Social Combat — Advanced Old School Revival

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Rolling for Social Combat

Roll + Attribute+ Influence(sets Social Defense)

Roll + Attribute+ Skill(vs. Social Defense)

Social combat involves beating your adversary in a game of wits, whether that means you're trying to convince a cruel king for leniency or seduce a prospective lover. Social combat is only necessary if the strength of the roleplay is in question, or the GM is unsure what might happen.

Opponent determines social defense.
GM determines the windows (the length of time between tries) and the clock (the number of successes necessary to win over your opponent).
Roll for social combat.
Increase or decrease the clock.

Social Defense

Your opponent makes an attribute check, adding the Influence skill. (If there is more than one opponent, make this check against their leader.) Choose an attribute that makes sense for their personality: Mighty if they’re forceful or authoritative, Deft if they’re clever or wise, or Smart if they’re magical or rational. This becomes their social defense and is always the number you are trying to beat.

Windows & Successes

The GM will then determine the number of successes you need to change their mind—called the clock—and the necessary window of time between tries. If you're trying to win over a romantic partner, 1d6 might suffice for successes, and the window might be "weeks." If you're trying to best someone in an argument, 3 successes might suffice and the window might be rounds.

Try Your Hand

When the window opens, describe an action you take or the gist of an argument you make. Resolve it vs. their social score with an attribute check that makes the most sense. If lifting a 500 pound weight over your head will impress your lover, that's an Athletics check, for example. Failure sets back the clock, while success moves it forward.

Example of Social Combat

The High Person Nayair wants to win the affections of Korg, a Strongman. Korg is not the brightest bulb in the bunch, and most would assume he would be impressed by feats of strength. However Nayair knows his secret: he really loves musicals and romantic comedies.

GM: Korg is a big softie, but he’s also real dumb. Let’s see what it’ll take to get him to realize what you’re up to. (Rolls d6, adds his Deft to represent his emotional complexity, and adds a +2 for Influence.) That’s an 11. You can try once a week, and it’ll take (rolls a d6) four successes on the clock to win his affection.

Nayair: Next time we rest, I’m going to make him his favorite meal, a giant roasted chicken leg. I’ll go into the woods and fell a big one, then haul it back. I’ll pluck it, set up the spit, haul the wood, and start the fire, all by myself. Then invite him to a romantic campfire dinner.

GM: That sounds like quite the Mighty effort.

Nayair rolls 2d6 and rolls a 5 and a 6, but takes the worse result because she’s a High Person. She adds 2, but lacks Survival or another skill that might help her. Her 7 is not enough to move the clock! Korg chows down on the chicken leg and thanks Nayair, but is completely oblivious to her advances.

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