Machinate (sage ability)

Machinate is an authority-status sage ability in the study of Politics, giving the character skill when engaging in plots and intrigues, building carefully crafted schemes or plots in order to obtain a sinister goal. Whatever this goal, the sage ability to machinate enables the character, or "schemer," to induce an allied non-player character to participate in the overall plan.

The ability from long study of human ambition, political leverage and psychological manipulation. It is not simply about planning — it is the art of constructing believable roles for others to play within a scheme and persuading them to play those parts willingly. The ability presumes a deep understanding of loyalty, fear, opportunity and timing. Historically, it is a skill associated with courtiers, advisors and shadowed figures who move levers behind the scenes.

Procedure

The schemer determines that for the plan to succeed, a specific profession or skill is required — often something beyond the schemer's reach. This candidate may be someone with access to a restricted location, inside information or the ability to act without suspicion. Ideally, the candidate is already an ally, but if not, the schemer may employ schmooze to first create that relationship. Once the candidate becomes an ally, the schemer outlines the role they are to play and gives clear instructions.

If the plan involves no apparent risk to the candidate — no expectation of personal danger, arrest or injury — then no bravery check is required. The candidate accepts their task as a matter of routine, persuaded by the schemer's influence through this ability.

However, if the candidate is expected to face danger or exposure, then a bravery check must be made. In this case, the machinate ability provides a +3 bonus to the candidate's bravery check, reflecting the schemer's skill in shaping the risk and making it seem necessary or manageable. If the candidate still refuses, the schemer must pursue alternative strategies, such as bribery or more forceful coercion, to bring the plan to completion.

Fruition

When carefully orchestrated, a schemer can coordinate the actions of dozens of non-player characters in such a way that each believes their role to be benign and without risk, eliminating the need for bravery or persuasion checks. Success in this regard relies on the schemer's ability to clearly outline each NPC's task to the DM, who in turn should extend generous interpretive freedom to the player's planning. As a plan increases in scope and complexity, it becomes more plausible to enlist unwitting participants in small, compartmentalised actions that, when combined, produce a larger and more consequential result. Responsibility lies with the player to construct, layer and present a cohesive plan — not unlike how the character might explain the scheme to a trusting NPC, who understands only their own narrow part.

The sage ability remains deliberately open-ended, as conspiracies and manipulations are, by nature, resistant to firm rules or predictable resolution. A creative player, unburdened by moral restraint, might construct an elaborate plot using common townsfolk to carry out minor acts: delivering notes, offering alibis, stashing objects or bearing false witness — all without those individuals recognising the full scope or consequences of their involvement. The ability simply empowers the schemer to present tasks to an NPC in such a manner that no further convincing is required for the NPC to accept and proceed.

This does not guarantee the success of the task itself. Execution still depends on relevant ability checks where appropriate. If a cook is asked to prepare a dish and that is within their capacity, no check is needed. If that dish is then positioned at a certain place at a certain time to allow it to be dosed unnoticed, the entire chain of setup may likewise require no rolls — assuming it is logically sound and carefully managed. The emphasis is always on how well the circumstances are arranged.

Occasionally, there may be a minimal chance of accidental failure — such as a 1 in 20 or 1 in 100 chance that a guard transporting a package is unexpectedly searched. These should be rare occurrences, not routine obstacles. The rationale is that the participant, though unaware of the full plan, knows their own moment and manner of action well enough to avoid drawing suspicion. Failure should stem from accumulated risk over time, not from arbitrary doubt. The DM is encouraged to judge such risks evenly and in the spirit of the schemer's careful manipulation.

See The Church (sage field)