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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8951777" data-attributes="member: 71699">Skills and background features are elements of 5e social mechanics. I would say though that the core of the 5e social mechanics are the rules and table in DMG244-245. Read together with the rules on using ability scores, the system constrains eventual outcome and guides toward following a number of steps to get there. Any conversation about 5e social mechanics (presence or lack thereof) should start with those pages in the DMG.One approach to design that can give a good outcome is where the designer declares a core system and then other elements that want to work in that space do so through their interaction with the core. Combat is like that, in D&D. Based on recollection at this moment, I feel like it is right to say that all or nearly-all combat features connect to the combat core system. One sign of the incompleteness (or possibly intentional under-utilization) of the social system is that there are social actions (such as those you are thinking of in backgrounds) that don't use the core system.I know we've discussed it before, and I raise it here only by way of example and without any intent to relitigate.That feels like an element of social mechanics, but has no linkage to the actual social mechanics. A version that would link to the mechanics might simply put it that common folk are automatically one step friendlier toward you. That will then play out in what you can reliably ask they do for you. Whether that is a good rule or not is unimportant here: it simply illustrates my comments above.EDIT It struck me after writing that Rustic Hospitality could be better characterised as part of the stealth and downtime mechanics! Due to its use of the hide and rest keywords. My general point stands, but I thought this angle interesting.Thinking about systems that have come between 4e SCs and 6e (and before, as others have noted!), were I setting the contents list for 6e, I'd favour bringing clocks / progress-tracks explicitly back into the game as a core mechanic. From there, I feel it wouldn't be very difficult to present an enhanced version of today's 5e social mechanics. Probably still in the DMG, consistent with the Basic Rules -> PHB -> DMG pattern of rules expansion.</blockquote>

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