<p>Social entrepreneurial intention (SEI) is a core predictor of social entrepreneurial behavior, and current research has begun to explore the relationship between narcissism and SEI. Given the limited understanding of the mediating mechanisms through which narcissism triggers SEI, this study aims to address this knowledge gap by investigating how narcissistic admiration (NA) and narcissistic rivalry (NR) influence SEI with the mediating roles of impression management motivation and need for achievement from a motivational perspective. Furthermore, we investigate the boundary conditions of SEI by testing networking ability as a moderating factor. Path analysis of two waves of survey data collected from 268 adults indicates that NA is positively associated with SEI and that this relationship is significantly mediated by impression management motivation and need for achievement. NR is negatively associated with SEI; this link is significantly mediated by impression management motivation and need for achievement. In addition, networking ability strengthens the positive effect of need for achievement on SEI. However, networking ability fails to significantly moderate the impression management motivation–SEI relationship. Our study reveals the critical roles of motivation and ability in explaining the effects of NA and NR on SEI.</p>