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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 5605745" data-attributes="member: 92305">I'd actually like to see more social interaction rules.  You don't see them very often in RPGs.  As with 3.5E, they're there, but you don't really see any supplements (or even chapters) in sourcebooks that focus on that sort of thing. I think it would be neat to see some suggested mechanics for social tasks make it into the game.   There's a start with using Bluff for the Feint in combat and the Demoralize Foe option of the Intimidate skill.  But, I'd like to see more. For example, if you're looking at some mass combat rules, there should be a quick roll one could make for a "fire 'em up Braveheart type speech" that the commander could make to the troops before entering battle.  His roll would determine what modifier the troops used in the fight.  Maybe it's a bonus to the Morale checks to keep units from breaking.  Maybe it's an overall +1 to attack that every man in the unit gets at the start of combat.  Whatever it is, it is something tangible--a modifier--so that players will desire it and think that building up that skill in their commanders is not a waste of skill points.   Think of what something like this would for Bard type characters (or even the character considered the group leader) in a regular roleplaying situation.  Just like a Bless or Protection From Evil spell, the group leader (if there is one) could make a quick pep talk to the other PCs in the group, make a roll, then give each of them some type of bonus (if the roll was successful) before entering into the fray. This could be a bandit leader egging his men on with dreams of loot that will make the entire band comfortable for the rest of their lives.  It could be a cleric, down on one knee, praying to his god to look out for the flock as they enter into this next endeavor (i.e. The Bless spell).  Or, it could even be a normal, everyday adventurer saying a few kind and encouraging words to the rest of the group before entering the next dungeon.   Social interaction rules could be set-up, too, for games that focus on Noble characters.  Instead of the standard adventure types, this game focusses on the people who typically hire the adventurers for the quests that they do.  Instead of standard combat, there would be similar rules for verbal combat between competing factions.  The noble/High Cleric/King/whatever must first meet with an adventuring group.  A roll is made to see if they accept the quest or not.  If they do, that one part of the plan completed.  Then, the noble must convince the Duke of so-in-so that blah, blah, blah is needed before the adventure group returns with the Awesome Magic Item.  So, that is verbal combat. A quick roll determines if the Adventure Group returns with the Awesome Magic Item, but the focus of the game is political maneuvering, backstabbing, and dealings of the noble at court or in the city. That type of game might be quite fun and a change of pace for your typical players who spend every game session exploring the next dungeon.   There's a lot of interesting game situations to explore with social interactions--and to this point, most games don't exploit that area.            What?  How do you figure? You just have to value CHA when devloping your Fighter character.  Maybe you take that stat that you were going to put into CON and instead put it into CHA. A fighter needs his hit points, sure, but arranging beginning stats is about resource managent.  If a player sees his Fighter type as a "Leader of Men", then CHA is an important stat to him.  And, with 3E, there's even more reason to have a high CHA because of the Feint and Demoralize Opponent options of the Bluff and Intimidate skill--both real options that a fighter can use to get a mechanical benefit in melee. It's definitely not "impossible" to create Fighter under 3E rules that is good at Diplomacy.  You just have to value CHA and Diplomacy as much as you do STR, CON, and DEX.  You put your highest roll into STR.  You put your second highest roll in to CHA.  Third highest goes into CON.  And fourth highest into DEX, etc.</blockquote>

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