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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HammerMan" data-source="post: 8450460" data-attributes="member: 84112">I know this is going to sound weird... but it was an idea me and my buddy Becky threw around back in 3.5 days. (so we though skill challenges from 4e might handle it, but it didn't really)Social Combat. wait wait wait, I know it sounds weird. but hear me out and realize this is just the roughest of ideas.Imagine if 'calling in back up' 'convincing the king' and/or 'negotiating' (be it price or peace) all acted like combat. Each player and NPC had Hitpoints (we called them stubbornness points) and an AC (we called it reasonableness threshold) and an attack and damage (charm/intellect/something). Then you roll initiative and you wear down the king... you go around and make 'attacks' that either effect or don't (hit AC or don't) and deal damage... the NPCs make counter points that hit or miss and twiddle down your stubbornness when someone hits 0 they are out (much like combat) but here is the important part... each class gets special abilities to do things maybe a list to choose from... making it as exciting as a fight...THe Good(making things interactive and fun and exciting)/Bad(a lot of work, alot of teaching old dogs new tricks)/Ugly(she when she presented it to her friedn found it lead to a bad social idea she called the 'Urkle wont take no for an answer' that as I understand women find SUPER problematic)  of it got us to abandon it... SOmewhere there HAS to be something between that, skill challanges and 'roll for NPC reaction' a way to do it without gutting 5e entirely...Becky runs her games by giving background features as treasure/rewards and mixes in some OWoD background type things and merit/flaws...in her last campaign I had a whole cult that liked me and every where I went I knew the signs to tell them I was a friend, as we got higher level just my name made them seek me out... I also had a mentor that would pop in from time to time to help, ask for help, or just teach me a new spell. I also had a library access in every kingdom on the map and few in other planes. I also had a 'guardian angel' that when I dropped and made death saves if I failed one would offer me help... and let me reroll or just heal me up...but also would ask us to stop evil. I also had a dozen individual named friends who were also adventurers and a % chance they were close enough for me to find at first, and later I could teleport to and ask for help... I ended that game as a 20th level character with 3 epic boons and had 5 not made by me or my allies magic items we found... but all those social/poltical alies... our bard had WAY more, and the Paliden/warlock had more then her.</blockquote>

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