Carousing with the upper class requires^250 gp for the
workweek a nd access to the local nobility.
A character w ith the noble background can mingle
w ith the upper class, but other characters can do so o nly
if you judge tha t the characte r has made sufficient con-
tacts. Alternatively, a character might use a disguise kit
and the Deceptio n s kill to pass as a noble vis iting from a
distant c ity.
Resolution. After a workweek of carousing, a charac-
te r stands to m a ke contacts within the selecte d social
class. The character makes a Charisma (Pers uasion)
c heck us ing the Carousing table.
CAROUS I N G
Check
Total
1- 5
6- 10
11 - 15
16- 20
21+Result
Character has made a hostile contact.
Character has made no new contacts.
Character has made an allied contact.
Cha racter has made two allied contacts.
Character has made three allied contacts.Contacts are NPCs w ho now share a bond with the
character. Each one either owes the characte r a favor
or has some reason to bear a grudge. A hostile contact
works against the c haracter, placing obstacles but stop-
ping short of committing a crime or a violent act. Allie d
contacts a re friends w ho will r ende r aid to t he character,
b ut not a t the r is k of their lives.
Lowe r-class contacts include criminals, la borers,
mercenaries, t he town guard , and a ny other folk who
normally frequent the cheapest taverns in town.
Middle -class contacts include g uild members, spell-
casters, town officials , and other folk who frequent well-
ke pt establishments.
Upper-class contacts are nobles and their personal
servants. Carousing with s uc h folk covers formal ban-
que ts, state dinners, and the like.
Once a contact has helped or hinde re d a character,
the cha racter needs to carouse again to get back into the
NPC's good graces. A contact provides h e lp once, not
help for life. The contact remains fr ie ndly, which can in-
fluence role playing and how t he characters interact with
the m , but doesn't com e with a guarantee of he lp.
You can assign specific NPCs as contacts. You might
decide that the barkeep a t the Wretche d Gorgon and
a gu ard s tatione d at the western gate are the charac-
ter's allied contacts. Assigning specific NPCs gives the
players concr e te options. It brings the campaig n to life
and seeds the area w it h N PCs that the characters care
about. On the other hand, it can prove difficult to track
and might rende r a contact useless if that character
doesn't come into play.
A lternatively, you can allow the player to ma ke an
NPC into a contact on the spot, after carousing. Whe n
the characters are in t he area in which they caroused ,
a player can expend an a llie d contact and designate
a n NPC they meet as a contact, assuming the NPC is
of the correct social class based on how the ch a racterCHAPTER 2 I DUNGEON Ml\STER'S TOOLS