Social Encounters are about your characters’ social interactions with the people (and creatures) who inhabit the game world. The primary differences between Social Encounters and other types of Encounters are that there is much less running around, swinging from ropes, and firing arrows (usually). Instead, expect pointed arguments, deft deceptions, and grand romantic gestures.
Examples of Social Encounters include negotiating a peace treaty between the armies of the King and his rebellious son, conning your way into the posh neighborhoods of the noble quarter to attend a secret rendezvous with the Duchess, or participating in a heated bargaining session with a local merchant to acquire an ancient artifact needed to bring down the Dark Lord.
Social Encounters use the rules described in Chapter 2: Action Checks and Challenges, Chapter 5: Action Types, and Chapter 6: Encounters. Be sure to familiarize yourself with those rules before reading this. In this chapter we will focus on aspects of those rules that are especially important to Social Encounters, and ways to use the rules to create dramatic scenes.
Social Encounters vs. Social Interactions
You won’t need these rules for most of your character’s social interactions in the game. Whether you’re asking a local farmer for directions or paying the innkeeper for your room, simple roleplay is all that is required. Even if your character is called upon to make an Action Check during one of these minor social interactions, you don’t need to build an entire Encounter around it.
Social Encounters are used for key scenes in the game where the outcome of the Encounter will change the direction of the story. It’s the moment where everything is on the line, the party is working together to accomplish something heroic, and it isn’t clear which direction things will go.
Rounds #
When the outcome of a Social Encounter could change the course of the adventure, we encourage the use of Rounds. Using Rounds brings the element of time into the story. Time pressures are a key aspect of what makes Social Encounters in our favorite movies, books, and series exciting. In addition, using Rounds and Turns ensures that everyone at the table gets an opportunity to participate in the scene—not just those players with a natural flare for the dramatic or characters whose MO is most suited to social interactions.
Rounds In Social Encounters Example
The players have decided they want to attend the royal ball so they can convince the Duke to back their play for the kingdom’s throne. If they had infinite time, Rounds and Turns wouldn’t be necessary. As it is, the ball only lasts a few hours, and it turns out their rival, Graethon Blackheart, is at the party as well, trying to win the Duke’s support for his own plan. With just a few hours to make their case, the speed with which the party nails down the Duke’s support matters a great deal.
As with Action Encounters, the length of a Round in a Social Encounter is up to the Gamemaster. A Round might last an hour, a few minutes, or even a few seconds if the Action gets really heated. The Gamemaster might also change the length of the Round during the Encounter as tensions rise and fall.
Round Length Example
When the heroes arrive at the Duke’s palace, the Gamemaster decides a Round will last roughly an hour. This makes sense, since at the start of the evening the characters are getting to know the surroundings, mingling with the other guests, and scoping out the best opportunity to approach the Duke.
When the players are ready for their characters to approach the Duke, however, the Gamemaster declares a Round is now only 15 minutes long. The negotiations are heating up, and time is running out.
Finally, when Blackheart appears and begins offering counter arguments to why the Duke should support him instead of the characters, the Gamemaster declares Turns are now just 1 minute long, representing the rapid back and forth of the escalating debate.
Initiative #
As with Action Encounters, it will be up to you and the Gamemaster to determine if Initiative is important for a Social Encounter. If it is, determine Initiative as described in Chapter 6: Encounters.
Challenges and Challenge Points #
In Social Encounters, a Challenge’s Challenge Points are determined and handled in the same fashion as described in Chapter 2: Action Checks and Challenges and Chapter 6: Encounters. The Gamemaster might also decide to use Escalating Challenges and Trigger Events to add to the excitement of a Social Encounter.
Actions #
Social Encounters use the same rules for Actions and the same Action Types described in Chapter 2: Action and Action Checks and Chapter 5: Action Types.
Social Encounter Action Example
The Gamemaster decides that convincing the Duke to back their play for the throne is a Challenge with 10 Challenge Points.
CHALLENGE: Gain the Duke’s Support CP 10
The players agree that Beth’s character, Altiss, should be the first to approach the Duke. Beth wants to add a +1 modifier to the rest of the party’s Action Scores by getting the Duke to like them. Her plan is to put the Duke in a good mood by complementing him on his party. The Gamemaster decides the Duke gets a lot of compliments, so one must be a skilled orator to have a reasonable chance of success. The Gamemaster sets the Difficulty Score for Altiss’s Action to DS 6.
ACTION: Butter Up the Duke (Aid) DS 6
Beth notes that Altiss makes a special point of gushing about the delicious roast peacock, since she learned in an earlier Round that the Duke is especially proud of it. The Gamemaster decides to give Altiss a +1 modifier to her Action Score for this detail. Beth also roleplays her speech, and all the players agree it was some top-notch roleplaying! The Gamemaster gives Altiss an additional +1 modifier to her Action Score for the great roleplaying. Altiss grabs her Action Dice and rolls!
Physical Actions in Social Encounters #
A creative character might find a way to use physical Actions in a Social Encounter (combat or otherwise). You never know when a feat of Strength, a show of Toughness, or an impressive display of Coordination will help to sway a Social Encounter in your character’s favor. If your character is not a mental giant or spiritual guru, do not let that stop you from joining in the fun.
Physical Actions Example
Wargar is watching his friend’s efforts to win over the Duke. Pretty talking isn’t something Wargar excels at, so he figured he might sit this one out. He notices, however, that Blackheart’s noble allies approaching the debate. Their presence might be enough to sway the argument in Blackheart’s favor.
Thinking fast, Steve decides to have Wargar create a diversion. He wants Wargar to stumble drunkenly into the nobles and “accidentally” spill his wine all over their clothes to stop them from approaching the debate. The Gamemaster decides that throwing the wine at the nobles is a Coordination Action Check. Wargar can handle that, no problem. Whether they believe it was an accident is another issue altogether.
Social Combat #
Occasionally during Social Encounters, what started as an effort to reduce the Challenge’s Challenge Points through a graceful dance of wit and wile devolves into a literal war of words! In these situations, the jabs and jibes become vicious and hurtful, and the only way forward is to completely remove an opponent from the Encounter. This might take the form of undermining the intellectual authority of the enemy’s finest scholar in an academic debate, getting a lying barrister thrown out of court, or demoralizing another suitor to the point they give up and slink away. We call this Social Combat.
Social Combat Example
Blackheart realizes that he is losing the battle for the Duke’s support. Desperate, he begins a concerted and vicious effort to undermine the characters’ reputation and convince the Duke he is making a mistake if he chooses their side. The Gamemaster decides it’s time for Social Combat. He determines an appropriate Round Length and has everyone involved roll for Initiative. Let the battle of the wills begin!
Social Combat might occur simultaneously with the other elements of a Social Encounter, or it might be the primary focus of the Encounter. It is up to the Gamemaster to properly set the stage and expectations for the players.
Rounds and Initiative #
In Social Combat, Round Length is typically 15 minutes or less. This keeps the scene moving and helps to represent the quick, impassioned back and forth of Social Combat. Since, like regular combat, Social Combat can remove an NPC or character from the scene, it is best to use Initiative for the sake of fairness.
Social Combat Attacks #
For characters, the Primary Attribute for Social Combat Attacks is typically Intellect or Presence. For NPCs, it is Mind or Spirit. As always, it is up to you and the Gamemaster to determine the right Primary Attribute based on the Action you describe. It is also the player’s responsibility to describe the form of their attack in as much detail as possible. Simply stating “I make a Mind Attack Action” is not enough. Instead, the player should strive for something like, “I attack their argument, demonstrating that their idea was only true during the reign of the previous monarch. Things have changed and the law must be applied according to current standards!”
NPC Attacks #
If the NPC is well-suited to Social Combat, such as a Major Domo or a King, they may already have Social Attack Actions listed in their statblock. If they do not, the Gamemaster should determine the Attack Action Score by starting with the NPC’s Mind or Spirit Attribute and then modifying as they deem appropriate for the type of Attack Action they have described for the NPC.
Defense Scores #
Social Combat Attacks are made against either Mind Defense or Spirit Defense. For both characters and NPCs, any bonuses from MOs or Specializations are already included in the Mind and Spirit Defense scores, although it is up to you and the Gamemaster to make the final determination.
Social Combat Modifiers #
Modifiers to the Action Scores or Difficulty Scores in Social Combat could include:
- Irrefutable evidence
- An expert witness
- An impeccable reputation in the eyes of the audience
- Appropriate clothing or props
- The vocal support of an important NPC
- Fantastic roleplaying by the player
Story elements like these may add +1 modifiers with the Gamemaster’s approval.
Vitality and Challenge Points #
The Effect of a successful Social Combat Action against a character is applied to Mind Vitality or Spirit Vitality depending on the nature of the Attack. The Effect of successful Social Combat Actions against an NPC reduces the NPC’s Challenge Points. If an NPCs Challenge Points or the character’s Vitality Points are reduced to zero in Social Combat, they are Discredited.
Discredited #
An NPC or character Discredited in Social Combat temporarily lose their relevance in the Encounter. The exact nature of this is up to the Gamemaster. Perhaps the defeated party has lost their will to fight, has been emotionally broken, or are no longer taken seriously by those present. Once Discredited, the individual is unable to further influence the Social Encounter and is relegated to the role of spectator.
Social Wounds, Death, and Recovery #
Discredited individuals are not knocked prone, are still able to communicate and act in ways that do not directly impact the Social Encounter, do not take Wounds, and do not die or make Death Checks. Once the Social Encounter ends, characters regain all lost Vitality Points and NPCs are returned to their former lives (and may still cause problems for the players in the future!)
At the Gamemaster’s discretion, however, there may be long term consequences for being Discredited. People in the area may hear about the character’s loss, making social interactions with those individuals more difficult in the future. A loss might also change your character’s general reputation or create lasting self-doubt that impacts your character in future Social Combats.
Transition to a Combat Encounter #
Sometimes Social Combat turns into plain old physical combat. If this happens, restore all the combatants’ Challenge Points, Mind Vitality Points, and Spirit Vitality Points to their maximums and proceed according to the rules given in the Chapter 6: Combat Encounters.
Social Encounter Actions #
The following are some of the most common Actions you might want your character to take during a Social Encounter and advice for how to use the rules described in Chapter 2: Action Checks and Challenges and Chapter 5: Action Types to perform the Action. As always, these are suggestions. In the end, it is always up to you and the Gamemaster to determine the best way to resolve an Action in your game.
Limits of Social Actions
A successful Social Interaction Action Check is not mind control. No matter how well the character rolls, they cannot force a person to do something that is in opposition to their beliefs, values, and morals. They might make the person second guess their choices, but in the end, you can’t force the target to do something they really don’t want to.
Action Examples #
Listed in the table below are examples of Actions regularly performed during Social Encounters. The table contains the following information:
- Action: The name of the Action the character wants to take.
- Description: A short description of the Action.
- Attribute: The Primary Attribute typically used when performing this sort of Action.
- Difficulty: Things that are used to determine the base Difficulty Score for this sort of Action.
Modifiers: Things that commonly modify the Difficulty Score or Action Score for this sort of Action.
Social Encounter Action Examples #
| Action | Description | Attribute | Difficulty | Modifiers |
| Aggravate | Insult, offend, or frustrate a target to make them angry. | Intellect, Creativity, or Presence | Target’s self-control, experience with frustrating situations | Physical reinforcement, familiarity with the target |
| Compliment | Make the target like you more using compliments. | Intellect, Creativity, or Presence | Target’s level of narcissism, target’s self-confidence | Truth of the compliment, familiarity with the target |
| Convince | Get the target to agree to your request or with your point of view. | Intellect, Creativity, or Presence | Size of the ask, how aligned it is with what the target already wants | Bribes, trust, past experience |
| Deceive | Get the target to believe something that is patently untrue. | Intellect, Creativity, or Presence | The size of the difference between reality and the deception | Evidence, authority, attractiveness of the deception |
| Demoralize | Undermine the target’s will to continue a particular course of action. | Intellect, Creativity, or Presence | The target’s self-confidence | Conditions, evidence |
| Disguise | Change one’s appearance to look like someone or something else. | Creativity or Awareness | The amount of difference between the target’s natural appearance and the disguised appearance | Makeup, props, costumes, familiarity with the subject |
| Entertain | Please an audience with an artistic performance. | Creativity or Presence | Audience mood | Appropriateness of performance, props and sets, music |
| Impersonate | Pretend to be someone you are not through voice and behavior. | Creativity or Presence | How familiar they are with the person or type of person being impersonated | Disguise, lighting, gullibility |
| Impress | Win favor by impressing another person. | By Action | How easily the target is impressed by an Action of that sort, target’s level of skill in the activity | Showmanship |
| Inspire | Encourage others to persevere in the face of opposition. | Presence | The danger, difficulty, or hardship posed by the problem the targets must overcome | Conditions, presence of enemies/allies, past success/failure |
| Intimidate | Convince through fear. | Strength or Presence | Size of the ask, how aligned it is with what the target already wants | Appearance, weapons, past actions, morale, past experience |
| Seduce | Increase your attractiveness to a potential romantic partner. | Presence | Target’s current level of attraction to your character | Appearance, past experience, target’s obligations |
| Sense | Assess a target’s truthfulness, emotional state, or intentions. | Intellect or Awareness | Opposed roll if the target is trying to deceive, otherwise Gamemaster judgement | Physical indicators, evidence, familiarity |