Tony Vargas
Legend
...y'know, it's funny, I really don't want to agree with that statement, but...social mechanics were very much a part of pre 3.x.
...that's actually kinda true, and it wasn't subject to being exploited by a diplomancer build...There were the reaction adjustment rules for charisma that worked very much like diplomacy in 3.x.
They were more codified, certainly than the DM simply setting a DC & calling for a check when you declare an action that seems intimidating...And the morale rules were a better form of intimidation than what we currently have imho.
...so, yeah...
...and, then, there were henchmen & hirelings with loyalty ratings, influenced by how you treated them.
Darn.