Social Encounters
Source GM Core pg. 30
Most conversations play best as free-form roleplaying, with maybe one or two checks for social skills involved. Sometimes, a tense situation or crucial negotiation requires a social encounter that uses initiative, much like a combat encounter. As with any other encounter, the stakes of a social encounter need to be high! A failed social encounter could mean a character is imprisoned or targeted for murder, a major rival becomes a political powerhouse, or a key ally is disgraced and ostracized.
Using the structure of an encounter is helpful because it makes the timing clearer than in free-form play, and each character feels like they're contributing. When running a social encounter, establish the stakes up front, so the players know the consequences of success or failure and the circumstances that will cause the encounter to end.
You have much more flexibility in how you run a social encounter than a combat encounter. Extending the length of rounds beyond 6 seconds, allowing more improvisation, and focusing less on special attacks and spells all differentiate a social encounter from a combative one. In most cases, you don't need to worry about characters' movements, nor do you need a map. Be flexible and encouraging as you run a social encounter, and don't worry about nitty-gritty details like character movement except in extreme cases. Allow the PCs to share information about as freely as the players can around the table. If one character is watching the opponent for signs they're lying, assume they can easily convey that to other characters subtly. It's good to remind players of things their characters might know or be likely to notice even if the players, in the moment, don't have them in mind. Describe NPCs' mental states and ask for clarification about the PCs' attitudes when needed.
Some examples of social encounters include:
Using the structure of an encounter is helpful because it makes the timing clearer than in free-form play, and each character feels like they're contributing. When running a social encounter, establish the stakes up front, so the players know the consequences of success or failure and the circumstances that will cause the encounter to end.
You have much more flexibility in how you run a social encounter than a combat encounter. Extending the length of rounds beyond 6 seconds, allowing more improvisation, and focusing less on special attacks and spells all differentiate a social encounter from a combative one. In most cases, you don't need to worry about characters' movements, nor do you need a map. Be flexible and encouraging as you run a social encounter, and don't worry about nitty-gritty details like character movement except in extreme cases. Allow the PCs to share information about as freely as the players can around the table. If one character is watching the opponent for signs they're lying, assume they can easily convey that to other characters subtly. It's good to remind players of things their characters might know or be likely to notice even if the players, in the moment, don't have them in mind. Describe NPCs' mental states and ask for clarification about the PCs' attitudes when needed.
Some examples of social encounters include:
- Proving someone's innocence in front of a judge
- Convincing a nearby planet's leaders to help defend against a system-wide invasion
- Showing up a rival celebrity in public
- Exposing a villain's deception before the media
- Ending a tense standof
Non-Combat Level
Source GM Core pg. 31
A creature's level measures its acumen in combat, but some creatures who would be pushovers in battle can be dangerous in social encounters or other challenges! Such creatures typically have skill modifiers and mental defenses much higher than their levels would indicate. See Building NPCs: Non-Combat Level, for information on setting these statistics.
Award XP for defeating an NPC in a social encounter based on the relevant level rather than the creature's combat level. Such an NPC might have an ability similar to the following.
Courtroom Specialist In a court case or other legal proceeding, the judge is a 6th-level challenge.
Award XP for defeating an NPC in a social encounter based on the relevant level rather than the creature's combat level. Such an NPC might have an ability similar to the following.
Courtroom Specialist In a court case or other legal proceeding, the judge is a 6th-level challenge.
Initiative and Actions
Source GM Core pg. 31
Initiative in a social encounters typically has characters rolling Society or a Charisma-based skill, such as Diplomacy or Deception. As with other encounters, a character's approach to the conflict determines which skill they roll. On a character's turn, they typically get to attempt one roll, usually by using a skill action. Let the player roleplay what their character says and does, then determine what they'll roll. Allow them to use any abilities or spells that might help them make their case, though keep in mind that when most people see the visual signs of a spell being cast, they think someone is using magic to try to influence or harm them, and they have a negative reaction. Generally, a turn should go on just long enough for the character to make one salient point and attempt one check before moving to the next character in the initiative order.
Good social encounters include an opposition. This can be direct, such as a rival who argues against the characters' case, or passive, such as a crowd that automatically becomes more unruly as each round passes. Give the opposition one or more positions in the initiative order so you can convey what it's doing. You can create game statistics for the opposition, especially if it's an individual, but in situations like that of the unruly crowd, you might need nothing more than to establish a set of increasingly difficult DCs.
Good social encounters include an opposition. This can be direct, such as a rival who argues against the characters' case, or passive, such as a crowd that automatically becomes more unruly as each round passes. Give the opposition one or more positions in the initiative order so you can convey what it's doing. You can create game statistics for the opposition, especially if it's an individual, but in situations like that of the unruly crowd, you might need nothing more than to establish a set of increasingly difficult DCs.
Measuring Success and Progress
Source GM Core pg. 32
You'll need to decide how to measure the characters' success in social encounters because there's no AC to target or HP to whittle down. Social Skills includes guidance on setting DCs for social skill actions, often using a target's Will DC. If you need a DC for people who don't have stats, such as a crowd or an NPC for whom you haven't already generated statistics, use the guidelines on setting DCs. You can either pick a simple DC or use a level-based DC, estimating a level for the subject or how challenging it should be to sway them.
The attitude conditions—hostile, unfriendly, indifferent, friendly, and helpful—provide a useful way to track the progress of a social encounter. Use these to represent the attitude of an authority, a crowd, a jury, or similar. A typical goal for a social encounter is to change the attitude of a person or group to helpful so they assist you or to calm a hostile group or person to defuse a situation. Try to give the players a clear idea of how much they've progressed as the encounter proceeds.
Another option is to track the number of successes or failures the characters accrue, either using a subsystem like Victory Points or Influence, or else something more ad hoc. For instance, the PCs might need to trick four guards into leaving their posts, and you might count each successful attempt to Lie or Create a Diversion toward a total of four necessary successes. You can also combine these two methods; if the PCs need a group of important politicians to vote their way, the goal of the encounter might be to ensure that most of the politicians have a better attitude toward the PCs than they have of a rival—all within a limited time frame.
The attitude conditions—hostile, unfriendly, indifferent, friendly, and helpful—provide a useful way to track the progress of a social encounter. Use these to represent the attitude of an authority, a crowd, a jury, or similar. A typical goal for a social encounter is to change the attitude of a person or group to helpful so they assist you or to calm a hostile group or person to defuse a situation. Try to give the players a clear idea of how much they've progressed as the encounter proceeds.
Another option is to track the number of successes or failures the characters accrue, either using a subsystem like Victory Points or Influence, or else something more ad hoc. For instance, the PCs might need to trick four guards into leaving their posts, and you might count each successful attempt to Lie or Create a Diversion toward a total of four necessary successes. You can also combine these two methods; if the PCs need a group of important politicians to vote their way, the goal of the encounter might be to ensure that most of the politicians have a better attitude toward the PCs than they have of a rival—all within a limited time frame.
Consequences
Source GM Core pg. 32
When you set stakes at the start of a social encounter, give an idea of the consequences. Beyond whatever narrative benefits player characters might gain, a social encounter usually includes an XP award. Because these are encounters along the same lines as combat encounters, they grant a sizable amount of XP, typically that of a moderate accomplishment, or even a major accomplishment if the encounter was the culmination of long-term plans or if a significant adversary got theircomeuppance.
The outcome of a social encounters should direct the story of the game. Look for repercussions. Which NPCs might view the PCs more favorably now? Which might hold a grudge or formulate a new plan? A social encounter can seal the fate of an NPC and end their story, but this isn't true for player characters. Even if something looks truly dire for them, such as a death sentence, the social encounter isn't the end—there's still time for desperate heroics or a twist in the story
The outcome of a social encounters should direct the story of the game. Look for repercussions. Which NPCs might view the PCs more favorably now? Which might hold a grudge or formulate a new plan? A social encounter can seal the fate of an NPC and end their story, but this isn't true for player characters. Even if something looks truly dire for them, such as a death sentence, the social encounter isn't the end—there's still time for desperate heroics or a twist in the story