I'm an avid fan of the Lone Wolf Roleplaying community in G+. In part it's because all users there are really friendly; in part it's because it has tons of wonderful ideas to enhance my own roleplaying sessions, be it solo or in group.
A recent entry by user Geek Gamer presented an interesting concept: that of social combat. But, what is social combat? As a concept, it's not that different from your average combat encounter, except that instead of using melee, magic, or ranged weapons, you use social skills. So, again, it's you VS someone else, but at a social level. Geek Gamers does an excellent analysis of the term, and uses the rules from the Dallas TV Show RPG to explain the concept. However, here's where things get interesting: she also offers a system to apply social combat into other RPGs such as D&D or OSR ones.
Based on her explanation, I took the liberty of polishing the system she offers, so to ensure it can easily be understood and taken to other games. So, I present to you the social combat rules for RPG games, as inspired by Geek Gamers!
Because it is a social type of conflict or interaction, your character's wishes are put against those of the other, be it NPC or foe. That's why, as in other types of combat, it's your will VS that of the opposing party. So, for every action you attempt to do, there may be some sort of opposition or resistance. Depending on the outcome of the fight, you may see yourself succeeding or failing.
APPLICATION: For every check in a social combat, you'll compare
IF [AVG Action] - [AVG Resist] = [Result of 2 or less] -> Automatic Failure
IF [AVG Action] - [AVG Resist] = [Result of 3 to 11] -> Roll 2d6. A roll of EQUAL or LESS than [Result], then Success.
If [AVG Action] - [AVG Resist] = [Result of 12 or more] -> Automatic Success
TYPES OF SOCIAL COMBAT:
----------------------------------------------------
Persuasion /// Resist
INT INT
+CHA +STR
+CON
----------------------------------------------------
Coercion /// Resist
INT CHA
+STR +STR
+CON
----------------------------------------------------
Seduction /// Resist
CHA INT
+WIS +STR
+CON
----------------------------------------------------
Investigation /// Resist
INT INT
+CHA +CHA
+STR +STR
INT= Intelligence
CHA= Charisma
CON= Constitution
STR= Strength
WIS= Wisdom
EXAMPLES: Let's have a look at two examples to see how the system works:
----------------------------------------------------
We have Eryssel, a Half-Elf Ranger, encounter a Bandit outside of a tavern that she needs to gain access to. The bandit seems to be in charge of controlling who enters the place and who doesn't.
Instead of engaging in melee or ranged combat, Eryssel decides to engage in social combat. Because she considers herself to be charismatic above what's average, she decides to seduce the bandit to gain entrance to the tavern.
Seduction rules are as follows:
Seduction /// Resist
CHA INT
+WIS +STR
+CON
Eryssel: 15 (CHA) + 14 (WIS) + 13 (CON) = 42 [AVG Action 14]*
Bandit: 10 (INT) + 11 (STR) = 21 [AVG Resist 11]**
[Result] = (14 - 11) 3
Eryssel has a slight chance of seducing the bandit. She rolls 2d6 and surprisingly enough, she gets a 2! Because her dice roll results were lower than the [Result] (3), she succeeds! Thus, she manages to seduce the bandit, gaining access to the tavern.
* To obtain the AVG Action score, simply take the result of the Seduction skills applied (42) and divide them into the number of different skills used (3). So 42/3 = 14
** To obtain the AVG Action score, simply take the result of the Resist skills applied (21) and divide them into the number of different skills used (2). So 21/2 = 11
----------------------------------------------------
We have Daud, a Human Fighter, who needs to somehow be included into the games of Bel's amphitheater. However, despite his efforts, he was not chosen to fight. His only option is to try and persuade one of the gladiators to let him fight in their place.
After looking around, he finds a murmillo, standing all alone near the armory. He decides this is his chance, so he gives it a go at a persuasion attempt.
Persuasion rules are as follows:
Persuasion /// Resist
INT INT
+CHA +STR
+CON
Daud: 13 (INT) + 7 (CHA) + 17 (CON) = 37 [AVG Action 12]
Gladiator: 10 (INT) + 18 (STR) = 28 [AVG Resist 14]
[Result] = (12 - 14) -2
Daud doesn't meet the necessary requirements to persuade the murmillo into letting him fight in his place. Because his [Result] was a -2, he automatically fails. Daud must now find another way to get himself into the game's arena.
A recent entry by user Geek Gamer presented an interesting concept: that of social combat. But, what is social combat? As a concept, it's not that different from your average combat encounter, except that instead of using melee, magic, or ranged weapons, you use social skills. So, again, it's you VS someone else, but at a social level. Geek Gamers does an excellent analysis of the term, and uses the rules from the Dallas TV Show RPG to explain the concept. However, here's where things get interesting: she also offers a system to apply social combat into other RPGs such as D&D or OSR ones.
Based on her explanation, I took the liberty of polishing the system she offers, so to ensure it can easily be understood and taken to other games. So, I present to you the social combat rules for RPG games, as inspired by Geek Gamers!
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| Something like this... |
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DEFINITION: At a very basic level, social combat includes 4 areas: Persuasion, Coercion, Seduction, and Investigation. In other words, whenever you engage in a social combat or conflict with someone, you're either trying to convince them to do something they feel okay and morally agree with (i.e. taking a short rest), to do something they don't feel okay and morally disagree with (i.e. stealing something), to sell them the idea you're irresistible, or to go and find some information for your or their own benefit.Because it is a social type of conflict or interaction, your character's wishes are put against those of the other, be it NPC or foe. That's why, as in other types of combat, it's your will VS that of the opposing party. So, for every action you attempt to do, there may be some sort of opposition or resistance. Depending on the outcome of the fight, you may see yourself succeeding or failing.
APPLICATION: For every check in a social combat, you'll compare
[AVG Action] VS [AVG Resist]
IF [AVG Action] - [AVG Resist] = [Result of 2 or less] -> Automatic Failure
IF [AVG Action] - [AVG Resist] = [Result of 3 to 11] -> Roll 2d6. A roll of EQUAL or LESS than [Result], then Success.
If [AVG Action] - [AVG Resist] = [Result of 12 or more] -> Automatic Success
TYPES OF SOCIAL COMBAT:
----------------------------------------------------
Persuasion /// Resist
INT INT
+CHA +STR
+CON
----------------------------------------------------
Coercion /// Resist
INT CHA
+STR +STR
+CON
----------------------------------------------------
Seduction /// Resist
CHA INT
+WIS +STR
+CON
----------------------------------------------------
Investigation /// Resist
INT INT
+CHA +CHA
+STR +STR
INT= Intelligence
CHA= Charisma
CON= Constitution
STR= Strength
WIS= Wisdom
EXAMPLES: Let's have a look at two examples to see how the system works:
----------------------------------------------------
We have Eryssel, a Half-Elf Ranger, encounter a Bandit outside of a tavern that she needs to gain access to. The bandit seems to be in charge of controlling who enters the place and who doesn't.
Instead of engaging in melee or ranged combat, Eryssel decides to engage in social combat. Because she considers herself to be charismatic above what's average, she decides to seduce the bandit to gain entrance to the tavern.
Seduction rules are as follows:
Seduction /// Resist
CHA INT
+WIS +STR
+CON
Eryssel: 15 (CHA) + 14 (WIS) + 13 (CON) = 42 [AVG Action 14]*
Bandit: 10 (INT) + 11 (STR) = 21 [AVG Resist 11]**
[Result] = (14 - 11) 3
Eryssel has a slight chance of seducing the bandit. She rolls 2d6 and surprisingly enough, she gets a 2! Because her dice roll results were lower than the [Result] (3), she succeeds! Thus, she manages to seduce the bandit, gaining access to the tavern.
* To obtain the AVG Action score, simply take the result of the Seduction skills applied (42) and divide them into the number of different skills used (3). So 42/3 = 14
** To obtain the AVG Action score, simply take the result of the Resist skills applied (21) and divide them into the number of different skills used (2). So 21/2 = 11
----------------------------------------------------
We have Daud, a Human Fighter, who needs to somehow be included into the games of Bel's amphitheater. However, despite his efforts, he was not chosen to fight. His only option is to try and persuade one of the gladiators to let him fight in their place.
After looking around, he finds a murmillo, standing all alone near the armory. He decides this is his chance, so he gives it a go at a persuasion attempt.
Persuasion rules are as follows:
Persuasion /// Resist
INT INT
+CHA +STR
+CON
Daud: 13 (INT) + 7 (CHA) + 17 (CON) = 37 [AVG Action 12]
Gladiator: 10 (INT) + 18 (STR) = 28 [AVG Resist 14]
[Result] = (12 - 14) -2
Daud doesn't meet the necessary requirements to persuade the murmillo into letting him fight in his place. Because his [Result] was a -2, he automatically fails. Daud must now find another way to get himself into the game's arena.
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