A Year in the City - Social Graces

One of the main features I feel current D&D is missing out on, as compared to its illustrious past, is the inclusion of the Reaction Roll.

Sure an "Attitude Roll" has been included in Ghost of Saltmarsh, Glory of Giants and the 5e Spelljammer. It has been poorly implemented IMO.

The system I am using in the Waterdeep Campaign takes inspiration from the original tables in AD&D to expand upon the Social Interaction mechanics found in the DMG.

Another area of the Core Rules which I feel gets hand waved away, and if used properly would eradicate those D&D horror stories of seducing the dragon, or intimidating Kings into handing over their lands and crown.

Theatre Kid D&D aside... 

The 5e DMG says that the DM should choose one of three starting attitude states a creature has before it interacts with the PCs. 

"The attitude of a creature might change over the course of a conversation. If the adventurers say or do the right things during an interaction (perhaps by touching on a creature's ideal, bond or flaw)..."

Insight is another area I think the current 5e crowd uses incorrectly, but I digress.

"...they can make a hostile creature temporarily indifferent, or make an indifferent creature temporarily friendly. Likewise, a gaffe, insult or harmful deed might make a friendly creature temporarily indifferent or turn an indifferent creature hostile."

Add in some dice, to curtail my own DM biases (read as: Bloodthirst), and we get the following simple table.

Very BX like.

The 2d6 dice roll is modified by the 'lead' characters Charisma Modifier (and any bonuses or penalties gained by their Background Feature or the Lifestyle choice of other present characters).

And yes, this means that most encounters will lean towards the PCs if they have a competent 'Face'. But thanks to Training Jail, that Face wont always be around. 

There are no Eternal Allies, nor are there no Perpetual Enemies.

Now the vast majority of encounters will not be purely combat, allowing the Social Pillar of the game to flourish properly. 

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the Campaign the Exploration Pillar is still gimped.

Side Note: You can find an UPDATE to this post here.

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