When interaction with a character requires them to be completely disarmed and do favors beyond what Persuasion will evoke, and with a veneer more mesmerizing than mere Deception, seduction can be the needed surgical tool. Usable only against a race that would naturally be attracted to the seducer, a successful application can make a person behave as though they have been subjected to a very powerful Charm Person spell, without leaving the realization of being manipulated once the effects cease.
A single successful roll against a target makes them do whatever non-threatening task the seducer wants. Two successful rolls can cause them to consider entering harm’s way for the seducer, or offer up deep secrets. Three successful rolls, and the target will behave as a minion, even putting themselves in harm’s way to protect or run errands for the seducer. Even though with each successful roll, the seducer may need to commit more intensely to the seduction over more time, likewise with each successful roll, the effect of the seduction lasts longer. This process of repeated seduction rolls is called layering. The time to establish layer attempts is the same as the duration of each respective layer, and is accordingly: seconds to minutes, hours, days.
With each additional layer, the difficulty raises, as the psychological stakes of manipulating a target rise. Targets with higher WIS will be more challenging, and low WIS will be much easier to sway. Basically with each layer, the seducer is attempting to get the target to forsake their self in favor of the seducer. The successful seduction gives the target the perception that the joy of contact with the seducer is adequate recompense for their toil and service. If an attempt at adding a layer fails, the seduction is broken, as the target perceives they are being used, and the magic of the seducer’s attention dissolves and backfires into bitterness in the target. Thus, seducing a target with high willpower or WIS can be challenging, and layering them with seductions seemingly impossible, while layering a target with considerably low self-esteem or WIS score can be successful even with failures, as the sting of bitterness in such people can be easily forgotten. The reaction of a target to a failed seduction attempt depends upon their alignment and depth of layering: a good character may roll their eyes at a botched initial flirtation, while an evil character may react murderously if they perceive they have been manipulated for days.
Obtaining three layers of seduction over a target is a state called Control, and allows the seducer to manipulate the target into virtually any action they desire, short of absurdly impossible tasks or actions that would result in certain death. However even those with very low WIS scores may march through the flames of Hades for the affections of their seducer. Maintaining Control requires one skill check per day, however the lower the target’s WIS score the more infrequent a skill check may be.
Even though the art of Seduction is intended for leveraging indifferent targets, seduction and layering can have devastatingly powerful effects on those naturally inclined and willing toward the seducer.
To seduce a target, roll D20 and add your CHA modifier and proficiency bonus. If your character is of the race of Aasimar, Changeling, Half Elf, Fierna or Glasya Tiefling, or Yuan-Ti Pureblood, and your target is none of these, you have advantage and take the higher of two D20 rolls. The target rolls D20 and adds WIS modifier and proficiency bonus.
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