Social Events

As the events of a story unfold, they can have a strong impact on the relationships between characters. An event that can change the way one character feels about another is called a Social Event. These events can include actions, such as completing favors and quests, or simpler interactions, like conversations. Mechanically, Social Events function to change the Disposition of an NPC towards another character. Each Social Event targets a single disposition (as determined by the GM).

There are three levels of social events: Minor, Moderate, and Major. The stronger the event, the greater the potential it has to change a disposition. The GM decides how strong a Social Event is based on an NPC's personality, interests, and goals. For example, in the course of the adventure, the PCs rescue a man's daughter. If the man loves his daughter strongly, this may trigger a Major Social Event. However, if his daughter is estranged, it may not trigger an event at all. Social Events triggered through Influence are always Minor events.

The GM decides when Social Events occur and which actions trigger them. It's even possible for a single incident in the story to cause multiple Social Events. For example, putting the fire out on a burning building may be cause for a Major Fondness Event for the innkeeper whose inn was saved. At the same time, it may also cause a Moderate Hate event for the arsonist whose plan was foiled. Likewise, a single incident could create multiple events for the same NPC, each applying to a different Disposition (i.e. a grisly crime could create both a Hate and a Fear event). Social Events are an important tool for the GM, used to track the impact of the story on NPCs and create social consequences for the PCs and their actions (both positive and negative).

Levels of Social Events

Ultimately, the level of a Social Event is highly subjective and up to the GM's discretion. General guidelines for each level are outlined below (see each Disposition for further examples). Each event has a point value that is used to determine the impact of the event on the NPC's Disposition.

Minor Event (1 Point): This results from a conversation, a simple gesture or small favor. These events typically result from use of Influence. Examples include chatting with someone at the tavern, tossing a few coppers to a traveling minstrel, giving back an item someone dropped, giving someone an idle threat, or startling someone and making them jump.

Moderate Event (3 Points): This can be a good sized favor or similar action. Examples include taking care of a farmer's goblin problem, helping a guard outpost against a small incursion, healing someone’s debilitating injury or illness, robbing someone's house, or harming a friend or loved one.

Major Event (5 Points): This is a large favor or similar action. Examples include rescuing a prince from hostile invaders, saving someone from the brink of death, stealing the lord’s prized amulet, torturing someone, or killing a loved one.

How Social Events Modify a Disposition

Each Social Event has a point value based on its level. This point value determines if the event is strong enough to change the Disposition. To raise a Disposition by one rank it costs a number of points equal to the Disposition's next rank (i.e. it costs 3 points to raise a Rank 2 Disposition to Rank 3). Any remaining points can further increase the Rank of the Disposition, if possible.

Because of their limited point value, some events may not be able to increase a Disposition at all. For example, a Minor Event (1 point) cannot increase a Disposition higher than Rank 1. Similarly, Moderate events (3 points) cannot increase a Disposition beyond Rank 3. Major events (5 points) can increase Dispositions all the way to Rank 5 (and have the power to increase lower ranks by multiple steps). Points are not cumulative from Event to Event. Any points remaining after applying the Social Event are lost. It therefore requires progressively greater events to further increase an NPC's Disposition.

A Disposition's Rank can only be increased if the NPC has 0 Ranks in the Opposing Dispositions. For example, you cannot increase Trust without first removing Doubt. So when an NPC has ranks in a Disposition opposed to an Event, that Event first decreases the Rank of the opposing Disposition.

To decrease an opposing Disposition it costs a number of points equal to the Disposition's current rank (i.e. it costs 3 points to reduce a Rank 3 Disposition to Rank 2). As usual, remaining points are used to further reduce the opposing Disposition's Rank (or increase the Event's Disposition if the opposing Dispositions have been reduced to Rank 0). If more than one opposing Dispositions may be reduced, reduce the highest rank possible first.

Note that multiple events can occur simultaneously, in which case points are awarded for each event separately (and they apply to the Dispositions separately).