Social Combat

This page outlines a new mechanic to engage in Social Combat. You will use your tongue as your sword and your mind as your sheild. These guidelines where loosely based off of the Mouse Guard conflict rules, but we added in some extra flavor and custom traits for the LitteP6 format.

All Social traits from the Attributes & Skills page also work with this mechanic, though we suggest allowing the players to pick at least one of the social traits below during character creation. See Advancement below. Traits on this page do not count toward Normal Play, only when engaging in Social Combat.

These rules should only be used for very important scenes between the players and a high political party or person. That being said they can also be used for simple bartering as well, if the GM or player so desires. They maybe able to engage in social combat even during a fight, but if they do, both the target and the player will suffer +1 DIS on all physical and social rolls. But this specific senerio could lead to influencing the opposition to put down their swords even during a fight! Though this might be a little hectic trying to keep the different initiative orders all nice and tidy, so try to keep these senerios a few and far between.

Social Combat still works using tests and traits that allow you to gain +1 ADV or +1 DIS.

Beliefs

On character-creation, instead of creating only 1 belief, create 3. These beliefs will give you +1 ADV when using them in an argument because you are passionate about them and passion can help sway peoples opinions. Most beliefs should be political in nature, but some could be I love my family, so when the topic of family values come into play you get +1 ADV.

A player should typically change one of these Beliefs after each session a Social Combat has occurred. Either getting more detailed with the belief or maybe the opposition swayed your character giving your ruthless rogue more character depth.

Social Combat

A social engagement can turn into a Social Combat anytime a Player or GM declares it. Until it is declared use the traditional style of testing for influence or intimidation.

NOTE: Social Combat can start between two PCs

Each side of the argument gets a Social Disposition bar, with a base disposition of 3 DP. Combat ends, when at least one of the side's disposition gets to 0, and an outcome is determined. There are 3 types of outcomes: Winning, Losing, and Tying

Before combat begins each side should create a Goal, This is what you are wanting to get out of winning the debate. Don't show it to opposition until combat is over and you are trying to make a Compromise. If the Goal is too steep, the GM can intervine and reset the goal to something more reasonable.

The person who declares social combat gets to choose to either go before their target or after. After the person and the target make their point then whoever else that wants to weigh in from the party, or surrounding NPCs, go afterwards by declaring they have something to say. This determines the Initiative order. People that don't speak up before the first turn is over, sit out of the social combat. This might be the best action for players with theStupid weakness, but ultimately it is up to the player :).

During social combat everyone gets to make a point and choose 1 action in the intiative order. The point is what you say and the Action should be written down somewhere no one else can see. The Action should also be written down with a targets name, or a description of whom you are targeting. These typically should be written down on a piece of paper.

Ending a Round

After every one has taken their turn, everyone will reveal their Action, and depending on the Action and Target every one has chosen, determines how tests may unfold.

Some tests will either add 1 DP to your attack pool or your heal pool.

First you and your opposition will add your heal pool to your Diposition, which cannot go above your total base Diposition.

Second subtract your attack pool from the oppositions DP, and substract their attack pool from your DP.

Combat End

Combat Ends when at least one side's disposition reaches 0 or all party members of a side have withdrawn from combat.

In the case where all party members of a side have withdrawn from combat, take the absolute difference between both sides DP and substract that from their total DP, and continue to the next sections of Results

Your New DP = Your Ending DP - ABS(Opposition Ending DP - Your Ending DP)
Opposition New DP = Opposition Ending DP - ABS(Opposition Ending DP - Your Ending DP)

NOTE: In the case where all party members of a side have withdrawn from combat, and your DPs are equal you still end in a Tie result.

Results

Winning

You win the argument if you have reduced the oppositions disposition to 0. The opposition must make an offer for Minor Compromise or you can make a Major Compromise

Losing

You lose the argument, if your disposition is reduced to 0, and you have not successfully taken any disposition points away from the opposition. You must make an offer for Minor Compromise or the opposition can make a Major Compromise

Tying

If both you and the opposition get to 0 DP on the same turn,you tie. Make a Fair Compromise.

Goal

This is what the side will win or lose on during a Compromise, after combat is over. It should be realistic, incase of a bartering session asking for a 100% discount is a bit absurd, so the GM might reset this to 50% at the end of combat.

Compromise

Once the engagement is ended, and if a compromise is needed, the loser must make an offer to the winner.

The results of the argument is set, the winner should achieve at least somewhere close to their goal depending on how much DP they won by.

The whole group must come to the decision that the compromise is agreeable. If there are still complaints about the compromise, talk it over as a group. If agreeable terms are not set after a few minutes, the GM can inerject and set terms. GM sets the law! This should be the end of it.

There are Three grades of Compromise:

Minor

If the winning side lost less than half (typically < 2) their disposition, they owe the loser less than what loser started out asking for. The loser may ask for a small part of his goal or something related to it.

And the Winner may ask for almost all of what they wanted in return.

Fair

If the winning side lost about half (typically 2 or 3) of their disposition, they owe the loser about half of what they were originally asking for.

And the Winner may ask for about half of what they wanted in return.

Major

If the wining side lost over half (typically >= 4) of their disposition, they owe the loser almost every thing of what they were originally asking for.

And the Winner may ask for less than half of what they wanted in return.

Points

Your points are your rhetoric that should work towards the Goal you set at the beginning of combat. Your points can be made with appeals to logic, ethics, or emotion. Certain traits may give you +1 ADV when making certain types of appeals. Your point can have all 3 appeals, depending on your wording. The more appeals you have the more chances you have for ADVs to stack.

Your point can also gain advantage if it aligns with the action you are using, up to the GM if it gains +1 ADV or not in this situation.

Same Point Disadvantage

If you use the same point or a similar point twice you gain +1 DIS. Otherwise known as repeating yourself.

Environment Advantage

Environment Advantage can be added to your total +1 ADV score. The Environment could include an audience or something from your backstory. Like, you are a low born in a pallace and you feel out of place, gain +1 DIS.

Evidence Advantage

If you can provide Evidence of your point and your action is to Attack, and you are successful you do +1 DP

Promise Advantage

If you make a Promise in your point and your action is to Defend, you gain +1 ADV. Promises are not binding unless brought up in the Compromise negotiations.

Roleplaying Advantage

As always if you stay in character while giving your point, the GM should reward you with +1 ADV.

Logical

If you follow a chain of logic that either defeats or defends a belief. May include facts.

Gain +1 ADV with the following traits:

• Scholar

Ethical

You made an appeal to someones moral code or authority. This only works if they have a morale code to begin with.

Gain +1 ADV with the following traits:

• Moral
• Leadership

Emotional

Emotional appeals can be through either fear, flattery, or describing an emotional situation. Such as a baby dying in mothers arms because they didn't have enough food.

Fear

Gain +1 ADV with the following traits:

• Frightening

Flattery

Gain +1 ADV with the following traits:

• Charismatic

Emotional Situation

Gain +1 ADV with the following traits:

• Empathy

Types of Tests

Attribute Test

Roll a Mental Test against your opponents Mental AL, if you meet or exceed this value you succeed.

Attribute Disadvantage Test

Roll a Mental Test at DIS, or (Mental AL)p6-1c, you can not stack any of you ADV on this test against your opponents Mental AL, if you meet or exceed this value you succeed.

Against Test

Roll a Mental Test against your opponents Mental Test, highest roll wins. If both tests are equal the one with most +1 ADV wins. If that is also equal, niether is successful.

Actions

Actions allow you to drive home your point and either defend your DP, take DP from the opposition, or gain some sort of advantage over your opponent.

You get 1 action per turn of combat

Attack

You use your Point as an attack against your target.

Defend

This uses your Point to Defend against the enemy's actions.

Feint

Feints are risky but the payoff is great! This uses your Point as a sneak attack, or trap, to lead your opponent into saying something foolish that you can use against them.

Maneuver

Using your point as a maneuver allows you to gain +1 ADV over your opponent.

NOTE: You CAN NOT use Maneuver twice in a row

| Maneuver Against | Type of Test | Success Effect | | ---------------- | ------------------- | ----------------------- | --------- | | Defend | Against Test | See effects | | Attack | Against Test | See effects | | Maneuver | Attribute Test | See effects | | Feint | Attribute Test | See effects | | Withdraw | Automatically Lose | |

Withdraw

You may take the Withdraw action on your turn. You don't get to make any points besides I have nothing left to say and you can not target anyone. Make one last test before exiting the conversation. You may not make any more Points or re-enter combat. No one from the opposition that comes before you may change their action, but opposition after you may still choose to attack you until the end of the round.

Improv Actions

Once per turn you may describe a small action you would like to do, like say plant evidence on an opposition target, so when searched by a guard they find said evidence and they may gain +1 DIS on the next 2 turns. Ultimately up to the GM, but these actions should be outside the Social Combat Round. Meaning you still have to make a point and choose an action and a target, and you must make a test to make sure you were successful at said action. For the example above you would need to make a Physical Test against their Prime Attribute, and they may make an Awareness Test against your Roll to see if they notice you.

Players and NPCs outside combat CAN also make these type of actions.

Spellcasting

A special type of Improv Action where you may cast a spell or use a trait to gain +1 ADV or influence over an opposition target, or audience. This counts as your one Improv Action

Maneuver Effects

Margin of Success = Your Mental Test - Opponents Mental Test

Impede

Add Disadvantage to your opponents next action

Disarm

Remove one of your opponents traits for the rest of the conflict

Social Traits

Tongue Lasher

If your Attack action is successful, you deal +2 DP to the attack pool.

Social Warrior

Gain +1 ADV on all Attack Actions

Manipulator

Gain +1 ADV on all Feint Actions

Trickster

Once per social combat you may choose to re-roll a test for either a Feint or Manuever action

Defence Lawyer

If your Defend action is successful add +2 DP to the heal pool

Defender

Gain +1 ADV on all Defend Actions

Evasion

Gain +1 ADV on all Social Manuevers

Stubborn

Gain 1 extra DP per player that has this trait

Hard to Read

Anyone that uses Empathetic or using an Insight Checks against you, they must make it against Your Mental AL + 1

Empathetic

Once per combat and before Actions are revealed you may Roll a Mental Test against an opponents Mental AL. If successful, you get to see their action but can't show or share with anyone else. You may change you action and target.

Traits that give +1 ADV:

• Empathy

Lier

Once per combat if you fail a test, you may say you actually passed the test without telling anyone. If NO ONE calls your bluff, you succeed the test. If someone DOES call your bluff, you fail the test and receive +1 DIS on your next turn and cannot gain any +1 ADV on your next turn. If someone WRONGFULLY accuses you of lying on a different turn, they gain +1 DIS until the end of combat.

Anyone can try and roll an Insight Check against your Mental AL, at anytime. If they succeed you must reveal if you are lying or not.

Insight Checks gain +1 ADV with the following traits:

• Insightful

Schemer

Once per combat and before the turn ends, you may make an extra secret action agianst either the same target or a different one. No need to annouce it or make another point. This action ties into your current point, but does not gain any advantages.

Must specify which action comes first. This is the action the opposition will test against. Your second action tests as normal against the targets action.

Advancement

Social Trait Limit

Table of Contents

1. How to Play

   • Tests
   • Combat

2. Creating A Character

   • Heritages
   • Classes
   • Attributes & Skills
   • Advancement

3. Resources

   • Magic
     • Level 1 Spells
     • Level 2 Spells
     • Level 3 Spells
     • Level 4 Spells
   • Weapons And Armor
   • Ranges
   • Equipment
   • Magic Items
   • Traps
   • Animal Companions
   • Foes

4. Optional Rules

   • Factions
   • Social Combat
   • Corruption
   • Harry Potter Rules