D&D Ghosts of Saltmarsh House Rules

D&D: Ghosts of Saltmarsh
GM
Mark
Milestone
Level 9
Characters
Ajasz, lizardfolk scout Arkis "Elric", kobold paladin of Tiamat Chimalli, tortle barbarian Elora, elven bladesinger Ayida Ginen, half-elf undying warlock Sond, halfling barbarian Yeoman Scribus, kenku bard
Party Gear
The Sea Ghost • The Harridan Saltmarsh Gear
Saltmarsh Region
The Town of Saltmarsh Saltmarsh Region
NPCs
Saltmarsh NPCs • Guests
Resources
House Rules

Character Generation

• Starting Level: 1 (0 XP)
• Attributes: Standard Array or 27 Point Buy
• Equipment: Standard for class
• Background: Select one from official resource. Custom backgrounds possible: select any two skills as class skills, any two languages or tools, any existing background feature from an official resource, and any set of background equipment sets from an official resource
• Don't forget to roll for your trinket! (See PHB 160-161)
• As part of an extended Session 0, I'd like to do a "This is Your Life" section with all characters. This is a background-creation tool found in *Xanathar's Guide to Everything* which will help flesh out your characters' pre-adventuring life with ideas and possible extra gear depending on what you roll. This can be done on Discord between gaming sessions. These rolls must be done with me on Discord. Some of the questions can be selected rather than randomized, but some can't.
• As a small bonus, roll a d100 on Discord and @tag me with the note that it's for your D&D character. Your character will start with a minor magical trinket!

Social Combat

This is not guaranteed, but I'm looking at using Social Combat Rules

This wouldn't apply to all social encounters, only larger ones where it's important to get agreement/acquiescence/an item from someone who may not want to.

Resolve (Social HP)

Instead of HP, we use a new resource called resolve to track "social strain":

A PC's TOTAL RESOLVE: the sum of a PC's Intelligence, Charisma, Wisdom, and Proficiency Bonus modifiers.

This includes negative scores.

This may be affected temporarily by your status in the situation, or how long it's been since your last long rest.

eg. PC - Salazar, level 5,

Proficiency Bonus of 3, Intelligence of 12, Charisma of 15, and Wisdom of 9,

Max resolve = (3)+(1)+(2)+(-1)

Max Resolve = 5

​ LACK OF RESOLVE IS WHAT ENDS THE SCENE:

If resolve is reduced to a score less than half, an NPC will be open to a compromise you suggest - they may give you what you want, but demand something from you in return as an extra cost or in order for you to prove you're serious.

If resolve ever is reduced to 0, a character or NPC must acquiesce or withdraw from the scene as they run out of motivation or morale or social standing to continue. An NPC that has withdrawn will do what you are asking for as long as you reward them as promised.

This also means they wouldn't switch to physical combat, as they have already given up.

Once your resolve is reduced to 0, you can't make any compromises with the NPC.

Carrot and the Stick

Each side of the encounter will be motivated by something that they WANT, and something that they DON'T want. These usually take the form of a FEAR and a DESIRE.

Desire/Dream: this is what the character would want.

Fear/Objection: this is what the character would not want.

​eg: Captain

Desires: a life filled with glory.

Fears: losing respect of his crew.

​ If you use either their fear or desire in your Social Attack, you gain advantage on your attempt. This may be because a player might use logical ideas of what the NPC would want and would not want and your GM decided it was accurate enough to be the desire/fear, or often it is because you have uncovered this information with your Social Attacks (described below).

If you accidentally act against either their fear or desire in your Social Attack, you may gain disadvantage. This will be hard to do, and is a way for DM's to deal with nonsense.

If a PC's desire/fear becomes known, their social attacks will be at disadvantage. This of course can be cancelled out by Help actions and knowing NPC desire/fears.

If NPC's don't have things they want more than helping players, or reasons why they wouldn't want to help players... then there isn't conflict. They'll just give them what they want, or make a quick deal - why not?

Social Combat Rules

Approaching debates in loose initiative order - don't interrupt the flow.

The PC's don't actually need to roll initiative, you just need to keep track of "rounds". To keep the ball in the players' court, the only people taking official turns will be the PC's - and it doesn't matter who goes when. During the round, each PC in any order can make a social action. Once each player that wishes to act has done so during the round, the NPC will evaluate their position and the next round will commence.

The players' aim will be to wear down an NPC's resolve before their resolve is worn down and they must withdraw.

On a player's turn, just like combat, they can attempt a number of different moves as a social action:

​ 1. Social Attack (Skill Check)

This is the what the bulk of social encounters are made up of.

A player narrates how their character uses any skill of their choice from their skill list in the situation to convince or get your way in a situation.

• Obvious skills are charisma based skills - it is easy to see how persuasion, deception, and intimidation could help in a conversation.
• Remember skills like Insight, Perception or Investigation often function in interpersonal scenes.
• Knowledge skills such as Nature, Arcana, or History can be useful if the conversation merits it.
• It will be difficult to use physical skills like Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth, and Sleight of Hand unless the your expertise in those topics is relevant to the conversation.

​ The ability check is at at a known DC relevant to the adversaries social level.

• On a success, the player deals 1 point of damage to adversary's resolve.
• On a failure, the player is dealt 1 point of damage to their own resolve.
• On a success or fail of 5 or more, the damage increases to 2. Additionally, you (or the adversary) instead may forgo dealing resolve damage and learn something about either the Desire or Fear of the target.
• On a Critical success or failure, the damage increases to 3 AND you (or the adversary) may learn something about either the Desire or Fear of the adversary of the target.

One final rule: if you took this action last turn, you must use a different skill than the one you used last turn.

​2. Help

Instead of banking on their own own skills, a player can instead help another character on their social attempts. Use your social action on your turn to describe how you're helping another player in their social attack: that player gains advantage on the next social attack they make this round. If they fail and take damage to their resolve, you also take that same damage.

3. Gang Up

Instead of banking on their own skills, a player can instead help another player on their social attempts. Use your social action to describe how you're helping another player: that player adds 1 to the amount of resolve damage they deal and take this round. If they fail and take damage to their resolve, you also take that same damage. ​ 4. Use Ability or Spell

A player can use an ability or spell. It affects the scene as the ability or spell would dictate. Be careful though: open aggression or spellcasting may end the encounter entirely or transform it into combat.

• ie. Guidance or Detect Thoughts might cause the opposing diplomat to threaten to walk away entirely at the sight of open spellcasting, or increase their DC because they are suspicious.

5. Make a Compromise

If the adversary is at less than half of their resolve, a player may use your social action make a compromise. The adversary NPC will give you what you want, but first demand something from you in return as an extra cost or in order for you to prove you're serious.

These moves are all for players - notice the NPC's don't actually get any turns. They simply react to the checks of the players, and players are dealt resolve damage in response to poor rolls.