[RPG] How to represent streetwise skills

pathfinder-1eskills

Some game systems have a Streetwise skill. Here are things that it's usually related to:

  • Knowing about urchins, pick-pockets and urban gangs, their organization, codes, behaviors
  • Knowing who's where in the urban food-chain, who's pulling the strings, who's dangerous, who's a lackey of whom
  • Gathering underground rumors
  • Circulating your own rumors
  • Knowing various usually inconsequential people that can provide specialized help (from a cobbler to a locksmith)
  • Knowing the best places in town for various things (where's the gambling, where's the illegal dealing, …)
  • Knowing how to move through a city, either to escape pursuers or catch runaways
  • Being able to blend in with the crowd and pass off as a local, or at least avoid attention
  • Haggling with merchants, especially black market ones?

Which Pathfinder skill or skills would best represent these? Should Traits also be involved?

At a glance, it seems Knowledge Local could do a lot of this. Diplomacy and Bluff already fit some of the actions, though not specifically for urban environments I think. Some of it would fit "Survival (Urban)" if it was a skill, which the Urban Ranger does some of.

Best Answer

All of the items in the list that start with "Knowing" fall well under Knowledge(Local) skill.

Gathering underground rumors --> Diplomacy(Gather Information)

Gather Information

You can also use Diplomacy to gather information about a specific topic or individual. To do this, you must spend at least 1d4 hours canvassing people at local taverns, markets, and gathering places. The DC of this check depends on the obscurity of the information sought, but for most commonly known facts or rumors it is 10. For obscure or secret knowledge, the DC might increase to 20 or higher. The GM might rule that some topics are simply unknown to common folk.

Being able to blend in with the crowd --> I'd say Disguise skill helps. Considering you can use disguise to pass off as other races and the skill makes you look line someone else(someone who won't raise suspicion by appearance) makes it my top choice.

Haggling --> Again, Diplomacy and Bluff handles haggling situations. Sense Motive helps against merchants who would try to rob you. Of course, Appraise skill lets you determine the value of the item you would haggle which makes it essential.

Circulating your own rumors --> I don't think there is a particular skill for this aside from diplomacy and bluff. But there's this advanced rogue talent. Now, of course you don't have to be a level 10 rogue to be able to spread rumors and have them accepted as facts, but I think it's a good guideline to determine which skill helps how with it.

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