Benten's Blessing

[Cearnach]

Benten's Blessing is an interesting little advantage. Let's tackle what it does and when to apply it!

Whenever you are attempting to persuade someone, regardless of the circumstances, you gain a bonus of +0k1 to the total of the Social Skill Roll in question. This bonus only applies to persuasion, not coercion.

So now we have a real problem, which is to determine what counts as persuasion.

The action, or act of...presenting inducements or winning arguments; the addressing of reasonings, appeals, or entreaties to a person in order to induce him to do or believe something

So, it is a speech act requiring another person to act or to align their mind with yours.

Therefore:
It applies to the Gift Giving (you are trying to persuade Lord Ikoma to smile on your gift).
It may apply in a Meet the Daimyo Event, but only if you are actively trying to get the Daimyo in question to actively agree with you or to positively take an action. I do not see much of a case for any of the Meet the Daimyo Events, but it *could* be done, based on what precisely you are trying to do.
It definitely applies to Part 3 of Still Waters Run Deep: you are trying to persuade someone that your piece of information is worth knowing.
Part 2 of Masters of Court could use Benten *if* you are trying to persuade the VIP to think or do something. Asking aquestion wouldn't cut it. Passing the note *might,* but only if the note was your vehicle for persuasion. If it was just passing along information without an expectation of action, it would not count.

I'm hoping this helps narrow in our minds what persuasion really is. It requires you to act through some medium to get somebody to do something: either to act or think a particular way. If it is not your intention to cause a change in the other person, it is not persuasion. Benten's Blessing does not apply.

[Matsu Masumi]

The questions are as follows:
1st check: TN 10 lets you answer:
“What is your name?”
“What is your normal duty?”
“Where are you stationed?”

2nd check: TN 20 lets you answer:
“What makes you worthy of serving at this court?”
“What resources do you bring to this post?”

3rd check: TN 25 lets you answer:
“Is there anything I should know before court officially begins?”
Bespoke Questions
Kitsu Sayomi: You have demonstrated your strength in this place before, but in a different situation. How do you intend to show it now?

For the Lion questions: I suspect that the first one isn't really persuasion since it's stating who I am. The second surely fits IMO! As for the third, I suppose it depends on how I answer. If I'm making myself out to be an asset then maybe?

[Cearnach]

I'd say yes for both the second roll (for everyone) and the third roll for you specifically (your bespoke question).

[Ikoma Honoka]

I would assume it also works for the third question for Honoka as it's persuading that she is indeed needed:

“I already have a Kamoshita. Why would I want two?”

As well as the forth part as long as it's using courtier?

Characters can attempt to call the attention of one or more Daimyo to a particular answer they give, whether its style or its substance.

[Cearnach]

Getting someone's attention is not the same as persuading them to think or do something.

You could construct a persuasive answer for your bespoke question.

[Shiba Ryusei]

So. Does it apply to arguments in Court?

[Cearnach]

Most of the time, yes. You could conceivably create a situation in which you weren't trying to persuade someone of something in Court, but persuading is what you're trying to do most of the time.

[Shiba Ryusei]

Groovy.

[Doji Shinnosuke]

Is spreading a rumor (convincing folks that a piece of gossip is true or plausible, or at least persuading them to spread it around to others whether or not they believe it) a situation to which Benten's Blessing would apply?

[Cearnach]

No.

[Matsu Masumi]

I YOLO'd the roll for D8: A Helping Hand and Benten's Blessing applying would actually make me succeed. Just seeing if it would or not.

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[Cearnach]

I would love to say yes, but none of those rolls are to persuade anyone of anything.

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

I want to say Benten's Blessing applies to convincing the sumai to wave at your candidate, and also to persuade people to give information during the info gathering phase, since both sound like persuasion. Thought I'd post here to ask for a definitive answer.

[Cearnach]

Yes to the first thing, no to the second.