TEXT: Social Combat
  Social Combat
  Social Combat
  Social Combat
  Social Combat
  Social Combat
  Social Combat
  Social Combat
  Social Combat
  
  Social Combat
  Social Combat
  These rules allow for debates to be much more in depth than
  a single Persuasion vs Insight roll. It allows for wordplay
  battles with similar complexity to the swordplay battles more
  commonly focused on in these games. It makes traits like
  Alignment and Ideals mechanically relevant rather than mere
  flavor choices. These rules will not be for everyone, but for
  certain playstyles they can be invaluable. Note that even if you
  include these rules in your game, not every disagreement
  needs to become a formal debate.
  Just like with physical combat, these rules can be used for
  PvP but are intended for use between PCs and NPCs.
  There are two core statistics for these rules: Conviction
  and Resolve. Think of Conviction like your social Armor Class
  and Resolve like your social Hit Points.
  Step 1: Initiative
  Step 1: Initiative
  Social combat begins similarly to how physical combat
  begins, with the exception of surprise. The one who initiates
  the debate gets a "surprise round" in that by initiating they get
  to set the Topic and make the Opening Argument. Usually,
  social combat cannot be started during physical combat.
  1a: Setting the Topic
  1a: Setting the Topic
  The Topic is the point being argued. It should be a declarative
  statement no longer than one sentence which may be either
  agreed with or disagreed with, which the initiator wishes
  those involved in the debate to agree with, such as "We are
  allowed to be here" or "The king isn't such a bad guy, really"
  or "You are going to give us that gemstone".
  1b: Setting Resolve
  1b: Setting Resolve
  As soon as the Topic is set, each creature who will participate
  in the debate sets their starting Resolve for that Topic based
  on their beliefs and opinions, as follows:
  Resolve - Opinion
  -20
  Very Strongly Agree
  -10
  Strongly Agree
  -5
  Agree
  0
  Unsure
  5
  Disagree
  10
  Strongly Disagree
  20
  Very Strongly Disagree
  Resolve has a maximum of 20 and a minimum of -20
  regardless of the amount you start with. When a creature's
  Resolve changes to (or past) a number on the chart over the
  course of the debate, their opinion on the Topic changes
  commensurately.
  If the same Topic is brought up again later, whether in the
  same debate or a future one, you do not get to choose a new
  Resolve for it, but must use your last Resolve for that Topic.
  The DM can rule a new Topic too similar to a previous one,
  causing it to use the Resolve for that Topic rather than
  starting afresh.
  1c: The Opening Argument
  1c: The Opening Argument
  Once all participants have set their Resolve, the initiator
  makes their first Argument, following the rules laid out in
  Step 2 for making an argument.
  1d: Roll Initiative
  1d: Roll Initiative
  After the initiator completes their opening argument, all
  present who wish to join the debate roll initiative as though
  starting physical combat, using Intelligence in place of
  Dexterity, as this represents how quickly you can formulate
  your argument or counterargument.
  Step 2: Make an Argument
  Step 2: Make an Argument
  An Argument is to social combat as an Attack is to physical
  combat. It is a statement made by a creature to attempt to
  convince those involved in the debate to agree with the
  current Topic. It takes an Action on your turn, but can take
  anywhere from five seconds or less to two minutes or more,
  depending on the complexity of the argument being made.
  Your turn is not limited to six seconds, but lasts as long as
  necessary to complete your argument.
  2a: State Your Case
  2a: State Your Case
  State, in character, the argument your character wishes to
  make. If you are uncomfortable roleplaying this deeply, you
  can simply describe their point in the abstract, but you must
  say more than simply "I roll a Persuasion check" as the nature
  of your point will affect your damage roll.
  Your argument is made with a Charisma check, using
  Intimidation if your argument is an appeal to fear, Deception if
  it is a deliberate attempt to make others believe something
  you know to be false, or Persuasion otherwise.
  2b: Determine Conviction
  2b: Determine Conviction
  Unlike with most physical attacks, you do not choose a target
  for your argument. Arguments target all participants in a
  debate simultaneously, assuming they can hear the argument
  and it is in a language they understand. You can choose
  whether your argument includes yourself as a target or not.
  As a physical attack must overcome its target's Armor
  Class, an Argument must overcome each participant's
  Conviction in order to affect that creature's Resolve.
  Your Conviction is equal to 10 + your Wisdom modifier. If
  your alignment is Lawful, you get a +2 bonus to Conviction; if
  your alignment is Chaotic, you get a -2 penalty instead. If your
  alignment is Neutral on either axis, you get a -1 penalty to
  Conviction (this stacks to -2 if you are True Neutral).
  If you are proficient with the Insight skill and the argument
  is a Deception, you can add your proficiency bonus to your
  Conviction for that argument.
  2c: Determine Damage
  2c: Determine Damage
  If the Argument's Charisma check is equal to or greater than
  your Conviction, the arguer rolls 1d4. Your Resolve for the
  current Topic is reduced by the amount rolled. This die is
  doubled on a natural 20 attack roll as normal.
  
  The damage roll is modified based on the nature of the
  argument, as described in step 2a. For each of the following
  traits that the argument plays up to (or fights against),
  increase (or reduce) the damage by 1: Alignment (per axis),
  Personality Trait, Ideal, Bond, Flaw. Damage to Resolve can
  become negative with these modifiers, and increases Resolve
  by that amount. If using these social combat rules, every
  creature should have either 1 or 2 of each of these traits.
  These adjustments should be made in secret by the DM
  when affecting NPCs, as the players may not be aware of all of
  that creature's relevant traits. Researching your mark and
  learning their biases is an essential tactic to successfully
  engaging them in debate.
  Whether a particular argument plays on or fights against a
  particular trait is up to the DM's judgment, but DMs are
  encouraged to listen to their players' interpretations as they
  are the ones who best understand their character's mindset.
  Step 3: The Rest of Your Turn
  Step 3: The Rest of Your Turn
  Anything you can do on your turn in physical combat, you can
  also do on your turn in social combat. Making an Argument is
  an Action, but you can take any other Action available to you,
  in addition to any one available Bonus Action, plus your
  movement and anything that can be done as part of an action
  (such as drawing a weapon) or without spending an action
  (such as ending concentration on a spell).
  If you take any hostile action during social combat, such as
  taking the Attack action, the debate immediately ends and
  new initiative is rolled for physical combat as usual.
  In addition, there are some special options available to you
  specifically for use in Social Combat, as follows:
  Counterargument
  Counterargument
  A Counterargument is much like an Argument, but it is made
  in opposition to the Topic rather than in favor of it, and heals
  Resolve rather than damaging it. In all other ways, it follows
  the same rules as making an Argument.
  Leave Debate/Change Topic
  Leave Debate/Change Topic
  As an Action, you can give up your place in the initiative order
  and stop participating in the debate.
  Alternatively, as an Action you can shelve the current Topic
  and introduce a new Topic, making an Opening Argument as
  part of the same Action.
  Whether leaving the debate or changing the topic, you must
  do so in one of the following three ways. (You can pretend to
  use one method while really using another with a successful
  Deception vs Insight roll, but you must behave as though you
  used the method you are pretending to use, otherwise the
  Deception roll automatically fails.)
  Concede. You set your Resolve to -5 for the current Topic (if
  it is already lower, it stays where it is), claiming to agree with
  the statement being argued.
  Postpone/Agree to Disagree. You state your intention to
  think on the Topic and continue the argument at a later time.
  Alternatively, you state your respect for the other participants'
  positions but choose to maintain your own. In either case, you
  can set your Resolve for the current Topic to 0, otherwise it
  stays at its current position.
  Huff. You pig-headedly dig in your heels and refuse to listen
  any further. Your Resolve for the current Topic returns to the
  position you originally set it to for this Topic, but you take a -1
  penalty to all future Social Combat rolls targeting anyone who
  observes you doing this, as you have shown yourself to be
  unreasonable. This penalty stacks with itself if you do this
  multiple times. (DMs should use this option sparingly; if these
  Social Combat rules are part of your game, your players
  should be given every reasonable opportunity to make use of
  them.)
  Interrupt
  Interrupt
  You can use your Reaction to make an Argument or
  Counterargument or Leave the Debate or Change Topic on
  someone else's turn. If you make an Argument or
  Counterargument this way, it takes a -5 penalty on the attack
  roll and a -1 penalty on the damage roll. If you Change the
  Topic this way without Conceding, your Opening Argument
  takes the aforementioned penalties, in addition to which you
  take a -1 penalty to all Social Combat rolls until the Topic you
  changed away from becomes the current Topic again.
  Step 4: Ending the Debate
  Step 4: Ending the Debate
  Once all participants have a Resolve of -5 or less, or all
  participants have a Resolve of 5 or more, or all participants
  have left the debate, the initiative order is dropped and the
  debate ends. If the debate would end this way but a
  participant wishes to keep the debate going with the current
  participants and initiative order, they can use a reaction to
  Change Topic with no penalty.
  If the debate is ended in some other way, such as by
  physical combat being initiated or by the floor giving out from
  under everyone's feet, all participants are treated as having
  taken the Leave Debate (Postpone) action.
  All Resolve for all Topics stays where it is from debate to
  debate. If your Resolve for a Topic is between -9 and 9, you can
  initiate a debate on that Topic with yourself, but if you Change
  Topic or Leave Debate in a Huff when debating with yourself
  you take the described penalty vs anyone who discovers you
  have done this as though they had observed you doing so.
  Step 5: External Evidence
  Step 5: External Evidence
  Sometimes you encounter clear evidence outside of a debate
  that proves you right or wrong. At DM discretion, when
  sufficient evidence is brought to your attention other than
  through debate, it may increase or decrease your Resolve for a
  relevant Topic, or even set it to a particular level.
  Variant: Haggling
  Variant: Haggling
  You can use these rules to haggle over prices, with the Topic
  being the item in question instead of a declarative statement
  and each participant's Resolve being the percentage of market
  price they wish to pay/charge for said item rather than their
  opinion on the Topic.
  The debate ends when both participants have the same
  Resolve. Conceding sets your Resolve to the other
  participant's Resolve instead of setting it to -5. Change Topic
  can be used to change to haggling over a different item.
  Setting your Resolve to 0 sets it to 100% instead.
  
  Thanks for
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  Reading!
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  Reading!
  These rules were inspired by the Social Combat
  segments of the Lunar Quest webcomic by
  Jukashi, which was itself based on Exalted.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ©2019 Caleb Wichman 
   
   
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