How do you resolve social encounters?

Ravenswing · December 02, 2015, 05:05:57 PM

Quote from: Bren;866578For D&D, I think that way of looking at persuasion started with WotC. I don't recall anyone in OD&D or AD&D thinking that CHA was all powerful though it tended to make NPCs like or trust the PC and was great for boosting morale or NPC loyalty, But magical mind control tended to actually be magical, e.g. Charm Person.

I'd humbly suggest that OD&D/AD&D didn't foster such notions because there weren't explicit mechanics for the use of CHA in social situations. The Bluff skill had to exist before people abused it, after all!

Phillip · December 02, 2015, 06:16:54 PM

Quote from: Ravenswing;866685I'd humbly suggest that OD&D/AD&D didn't foster such notions because there weren't explicit mechanics for the use of CHA in social situations. The Bluff skill had to exist before people abused it, after all!

There wasn't AS MUCH. There was darned plenty in 1E AD&D, though, a whole page of factors. In OD&D, there wasn't that long list of factors to modify rolls -- which many DMs ignored anyway -- but the rolls were there. If you used the CHA modifier given for Loyalty rolls with the Reaction spread of results, it could be very powerful. The raw score gave range for control of troops in combat.

Things like Bluff skill tend to limit capabilities rather than enlarge them.

Gronan of Simmerya · December 02, 2015, 10:12:02 PM

Anybody who says that OD&D didn't have explicit mechanics for CHA in social situations need to read the fucking rules!

KNOWING WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, MOTHERFUCKER! DO YOU DO IT?

Spinachcat · December 03, 2015, 12:18:35 AM

BTW, using the Reaction table in OD&D radically changes the game.

Seriously.

If the GM begins each encounter by rolling Reaction instead of just rolling Initiative, the amount of combat decreases and the amount of RP increases rather remarkably.

Quote from: ZWEIHÄNDER;866627SEO rankings. They let this domain lapse a long time ago, and I claimed it for my own.

Clever bastard! Kudos! That was a sharp move.

Kuroth · December 03, 2015, 12:25:09 AM

That was a good one Zweihander!

mAcular Chaotic · December 03, 2015, 03:00:35 AM

Quote from: Spinachcat;866762BTW, using the Reaction table in OD&D radically changes the game.

Seriously.

If the GM begins each encounter by rolling Reaction instead of just rolling Initiative, the amount of combat decreases and the amount of RP increases rather remarkably.

Clever bastard! Kudos! That was a sharp move.

What's the reaction table?

Ravenswing · December 03, 2015, 06:00:14 AM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;866737Anybody who says that OD&D didn't have explicit mechanics for CHA in social situations need to read the fucking rules!

Have. Many times. IMHO, anyone who claims that a "loyalty" table to see if hirelings stick with you and the "In addition the charisma score is usable to decide such things as whether or not a witch capturing a player will turn him into a swine or keep him enchanted as a lover" blurb on p.11 of Vol I constitute explicit CHA mechanics for social situations is unclear on the concept.

mAcular Chaotic · December 03, 2015, 09:05:50 AM

Hmm, 5e has that whole Honor stat. Maybe it could be useful for social encounters.

Joey2k · December 03, 2015, 10:43:21 AM

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;866783What's the reaction table?

IIRC, roll 2D6 +/- CHA modifier when you encounter a person/creature, the higher the total the better the reaction from the person/creature you encounter.

Omega · December 03, 2015, 11:30:37 AM

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;866783What's the reaction table?

About the same function to the reaction table in BX.

Essentially on first contact you could try to hire monsters, be it NPCs, adventurers, or actual monsters if their alignment was the same as the negotiators.

In BX it was more potent as it could swing monsters to your side reguardless.

mAcular Chaotic · December 03, 2015, 12:13:48 PM

What's the reaction table in BX. I assume the NPC's disposition?

I've only played 5E. (Though I read up on the rest.)

Actually I played PF once too but I hated it.

Bren · December 03, 2015, 02:38:39 PM

Quote from: Lunamancer;866647Bren, I did try to write a reply to your James Bond example, but I must be using some key word that gets my post flagged. Maybe it will eventually be approved.

Curious. I wasn't aware that posts got flagged.

Gronan of Simmerya · December 03, 2015, 04:10:23 PM

What the fuck?

Bren · December 03, 2015, 04:30:17 PM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;866875
Quote from: Spinachcat;866762BTW, using the Reaction table in OD&D radically changes the game.

Seriously.

If the GM begins each encounter by rolling Reaction instead of just rolling Initiative, the amount of combat decreases and the amount of RP increases rather remarkably
.[/QUOTED]

Fancy that!!
You can
QuoteSpinachcat or you can tell us you Quoted Spinachcat. Trying to do both at the same time doesn't work.

Bedrockbrendan · December 03, 2015, 05:36:06 PM

Quote from: Spinachcat;866762BTW, using the Reaction table in OD&D radically changes the game.

Seriously.

If the GM begins each encounter by rolling Reaction instead of just rolling Initiative, the amount of combat decreases and the amount of RP increases rather remarkably.

.

Even if one doesn't use reaction tables, it makes little sense for everything under the sun to want a fight. Even a group of bandits that come up on an encounter table probably want the players money, they don't necessarily want to have a battle right off the bat.