Ovinomancer
No flips for you!
Equal footing in what sense?Please explain how someone who is shy and quite at the game table ( a new player perhaps) who is playing a Highly Charismatic Bard skilled at persuasion is on equal footing when the INT 6 wis 8 Barbarian half orc played by a long time rpg veteran who is also a skilled used car salesman?
Both can attempt to persuade equally -- the ability to attempt is equal.
I will consider the approach and goal used, not the acting. The shy player can say their character attempts to convince the majordomo to allow the party an audience with the king because they've shown loyalty in the past and the situation is grave and that will have the same effect as the barbarian's Shakespearean soliloquy. If uncertain, the DC will be set the same based on goal and approach and a roll asked for.
If the dice are rolled, the bard will have the better chance to succeed at the DC.
Use the Characters stats and skills or use the players. Those are the only two choices here. Those that choose to use the players...fine. Whatever floats your boat. I just do not like that at all.
I make the PC use his skills and stat mods most of the time in game even when normally I can see a reason not to.
For instance the used care salesman playing that barbarian might make a highly skilled speech that should win over any resistance to his cause because...he is a used care salesman and knows what to say but I have him roll and use the barbs scores because although he gave that speech what his character said was along the lines of "You $%$%'s better tow da line an elp me or else".
Not all players are created equal and that includes role playing.
I'm confused, why do you think I use player skill at oration as any kind of determining factor for PC success?
Oh. I see. You're saying that the used car salesman player is better at getting their way with the shy player in real life and that you'd use mechanics in game to let the shy player get their way over the UCS player's PC. If just left up to the players, the shy player will lose out even though, in game, they're the dominant personality. I see that, but then have to ask if game mechanics are really the right way to deal with real world player problems. If the USC is dominating the game IRL side, that's a player problem -- you shouldn't be using mechanics to correct that.
And, everywhere but interparty, the bard will clearly excel. The barbarian will have trouble with NPCs while the bard will not, because with NPCs we both use PC abilities when dice are rolled.