We’ll Listen.”
The botnibs stop active sabotage for the scene, venting their chaos into harmless glitches (UI pranks, cosmetic lights). They’ll talk, answer basic questions, and let the PCs move through their “territory” without escalating.
4 IP – “We’ll Play Your Game.”
The troupe agrees to cooperate conditionally:
They redirect their Glitch Aura away from critical systems the PCs specify.
They warn the PCs via hijacked displays or laughing sprites if someone else tampers with “their” junctions.
Once this encounter, the PCs gain a +1 circumstance bonus to a single Computers or Engineering check to handle a tech hazard the botnibs can “help” with.
6 IP – “You’re Our Favorite Toys.”
The botnibs become enthusiastic allies:
For this mission, they treat the PCs as “admin gremlins,” opening and closing doors, misdirecting hostile sensors, or lightly glitching enemy weapons on request (GM grants small circumstance bonuses or rerolls where appropriate).
They stand down from sabotaging the PCs’ ship and instead ride along as a kind of living intrusion‑detection system, giving early warning of hostile hacking or system tampering once per day.
Their attitude remains Friendly by default for future visits, unless the PCs seriously betray them.
Resistances
These increase the associated Influence DC by +2 (or cause a loss of 1 IP on a critical misstep, at GM’s discretion).
Boring Stability: Arguments about “clean logs,” “regulation compliance,” or “shutting down all glitches” make them lose interest or lash out.
Brute Threats: Purely talking about extermination, cold‑iron purges, or hard wipes without any playfulness pushes them toward spiteful sabotage rather than negotiation.
Dry Tech Jargon: Overly technical lectures without any visual or playful element are noise to them; they tune out.
Weaknesses
These reduce the associated Influence DC by –2 and might grant 1 bonus Influence Point on a success, if really well played.
New Toys: Offering fresh systems to explore—a disconnected testbed, a quarantined simulator, or an old Rift survey core—immediately gets their attention.
Creative Glitches: Demonstrating imaginative, nonlethal glitches (harmless avatar swaps, meme‑filled error messages, musical alerts) convinces them you “speak their language.”
Undersong Respect: Addressing them in Entwothan greetings or acknowledging their Undersong origin and mana‑storm “birthright” flatters their pride and makes them more receptive.
