Every hero gains a reputation of one sort or another as her career progresses, as expressed in a Reputation bonus. Reputation is used to determine whether another character recognizes you. While a character may try to take advantage of her reputation from time to time, usually a hero’s reputation precedes her—for better or worse.
Those who recognize the hero are more likely to help her or do what she asks, provided the reputation has a positive connotation to the character who recognizes the hero. A high Reputation also makes it difficult for the character to mask her identity, which can be a problem if she’s trying to remain unnoticed.
Most of the time, a hero doesn’t decide to use her reputation; the GM decides when a hero’s reputation is relevant to a given situation. The GM may also decide to grant reputation bonuses to characters based on events that transpire during play. These bonuses may be general reputation bonuses, applied directly to the character’s total Reputation, or the bonuses may apply only in to certain areas, social circles, or organizations.
It’s all a matter of perspective. What a character’s reputation represents in the eye of the beholder will vary, depending on how the character gained her reputation (usually through her profession and social circle) and how the beholder feels about the hero’s place in society.
When a character has a positive opinion of the hero’s reputation, the hero is considered to be famous by that character. Fame, when recognized, provides a bonus to certain Charisma-based skill checks.
When a character has a negative opinion of the hero’s reputation, that hero is considered to be infamous by that character. Infamy, when recognized, provides a penalty to certain Charisma-based skill checks.
Whenever the GM decides that a character’s reputation can be a factor in an encounter, the GM makes a Reputation check (DC 25) if the character involved is an NPC, or a player makes the check if the beholder involved is PC.
The formula for a Reputation check is: 1d20 + the hero’s Reputation bonus + the beholder’s Int modifier. Some Reputation checks use a Knowledge skill bonus instead of the beholder’s Int modifier, such as using Knowledge (popular culture) if the hero has levels of Personality or is otherwise in the public eye. Likewise, if the hero is a trader and the beholder has ranks in Knowledge (business), the GM may use Knowledge (business). Additional modifiers to the Reputation check are listed on the table below. Note that if the beholder has no possible way of recognizing the hero, a Reputation check automatically fails.
If the Reputation check succeeds, the beholder recognizes the hero. This provides a +4 bonus or a –4 penalty on the hero’s checks involving the following skills for the duration of the encounter: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Perform.
In situations when the hero’s infamy could make another character react poorly toward her, the Reputation check provides a penalty, and when the hero’s fame could make a character react positively toward him, the Reputation check provides a bonus.
Situation Modifier