2.18 Empathy skill

Governing characteristics: PE, CH

Represents: Skill of observing people closely and understanding what people really mean when they talk through reading their body language, and listening to exactly what they say and how they say it. Also, using body language, tone of voice and words to make others feel comfortable and build a good rapport.

Broad specialisms:

• Establishing rapport (i.e. creating a good first impression and coming across as likeable in a conversation)
• Understanding others' feelings or moods
• Drawing out information (in a conversation, through general chatting and sharing pleasantries once a good rapport has been established)

Narrow specialisms:

• Establishing rapport with a particular type of person (e.g. small children, mercenaries, actors, nobility)
• Spotting a particular type of feeling or mood (e.g. tiredness, sadness)
• Spotting when someone is lying or hiding some information
• Lipreading (i.e. understanding what someone is saying without hearing them)
• Judging another's Empathy skill score

Use with the following characteristics in dice rolls covering: