I remember someone on this forum mentioning a system for pathfinder for resolving in game debates with social combat rules. Does anyone know of such a system?
My requirements for a social combat system would be:
1. Similar to PF physical combat.
2. Lets all players, even largely combat focused ones like fighters, participate meaningfully in an encounter.
3. Is not solely skill based, as its hard to account for differences of 8 points (That's just level 1) in an interesting way.
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Personally I don't have a system for this, but I have seen some. In my opinion it takes away some of the fun of roleplaying a social situation, even when my players say "Can I make a Bluff check?" I require them to tell me what the character is saying, because even with a 30 on a Bluff check the king of a nation isn't going believe you're the "royal treasure inspector", for example.
Good conversation is part of the game, even someone with a 6 charisma can be an effective leader if the situation fits their skills and knowledge.
what are some of the ones you've seen?
The reason I like rules for this is that it would be nice to be able to have more nuanced social interaction. How do you model the systematic destruction of a person's argument? Or how does a character give a Hannibal Lecture?
Without mechanics for social interaction it becomes a game of "Does the GM want you to do this?"
If someone has a high Diplomacy or Oratory skill, they can set what I call the "Decorum" for the scene. It takes a high Charisma to be able to break the decorum. NPC's can do it too. This is what keeps asshats from interrupting a ceremony, or the king while he's talking, for example.
Intimidation is a nice tool (again, NPC's can do it). If they succeed, they make an opponent "shaken" for a number of rounds. It lets tough guys build and relieve tension in places where it's not advisable to bare steel. (Think of Tony Soprano sticking his finger in someone's face and telling them off, or Christopher Walken telling someone "how it's gonna be").