Advanced Interactive Skill Resolution

A while back there were a couple of really interesting threads on how to make social interaction using skills work more like combat with multiple rolls to simulate the ebb and flow of real dialog. My players love D&D, but they don't speak in character or anything like that. They prefer to use their skills to emulate their character's ability to interact and then summarize based on the numbers. It works OK, but they want something more than a single roll in many cases. I've been playing around with an idea, and I wanted to get some feedback on it. The bonuses are just numbers I threw together that "felt" kinda good, so I'm totally open to making it mathematically more accurate. Here is what I have come up with so far:

Advanced Interactive Skill Resolution



In an effort to make complex and opposed skill checks more interactive, I have tried to create a system that mirrors the combat system, so that multiple rolls can demonstrate the ebb and flow of negotiations, buying/selling, bullying, etc. The situation will dictate what type of interaction will be taking place. Once that is established, the players can choose how they want to handle the situation by choosing a skill to resolve. The skills that can be used are Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Sense Motive. The similarities to combat are; Interaction Points (IP), which work like Hit Points, Initiative (using CHA mod. instead of DEX mod.), and rounds (which are loose and not set to a specific length of time, but more to represent a segment of the interaction). The reason that modifiers are given for specific encounters is to give the edge to those who use those type of skills for those situations. Otherwise, players can just choose the highest skill they have and use it all the time. I’m hopeful that this system encourages the strategic placement of skill points so that skills, especially interactive skills, are used more often in gameplay.





How It Works



1. DM Declares what kind of interaction is taking place
2. Players determine their IP, which = Character Level + CHA.
3. Players roll initiative which = 1d20+CHA modifier.
4. Winner of initiative declares method of interaction (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, or Sense Motive)
5. Both sides roll 1d20 and add modifiers (skill modifiers plus special modifiers listed below
6. Loser of the opposed roll deducts the difference from opposed rolls from their IP total.
7. Repeat until one side reaches 0 IP points.







Negotiation



* Players begin with a number of IP (Interaction Points) = Character Level + CHA
* The initiator can choose to use Appraise (in a buy/sell scenario), Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, or Sense Motive. The defender can then use any one of the same to “defend” themselves.
* If players are in a Negotiation, bonuses are as such: Appraise=0, Bluff=+1, Diplomacy=+1, Gather Information=+1, Intimidate=-1, Sense Motive=+1
* Once initiative is established, both sides roll d20 to resolve 1 rd. The loser of the round deducts the difference in the opposed totals from their NP total.
* When a player reaches 0 NP points, they have lost the negotiation.



Haggling



* Haggling focuses on opposed Appraisal checks, and works the same way as Negotiation.
* While Appraisal is the primary skill for haggling, Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Sense Motive can also be used. The bonuses are as follows: Appraisal=+4, Bluff=+2, Gather Information=+2, Initimidate=-2, and Sense Motive=+0.



Bluffing/Lying



* While the Bluff skill is normally opposed by Sense Motive, in this system, other skills can be used as well.
* Bonuses are as follows: Appraisal=-4, Bluff=+4, Diplomacy=0, Gather Information=+2, Intimidate=+2, Sense Motive=+4



Diplomacy



* Diplomacy is normally opposed by Diplomacy, but other skills can also be used.
* Bonuses are as follows: Appraisal=-4, Bluff=0, Diplomacy=+4, Gather Information=+2, Intimidate=-2, Sense Motive=0



Intimidate



* Intimidate is normally opposed by target’s level check, but this system favors using skills instead.
* Bonuses are as follows: Appraisal=-4, Bluff=+2, Diplomacy=+2, Gather Information=-2, Intimidate=+4, Sense Motive=0



Sense Motive/Gather Information



* Sense motive is usually opposed by Bluff, but can be used in other ways in this system. Sense motive is the idea of someone asking probing questions to get a sense of where someone is coming from. This could also be used as a 1-on-1 version of Gather Information.
* Bonuses are as follows: Appraisal=-4, Bluff=+2, Diplomacy=+2, Gather Information=+4, Intimidate=-2, Sense Motive=+4.









Example: a 3rd level sorcerer is thought to have seen casting a spell in public by a 1st level guard. The guard comes up to question him. The sorcerer actually did cast a spell, so the DM decides that the interaction is a Bluff Interaction.



The sorcerer has: 18 IP (15 CHA + 3rd Level)

Bluff=9, Diplomacy=5, Gather Information=3, Intimidate=5, Sense Motive=3



The guard has: 11 IP (10 CHA + 1st level)

Bluff=0, Diplomacy=0, Gather Information=0, Intimidate=2, Sense Motive=3



They roll initiative

Sorcerer gets 20 (roll 17+3 CHA mod.)

Guard gets 4 (roll 4 + 0 CHA mod.)



Sorcerer Bluffs by hurriedly asking the guard for directions = 27 (rolls 14 + 9 Bluff + 4 for using Bluff)

Guard tries using Sense Motive because the Sorcerer is acting suspicious = 23 (rolls 16 + 3 Sense Motive + 4 for using Sense Motive)

Guard takes 4 to IP, now at 7

DM describes it that guard begins to give directions, catches himself and asks if the sorcerer had anything to do with the big flash he just saw

DM decides that guard is angry for Sorcerer changing subject and uses Intimidate to get answers = 9 (rolls a 6 + 3 for other modifiers)

Sorcerer claims that he just stumbled out of the tavern and didn’t see anything (Bluff) = 20 (rolls a 7 + 13 for other modifiers)

Guard takes 11 IP, now at -4



Guard apologizes for the questioning and gladly gives the wizard instructions to the Inn.




I'm sure I'm missing things but I wanted to at least get a start on some kind of a system and flesh it out with the help of more experienced gamers who understand the math of D&D better than I. The idea is that we can use the totals of each round to determine kind of how the conversation is going and use descriptions that emulate the numbers, rather than have to act out complex situations in character. I've played around with it with a couple of low-level PC's and it's kind of interesting how things work out.

i like the basic idea:
social interaction simulated like combat with "hp" and "attacks"
and it could make appraise a more valuable skill
havent crunched the numbers yet tho

this could be great for those "casual, dont speak in character" players

additional thoughts
maybe a creatures IP should be 5 + Cha mod + level + 1 per ranks of Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Sense Motive (this will extend the IP spectrum higher and lower)

to make it even more similar to other 3.Xed mechanics
assign each interaction skill a damage die (probably all d8), then the contest is an opposed roll, winner does IP damage (similar to grapple, with maybe a natural 20 as a critical threat?)
in a 3+ person interaction, each side is represented by one person, with all others using aid another actions

Thanks a ton for the awesome feedback Falnar! I really like your ideas on incorporating Skill Points into the IP. I had initially written this system to include a "damage" roll, and only went with using the difference between opposed rolls to save die rolls and make the process quicker. I much prefer having a "damage" roll to more closely simulate the combat mechanic.

I really appreciate the new ideas and I look forward to fleshing this thing out into something very usable and fun. I know that my group definitely qualifies for the "casual, don't speak in character" type of group. A system like this would still allow for great roleplaying and interaction without players having to be 100% "in character" in order for it to have an impact on the game.

I was working on a solo campaign for one of my players who is trying out the new knight class, and I found some perfect situations to test run this kind of system. Part of his progression from squire to knight is a series of tests to measure his purity, honor, and combat ability. The tests are all random situations that he will have to go through and be judged on his actions. The first, purity, will be a scenario where a beautiful young woman is going to attempt to seduce him. For the honor part, he is going to be publicly challenged in a tavern and ridiculed for being an orphan and not of pure blood worthy of knighthood. In both of those situations, he will have to rely on his ability to handle himself with dignity. I can see some really fun roleplaying opportunities as he uses his different skills to best "pass' these tests. Since it's a solo campaign, my player won't mind if the system is a little wonky for testing purposes. It may also help me better define the mechanics.

PS> Felnar, if ya get time to do any kind of number crunching, I would be very grateful for input on the mechanical side of things.