Social Actions

Social actions are the method by which a character has (mechanically) meaningful interactions with other characters in this system.

Some systems refer to this type of social mechanic as “social combat”.  While this system has a robust social system, it isn’t always adversarial, and thus is not “combat”.

Social actions and cares are inextricably linked; having an understanding of cares will help you absorb the content on this page.

Social Action Dicepools

Many of the actions listed below have a dicepool calculation like this:

Test: ((Social) + (Presence) +/- modifiers) OR ((Social) + (Guile) +/-modifiers) vs ((Social + Mental)+/- modifiers)

The skill chosen for the roll depend upon how the character is approaching the target.  If they’re being truthful in their attempted social action, the dicepool is (Social + Presence).  If they’re being deceptive, the dicepool is (Social + Guile).

Social Defenses

The defenses listed below prevent your character from being manipulated too easily.

When targeted by a social action, a character will utilize their social defense dicepool in order to resist being influenced.

A characters’ player can opt not to apply their social defenses if they wish.

Shrewdness

A high shrewdness dicepool means you are mysterious; your motives are difficult to discover.  A low shrewdness dicepool means you are an open book.

Test: ((Social + Guile)+/- modifiers) vs (Social + Insight)+/-modifiers)

This dicepool is used when you’re the target of a Sense Motives action

Hits on this roll helps to prevent others from discovering your cares (goals, connection, emotions, and vice).  Preventing someone from discovering your short term goals will make lying & deception easier to manage.

Self-Control

A high self-control dicepool means you’re difficult to influence.  A low self-control dicepool means you’re easily manipulated.

Test: ((Social + Mental)+/-modifiers) vs (social action dicepool)

Self-control is used to defend against the following social actions: Excite Emotions, Sooth Emotions, Warp Emotions, Task.

Sense Motives

This action is used to gather information about the target.

When used in combat it is a free action.

Sense Motives can be used by a character once per scene per target.  Some powers may change this.

Test: ((Social + Insight)+/- modifiers) vs ((Social + Guile)+/- modifiers).

Every 1 net hit allows you to ask one of the following questions, which will be answered honestly by the target’s player.

• What emotion is the target currently experiencing?  At what rating? (1-3)
  • Who is the target of this emotion?
• What is the target’s vice?
• What short term goal(s) is the target working toward in this scene?
• What is their connection?
  • This can only be asked if their connection has a contextual presence in the scene.
• What is their long term goal?
  • This question cannot be asked until you have knowledge about 2 or more of their short term goals.
    • These can be short term goals that they already fulfilled, as long as they’re related to their current long term goal.

Sense Motives Modifiers

Modifiers for the Sense Motives action are almost entirely on the side of the target.  Only general modifiers (not specific to Sense Motives) are on the side of the user of Sense Motives.  For example, perfect darkness would inflict the -6 penalty for being unable to see.

Task

The Task action is used to persuade someone to take on a short term goal(aka:task).  Completing short term goals rewards characters with experience. This action can also be used to persuade someone to drop or change a short term goal.

When used in combat, it is a Simple Action.

Test: ((Social) + (Presence) +/- modifiers) OR ((Social) + (Guile) +/-modifiers) vs ((Social + Mental)+/- modifiers)

Task Rating

The GM assigns a rating for any task based on how onerous the task is.  The rating of a task can range from 0 to 3.  A task with a rating of 0 is barely inconvenient, and has no real chance of failure or complications.  A task with a rating of 3 is extremely onerous, possibly dangerous, and very inconvenient.

Tasks Must Be Based On Cares

Without a citing a relevant care, the task action is impossible. Tasks of different ratings have different requirements, as shown in the table below.

Tasks rated from 1 to 2 only require that a single care be cited.  Rating 3 tasks require that 2 cares be cited simultaneously.  Rating 3 tasks often turn into long term goals.

Tasks, Context, & Nonsense

A task has to make sense within the context of the care being cited.  If the care cited feels nonsensical or unrelated to the task, the task action fails regardless of dice rolls.

Example Nonsense Task

Dean is aware that Sam’s connection is to his girlfriend, Diane.  Dean dislikes Diane and wants her to die.  Dean uses the task action on Sam to persuade Sam to murder her.  Dean cites Sam’s connection to Diane, and goes to roll his dice for the task action.  The GM stops Dean’s player and tells him that this is nonsense.  You can’t persuade someone to kill the person they love based upon their love of that person.

Example No Nonsense Task

Dean is aware that Sam’s connection  is to his girlfriend, Diane.  Dean recently acquired a diamond ring from a dead vampire.  Dean uses the task action to attempt to sell Sam the diamond ring.  Dean argues: “You love her, right?  You’re gonna marry her.  This ring is cheaper than any other you’ll find.  Just $500!”  Dean rolls ((Social) + (Presence) +/-modifiers) vs. Sam’s Self-Control ((Social) + (Mental) +/-modifiers).  Dean gets 5 hits on his roll, and Sam gets 3 hits on his roll.  Sam takes the short term goal: “Buy Dean’s ring for Diane”.  Sams player may choose not to buy the ring if they wish, but Sam will gain 2 experience points if he does buy the ring.

Tasks Are Not Mind Control

Making someone take a short term goal via the task action doesn’t mean they have to complete the goal.  They simply add it to their list of short term goals.  They’re incentivized to complete their goals because they gain experience for it. For NPCs, the GM must decide whether or not they will try to complete the short term goal.  Player character’s task actions against NPCs should be meaningful, so GMs should err on the side of completing the goal.

Information Tasks

Often times, the task action will be used to persuade someone to give you information.  This is a valid use of the task action.  The target of the task action takes on a short term goal to share what they know about a subject.  The target may choose to withhold certain information, but as long as they provide substantial information, the short term goal is considered complete.

Plugin: More Potent Tasks

If you want the task mechanic to feel more compelling for player characters, use this plugin.

Short term goals gained via the task action will penalize player characters who do not attempt to complete the task.

A player character will lose 1 experience point if they fail the task because they did not attempt to complete it.

When the experience point is lost, the short term goal is deleted from their character sheet.

Excite Emotions

Reference: Emotions This action is used to make a person more intensely emotional about something.

When used in combat, it is a Simple Action.

Excite Emotions can be used by a character once per scene per target.  Some powers may change this.

Test: ((Social) + (Presence) +/- modifiers) OR ((Social) + (Guile) +/-modifiers) vs ((Social + Mental)+/- modifiers)

Net hits on this roll increase the intensity rating of an emotion as described in the table below:

Context – No Nonsense

All emotions are contextual.  If an attempt to excite someone’s emotions makes no sense, the attempt should fail no matter how many hits were rolled.  The GM and players will find this very easy to judge during a game based on a simple gut-check.

Context Example – Trust

You cannot just walk up to someone you’ve never met and say “Trust me.” and have them actually trust you.  In fact, they’re likely to do the opposite.  Attempting to do this would be an example of nonsense.  No number of dice rolled will make this work. If you just saved their life, or explained how you grew up with their father, you would have a contextual basis to excite the emotion of trust in them.

Context Example – Anger

Anger is one of few emotions that you can easily evoke without any context at all – as long as you want your target to be angry with you. If you want your target to be angry at someone else, you might have to learn a little bit about them.  What do they like? What do they hate? What is their connection?  What political party do they like?  Use these things to make them angry at the target you desire. There are a few other ways to evoke anger, and possibly avoid it being toward yourself.  You can mention injustices that everyone finds upsetting.

Soothe Emotions

Reference: Emotions This action is used to make a person less intensely emotional about something.

When used in combat, it is a Simple Action.

Soothe Emotions can be used by a character once per scene per target.  Some powers may change this.

Test: ((Social) + (Presence) +/- modifiers) OR ((Social) + (Guile) +/-modifiers) vs ((Social + Mental)+/- modifiers). 

Net hits on this roll reduce the targets emotional intensity as described in the table below:

Repress Emotions

This action is used to make yourself less intensely emotional about something.

You may spend energy to lower the rating of any emotion your character is experiencing.  Going down 1 rating costs an amount of energy equal to your current rating.  See the table below.

When used in combat it is a Free Action.

Warp Emotion

Reference: Emotions, Emotions List, Complex Emotions The Warp Emotion action is used for a number of things:

• To change the target of an emotion.
• To add a second emotion, inducing a complex emotion.
• To alter 1 facet of a complex emotion.
  • Removing 1 facet to create a simple emotion is valid.

When used in combat, it is a Simple Action.

Warp Emotion can be used by a character once per scene per target.  Some powers may change this.

Test: ((Social) + (Presence) +/- modifiers) OR ((Social) + (Guile) +/-modifiers) vs ((Social + Mental)+/- modifiers). 

Simple success or failure.  Net hits have no mechanical impact.

Change Emotion Target

Changing the target of an emotion can have obvious benefits.   Redirecting someone’s anger away from yourself can be life saving.  

Example: Change Emotion Target

Dean is angry at Sam because Sam slept with Dean’s girlfriend.  Sam uses the warp emotions action to change the target of Dean’s ire.  Sam argues that Dean’s girlfriend told him that she had broken up with Dean, so this is really all her fault.  Regardless of whether or not Sam’s argument is true, it is a valid argument to try to change the target of Dean’s emotions in this context.  Sam rolls (Social + Presence +/-modifiers) vs Dean’s (Social + Mental +/-modifiers).  If Sam gets 1 more success than Dean, then Sam succeeds and Dean shifts his anger toward his girlfriend.

Induce Complex Emotion

This concept may seem complex or intimidating at first, but in practice it is very simple.  For example, the enemy army that you just crushed already fears you.  Fear on its own has uses, but wouldn’t it be more useful if they were in awe of you?  With them in awe of you, you could convince them to join your cause; using the task action.  They will never join your cause out of fear alone.

Context – No Nonsense

All emotions are contextual.  If an attempt to warp someone’s emotions makes no sense, the attempt should fail no matter how many dice were rolled.  The GM and players will find this very easy to judge during a game based on a simple gut-check.

Fear & Intimidation

Intimidation is the art of using fear as a motivator. Causing fear in someone is usually accomplished through the Excite Emotions social action. Once they’re afraid, it is time to hit them with a Task action.  The task action gives them a short term goal through which they can alleviate their fear.  This can result in a variety of short term goals, depending on the context of the scene.  In battle, the short term goal might be to flee or surrender.  During an interrogation, the short term goal might be to tell the interrogator something.  When blackmailing someone, the short term goal could be a wide variety of things; giving money, information, access, doing a job, etc.

This mechanic provides an incentive for player characters to do things that players are usually reluctant to do: give in to intimidation, or flee or surrender in combat, because they can earn 2 experience for it. Clever players will combine fear & intimidation with the warp emotions action to change the target of someone’s fear.  You don’t always have to look like the bad guy; you can place that blame on other people. There are a number of powers which deal with fear & intimidation in various ways, such as making those who fear you suffer dice penalties when opposing you.

Truth & Lies

There is no roll or test needed to lie to someone.   There is no roll or test to directly detect a lie.  Instead, there is an indirect method for detecting lies:

• Inferring based on a known short term goal.
  • Using the Sense Motives action to uncover the short term goal a character is working toward can, in many cases, allow you to judge the truthfulness of their words.

Being good at lying in this system means 2 things:

• • • 1. Have a high Shrewdness dicepool
    • 2. Tell believable lies – lies that a player(not player character) could take seriously.

It is ultimately up to the player of a character to decide if they think someone is lying.

Making Deals

Making a deal with someone is a social action.  The amount of in-universe time it takes to make a deal is entirely up to the GM & players.  Some deals require months of negotiations and involve lawyers.  Some deals take a split second.

Test: ((Social ) + (Presence) +/-modifiers)) OR ((Social) + (Guile) +/-modifiers)) vs (Social + (Mental OR Insight) +/- modifiers)

Not all deals use money as the means of exchange.  Some deals are exchanges of services, promises, favors, or other intangibles.  Deals like this can still include a dice test to see who gets the more favorable end of the bargain, but there are no hard and fast rules that govern who gets what.  The GM should look at the results of the rolls, and liberally award the winner with the better end of the bargain. See the details of how bargains work with regard to money here.