Social Exploration

City-wide Social Activity

When doing stuff in a city your players may get mad bored. If this is the case then turn city-crawling into something more like a traditional combat, initiative list and all.

Start by having everyone roll initiative. Just like with regular combat characters that the players are unaware of should roll secretly and keep their actions hidden until they make themselves apparent. Instead of Dexterity modifying initiative, use Intelligence. This represents a character's ability to plan, mark efficient routes, etc. and get an early start.

When calculating movement you have two options:

1) Use regular movement squares, but each square represents a mile (or half-mile, or quarter, or whatever best fits your city's scale).

2) Separate everything into approximate neighborhoods, and mark these out on a small map. Characters get to move a number of neighborhoods equal to their Wisdom modifier, minimum 1. This represents how easily your characters get distracted, lost, or exhausted by moving through the city.

Once a character has reached a position (which can be shared with multiple NPCs or PCs) they can take actions. Most actions will use Charisma, because of course they do. Most actions also replace your proficiency bonus with your reputation bonus instead. Why? Because reputation is vital, also reflects your level, and this allows characters firmly entrenched in the local area to bring greater forces to bear.

But wait. You only get to add your level as a bonus if you would be proficient in the relevant skill or similar.

Actions

Attack: Make a roll, add your reputation and Charisma bonus. You get your reputation bonus to attack only if you're proficient in the skill you'd be using to attack (intimidation, persuasion, or deception, usually). Compare this to the target's defense: 10 + their Cha bonus + their reputation. If you've hit, hooray. You deal 1d6 + your Charisma bonus of 'damage' to the target's reputation.

Aid Another: Excellent, whoever you're assisting with a thing gets to add your reputation bonus straight to their roll.

Gather Information: You automatically get one interesting/useful piece of information per action spent fishing for info. In addition you can make a roll of Wisdom (insight) + your reputation. Compare your result to the following:

DC 14        an extra bit of information

DC 18        an extra bit of information

DC 22        an extra bit of information

DC 26        all the information that is available on that topic

Schmooze: You spend your action attempting to climb the social ladder. Consider the social ladder to be split up thusly:

0.    itinerants, traveling salesmen, foreigners

1.    the filthy peasantry

2.    the local farmers and craftsmen

3.    the local business-owners

4.    the wealthy business-owners, members of the clergy

5.    the guild masters and the like

6.    the lower nobility, the priesthood

7.    the middle nobility

8.    the high nobility

9.    the royalty

Frankly, most grungy adventurers are going to be thought of as grave-robbers and traveling shysters. That would put them at the lowest spot on this here social ladder. Those who are in the employ of the locals are probably closer in status to the local farmers and craftsmen, and those with strong local ties or prestige might even occupy the same spot as members of the clergy.

For each day a character spends trying to get invites to parties, hanging out at the fashionable coffee houses, etc. have them spend some cash and make a roll. The money expended is dependent on the rung they currently occupy: 1d6 gold per level up to level 4; 1d6 x 10 gold per level up to level 8. At level 9 there's really not any higher to go. So, for example, a character attempting to move from rank 5 to rank 6 would need to spend 5d6 x 10 gold in their schmoozing attempt.

The roll made is a d20 plus your reputation, plus your Charisma bonus. The DC to move up a level is 10 + the next rank up (so moving to rank 6 would be a DC 16).

Make a Contact: So you really need to know the duke, like, today? Or perhaps you need to make a meeting with the wealthiest grain importer on the coast. You can spend an action and 3d6 x10 gold to make it happen. No roll required.

Bolster Reputation: You can defend yourself. If you've taken 'damage' to your reputation you can help quash the rumors, spread some positive stories, and reinforce your social standing. For each action you spend doing this you gain social 'hit points' equal to your Charisma + reputation bonus.

Bonus Actions

Pick-up: You can make a purchase, go on a small shopping trip, or find something that's more-or-less for sale. Buying non-potion-non-scroll magic items isn't going to happen (instead make a contact, as above). But anything from a horse to a backpack should be easily obtained on your way from point A to point B.

Read the Situation: If you need to get the hang of a particular area or figure out what the big deal in this territory is you make a Wisdom (insight) check. The DC will be somewhere between 10 and 20, dependent on how underground things are around there. Most places are going to be 12 or so, but add 2 for places being run by a shadow government, another 2 for places that are especially subdued or out in the boonies, and another 2 for places that have a distrust of outsiders. So, for example, a neighborhood run by a thieves' guild in a city might have a DC 16: shadow government, and the people are likely to be distrustful and shy.

Alright, on to "hit points" and defense and stuff. This is where the regular combat parallels break down a bit. Have someone take their level plus their Hon bonus. That's how much they can take before their reputation is irreparably ruined. Once it's ruined they're out of it for this "combat", but may be making another appearance. Assume that if someone works idly on repairing their good name they gain back one 'hit point' each week. If they work seriously it improves by their Honor bonus each week.

A character grants a reputation of one sort or another as his career progresses, expressed as a reputation bonus. While a character might try to take advantage of his reputation from time to time his reputation usually precedes him whether he likes it or not.

Reputation enhances non-combat interactions with NPCs, usually by means of the city-wide social rules presented below. A high reputation may make it difficult for a character to mask his identity, especially if he's trying not to be noticed.

Fame or infamy?

What your reputation represents is in your hands. Reputation is build by interacting with NPCs and monsters, and may be bad or good dependent on the circumstances. For example, a ninth-level dwarven barbarian with a penchant for taking trophies from his enemies may be considered a "savage" in polite (or elven) society and take a -4 penalty to Charisma checks. On the other hand, this same reputation earns him points around the orc shaman's fire, and he gains a +4 to any interaction with them or their goblin allies (provided none of his trophies are orcish or goblin).

If you successfully disguise yourself what is accomplished under the disguise does not affect your reputation. You may adopt a nom de plume, like Robin Hood, or wear a disguise, like Zorro, while on adventures. If so, you track your reputation separately for both yourself and your alter ego.

Most of the time you don't decide to use your reputation. The DM will decide when a character's reputation is relevant to a scene you encounter (though don't be afraid to mention it - DMs forget). The DM will then make a reputation check for an NPC or monster that might be influenced in some fashion due to your notoriety.

A reputation check is 1d20 + your reputation bonus. In some cases the NPC or monster may be adding their proficiency bonus: if you're a cleric their proficiency in religion might apply, ditto if you're an arcanist and they have the skill arcana, etc. The standard DC of a reputation check is 20. When an NPC or monster has a positive opinion of your reputation you gain a bonus to social checks (Charisma and Wisdom checks, mostly) equal to your reputation bonus. Likewise when your reputation is poor in their social circle you take a penalty to the above skills equal to your reputation bonus. These bonuses and penalties only apply to characters that notice you and know your reputation.

Gaining Reputation

Reputation is gained through class levels, just like proficiency. It can also be gained through great deeds and the spreading of stories, and from having ties to the local community. In general, class level bonuses are linked to a broader reputation. If their source is undefined they are equated to being known as good at what you do, whatever that is.

Levels 1-4    +2

Levels 5-8    +3

Levels 9-12    +4

Levels 13-16    +5

Levels 17-20    +6

Reputation gained from deeds is rare, and usually given out in fractions of points (reputation scores round down, in case you're wondering). For example, a knight may have a reputation score of 4¾: 3 from his levels in fighter, one from successfully heading the army that repelled an enemy invasion, a half from his banishment of the deep dragon in the mines to the south, and a quarter point from his youth in the gladiatorial arena.

A reasonable standard  for gaining reputation from your deeds is that minor successes are likely to grant you a quarter point, moderate successes are a half point, and really grand successes are a full point. A minor success is something like completing a task or quest, brining an idol back from a monster-infested lair, defeating a dangerous monster. A moderate success can be taking a significant trophy, saving a small town, earning accolades from a city or a church, what have you. Greater successes would be completing a full adventure or the arc of a major campaign. Defeating the dark lord of the tall tower on the high hill and carrying his head back down to the city that's been plagued by his foul creations is a full point. Banishing a demon prince is a full point. Slaying a monumental dragon that claims tribute from an entire kingdom is a full point.

Another way to increase reputation is through spreading your stories around. Sure, defeating a troll is nowhere as difficult or reputation worthy as defeating a dragon, but if you have a good enough public relations department it will sound just as good. In general a series of competent performances are needed to ensure that your legend will stand the test of time. The song must be sung (or story told, etc.) often in prominent places over a period of time (a good standard is performing it 20 times in a large inn, or 10 times at a feast or party, 5 times before a noble, or once before a king or emperor). Generally speaking a story alone will not get you reputation, but will instead bump your actions up a category, turning a minor success into a moderate one, or a moderate success into a major one. With enough stories about a great success your reputation improvement gets another half-point.

In some cases a character or NPC will have a strong reputation that does not reach very far, usually tied to being a noble or a local staple of the economy or such. This reputation can only be used on their home turf - a count's extra reputation only extends throughout his county, a guild artisan's through his city, a king's through his kingdom. These reputation points can be figured out based on the NPCs social standing, like so:

0.    itinerants, traveling salesmen, foreigners

1.    the filthy peasantry

2.    the local farmers and craftsmen

3.    the local business-owners

4.    the wealthy business-owners, members of the clergy

5.    the guild masters and the like

6.    the lower nobility, the priesthood

7.    the middle nobility

8.    the high nobility

9.    the royalty

Ranks 0-3 get you nothing, ranks 4-6 get you an extra point, ranks 7-8 get you an extra two, and rank 9 nets three extra points. The royalty enjoy certain perks, after all.

In all cases the DM is the one to decide whether or not a particular action merits an additional point of reputation, and what that point represents (it is impossible to gain a reputation for being good with children from breaking into a duke's bedchambers in a daring heist, for example). However, don't be afraid to ask what would merit a point of reputation, or to point out that an action was particularly daring.