Myth:
Dramatics skills (like sycophant) don't change anything about influence, or not enough to matter.

Background:
Syntax: PERFORM SYCOPHANT
PERFORM END
By performing as a sycophant, you will appear as a fawning toady. During
empowering ego battles, your attacks will be stronger.

Test:
Influencing a shadowlord widowrider

As a faeling with 18 charisma, it took me 9, 9, and 10 tries to influence the guard. When I used sycophant, it took me 9, 9, and 9 tries. I imagine that if I tested over a greater number, it might average out to exactly the same. Oddly enough, when I used sycophant, it felt faster, but I'm not really good at timing things, and my system is kind of laggy.

If someone would be so kind as to try it as well, or even log the speed... that'd be wonderful. For now...

Well, the influence artifact runes only change higher level ego battles by at most 1 attack, so it makes a lot of sense that abilities only alter it by less than 1 attack on average.

I'm wondering if using buffs is worth it at all, I think I could probably take them with nothing but myself just the same... Shouldn't it matter a bit more?

I've been saying this for a long time.

I need to conduct more tests, but as I've said in numerous other threads, it seems like influence bonuses don't stack. Trueheart facepaint, demesne influence, and sycophant each seem like a 10% boost on their own, and all together, give only a 10% boost.

I can't say if the effects from different ability stacks, but testing as a human with 15 (buffed) cha, I found that dramatics SLOW down the rate at which the denizen becomes willful, thus making them slightly easier to influence. It is more apparent on denizens that are highly resistant.

Echoing Clise here.

Resistance is incredibly random, so I need a ton more (time consuming) tests before I can say anything definitively, but it seems to slow the rate at which ego costs rise, occasionally resulting in requiring one less attack.

It seems to me that for all the time the admins have put into influence, it's useless at higher levels whatsoever, unless you're going for essence or karma. I figured that since we have essentially two influence skillsets, and it's one of the game's major selling points, that it would be a more viable option. Right now, I'd probably be better off ratting to 100.

Oh well, off to try astral bashing, little more reason for me to ever influence past level 80.

There are still things worth influencing at the really high levels. They just don't have an area to themselves. Bob is good. Nexus tenders are good. Elohora is good (yes, I'm aware that she shows as impossible to influence--use your imagination). There's also two areas that are very good influencing grounds, even at 79, that I simply won't share. Still, none of these are available in large enough quantities to really make it anything other than "Oh, look, Rowena's laidback. *seduce*"