Influence Encounter
Tiny space‑station gremlins who know every bolt in “their” habitat and enjoy punishing or pranking anyone bigger who doesn’t.
Perception: 1d20+5; low‑light vision
Will 1d20+6
Discovery
Perception DC 15 – Read their mood from creaks, panel knocks, and flickering lights; learn they respond better to respect and jokes than to threats.
Crafting DC 15 – Recognize patterns in “accidents” that show the clangits are deliberately steering failures away from outright catastrophe; they don’t want the station actually destroyed.
Society or Diplomacy DC 17 – Recall stories that some crews keep clangits semi‑happy with offerings, graffiti “shrines,” and letting them tinker in designated non‑critical zones.
Gremlin Lore / Station Lore DC 17 – Learn that clangits are fey tied to the station’s workings, not outsiders; insulting the station in front of them is treated as a personal slight.
Resistances
These approaches increase the listed Influence DC by +2 (or cost 1 IP on a critical misstep).
Disrespecting the Station: Loudly blaming “junk habitat design” or calling the station a deathtrap.
Wasteful Damage: Blowing holes in bulkheads, wrecking consoles, or venting compartments casually.
Purely Corporate Demands: Talking only in terms of profit, throughput, and “acceptable failure rates,” ignoring the people who live there.
Influence Skills
Skill | DC | Notes |
14 | Demonstrate good maintenance habits, clever fixes, or propose upgrades that reduce strain on “their” station. | |
16 | Treat the clangits as legitimate caretakers; ask their advice on routing traffic, balancing loads, or avoiding dangerous sections. | |
16 | Put on a little “show” using tools, gravity tricks, or improvised percussion on bulkheads that matches the station’s rhythms. | |
18 | Credibly threaten to bring in exterminators or hard‑reset key systems if they keep pushing things too far. | |
18 | Spin a story about rival gremlins being praised on another deck, playing on their pride in “their” station sector. |
Thresholds
2 IP – “You’re Not Completely Hopeless.” Clangits ease off active sabotage around the PCs: doors stop misbehaving, grav flickers become rare, and they’ll shout warnings (via panel knocks or graffiti) before triggering anything truly harmful.
4 IP – “You Listen to the Hull.” The clan agrees to cooperate for this situation: They keep critical systems stable where the PCs are working. They offer route guidance through maintenance shafts or timing tips for lifts and shutters (small circumstance bonuses on a few key checks, at GM discretion). They refrain from sabotaging the PCs’ ship or quarters for the rest of the job.
6 IP – “Station‑Sworn Friends.” The clangits adopt the PCs as “honorary smallfolk of the hull” They become ongoing allies on this station, feeding the PCs rumors, subtle hazard warnings, and occasional help with doors, cranes, and grav plates. Once per adventure on this station, the PCs can call in a “clangit favor” to turn a local environmental feature to their advantage (e.g., sudden bulkhead closure, staged grav glitch).
Weaknesses
These reduce the listed Influence DC by –2, and a particularly good play might earn +1 bonus IP.
Genuine Maintenance Gifts: Offering real fixes—replacement parts, patch crews, or time set aside to “let the station rest.”
Public Praise: Saying out loud that the clangits “keep this heap flying” in front of other NPCs, appealing to their pride.
Rituals of Respect: Participating in local customs like tapping certain bulkheads before a jump, leaving shiny bolts at a gremlin‑marked junction, or painting eyes on key panels so “the station can watch.”
