Social Rolls Guide

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Social Rolls

Social Rolls

“Social” Rolls (used here to denote any skill roll not specifically tied to a mechanic in RPR, IE willpower, insight, knowledge history, persuasion, etc.) function under the following rules.

1. All social rolls must be responded to if they are targeting another player. This means if someone engages in a social roll that is meant to impact others, it must be acknowledged either via a contested roll, or via RP.
   Example: Linda rolls Knowledge: History to try and identify a place named by Jean. She rolls very low. Jean responds by giving her a light overview of the area, but no specific information.



2. Rolls that are self-targeted do not NEED to be responded to by the people around you. These can be denoted with (self roll).
   Example: Barry rolls resilience in a bar to see how badly the alcohol is affecting him. He rolls relatively low and comments that he seems to be getting drunk quickly. This does not require a roll as it is targeted towards himself.



3. Social rolls that are invited do not NEED to be engaged with, but it is polite to do so.
   Example: Benny invites a group of people to roll insight on something that he said. Of the three people there, only one rolls insight, but does not beat the DC.



4. Social rolls do not guarantee the outcome you want, no matter the number on the dice, but may only help your character reach the best outcome possible.
   Example: Vinnie rolls deception while being interrogated, The interrogator, Leon, already knows the truth. Vinnie, however, rolled very high. To honor this, Leon’s player decides to believe that Vinnie is convinced that the lie is true, rather than suspect him of being a liar.



5. Social rolls are not super powers or mind control.
   Example: Maya uses persuasion to try and convince a wizard to buy full plate. After modifiers, her roll is a 32. The wizard contests this roll and fails it, but ultimately doesn’t buy the full plate as he is a wizard and has no use for it. He does, however, enviously marvel at the fine craftsmanship and seems swayed by Maya’s salesmanship.



6. If the RP does not match the social roll, it may not have the desired outcome.
   Example: Travis spends an entire post threatening Micheal and his loved ones, but at the end rolls persuasion for him to walk away. Micheal finds this insulting and responds with a PVP intent, despite Travis’ roll.



7. YOU CANNOT FORCE AN OUTCOME VIA SOCIAL ROLLS. Social rolls are meant to enhance RP. If you are trying to use them to force other players to do things you want, rather than using them to add a random and fun element to RP, moderation may get involved.

As with all systems, communication is key. Remember - your fellow players have fully realized characters who also have motivations, goals and experiences that may cause them to react differently than expected! If you are concerned about what roll you may want to use, we strongly suggest reaching out to talk it over. If you feel that someone is abusing social rolls, please feel free to open a ticket.

Examples of Common Roll Pairings

While these roll pairings are not enforced, we have included common “response” rolls here for people who are unfamiliar with how social rolls function. These are suggested pairings to counter other types of rolls. Depending on the context of a scene, however, you may decide to use a different skillcheck.

Example: Vinnie rolls deception while inaccurately describing the Spellplague during a class. Rather than rolling insight, Anna rolls Knowledge: History to recall the events of the Spellplague to correct Vinnie.

Common Responses to Certain Checks:

• Deception: Respond with Insight or vice versa
• Restrain: Respond with Escape Artist or vice versa
• Intimidation: Respond with Willpower or vice versa
• Slight of Hand: Respond with Perception or vice versa.

These are, once again, just suggested or “common” responses to certain skill checks. Feel free to use RP context to find appropriate rolls or means to respond to social rolls that make sense for your character and the scene!