Social stat or stats?

[cavetroll]

So for my game system, I don't have Charisma in my core six stats, but I figure I'll have a separate section on the character sheet for social stuff.
I could obviously just have
Charisma: [ ]

but how about splitting it up into
Beauty: [ ]
Charm: [ ]
Leadership: [ ]

maybe Beauty could be renamed as Appearance ? I don't want to make it seem a little shallow and it probably won't have much game play, at least not in the core game/adventures.
I think players could just choose their Beauty/Appearance stat if they want, in order to match it to their portrait or concept. Then roll for the rest.

Over complicated? Thoughts?

 

[Fenris-77]

Maybe Charisma plus a specific tag chosen by the player that acts as a specialization? High CHA might have more than one. Spitballing here...

 

[GMMichael]

So for my game system, I don't have Charisma in my core six stats, but I figure I'll have a separate section on the character sheet for social stuff.

That's a good start. More character sheet space can equal more usage/attention from the player.

but how about splitting it up into
Beauty: [ ]
Charm: [ ]
Leadership: [ ]

Beauty is subjective. Health and symmetry are more objective. (Aside: what if having more hit points means you're more attractive?)
Charm and leadership overlap, unless you're careful with your game-related definitions.

maybe Beauty could be renamed as Appearance ? I don't want to make it seem a little shallow and it probably won't have much game play, at least not in the core game/adventures.

Then you don't need a "stat" for it. Is there a "description" part of the character sheet?

I think players could just choose their Beauty/Appearance stat if they want, in order to match it to their portrait or concept. Then roll for the rest.

If B/A is tied to any game rules whatsoever, you can expect all PCs to self-select the maximum rating for this.

It sounds like you're trying to shoehorn an appearance attribute in. Rules should flow from your design goals, instead of design goals being pushed into the rules.

 

[DeviousQuail]

I use a 4 wedge social wheel that could work for you. The wheel has Charm, Intimidate, Deceive, and Persuade. Charm and Intimidate sit opposite each other, same with Deceive and Persuade. If a player wants their character to be attractive they can put points/proficiency/whatever into Charm to represent that mechanically.

The social wheel sits separately from the base attributes so that they can be mix and matched as needed.

 

[cavetroll]

Good points, let me shelve using an additional stat for now and I'll revisit it later if it becomes important to have.

 

[le Redoutable]

euh just in case you haven't the book :
Ad&d 2nd Ed Players' Option separates Cha in Leadership and Appearance
(
other splits are
Str ==> Stamina + Muscle
Dex ==> Aim + Balance
Con ==> Health + Fitness
Int ==> Reason + Knowledge
Wis ==> Intuition + Willpower
)

 

[John Desmarais]

maybe Beauty could be renamed as Appearance ? I don't want to make it seem a little shallow and it probably won't have much game play, at least not in the core game/adventures.
I think players could just choose their Beauty/Appearance stat if they want, in order to match it to their portrait or concept. Then roll for the rest

My only real thought here is “if it has no effect on game play, don’t quantify it”

 

[kenada]

So for my game system, I don't have Charisma in my core six stats, but I figure I'll have a separate section on the character sheet for social stuff.
I could obviously just have
Charisma: [ ]

but how about splitting it up into
Beauty: [ ]
Charm: [ ]
Leadership: [ ]

maybe Beauty could be renamed as Appearance ? I don't want to make it seem a little shallow and it probably won't have much game play, at least not in the core game/adventures.
I think players could just choose their Beauty/Appearance stat if they want, in order to match it to their portrait or concept. Then roll for the rest.

Over complicated? Thoughts?

Things I would consider: What is the mechanic purpose of these stats? How would a PC deploy beauty or leadership to solve a problem? For my homebrew system, this drove me to rework or eliminate some of my skills because it wasn’t clear how they could actually be used.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Health and symmetry are more objective.

Tell that to the Fomorians.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Things I would consider: What is the mechanic purpose of these stats? How would a PC deploy beauty or leadership to solve a problem? For my homebrew system, this drove me to rework or eliminate some of my skills because it wasn’t clear how they could actually be used.

Agreed.

When playing D&D I tend to let players "use Charisma" in the common way (because they went and invested points and all) but in general I think mechanics like that are lame. Feels like a board game to me. I prefer to just roleplay it out using Rule of Cool. I just ask myself what NPC reaction will lead to the best story, and have them do that.