Say a PC is in a friendly relationship with Ameiko and suddenly goes and says "Yes you know the stupidest goddess I know is Shelyn, she just sucks".
Now the PC already gave her a gift this level though, or simply says it wasn't meant as an "insult-gift", and doesn't want to do an intimidate check.
Or a PC constantly tells the latest elf jokes he heard around the campfire at night, while working on a good relationship with Shalelu?
Of course that works the other way too, you have a competetive relationship with Ameiko, but you keep telling the best adventure stories.
Should that proc a Intimudate/diplomacy check outside the normal gift rules, or just a mandatory reduction in the relationship score, or should be completely ignored?
What I'm interested in is really just the oposites. So doing stuff from the insult category when being friendly, and the gift category when being competetive, but saying it wasn't meant as this levels insult/gift.
My reasoning: Shalelu still doesn't like the elf jokes, but she doesn't expect any better from you really, since you're in a competetive relationship, so it doesn't get worse/better (however you want to see it). However if a friend does it she'll be disappointed.
Minus one point from the relationship total.
This is why personal relationships shouldn't be a system. Insulting elves but really liking Shalelu reminds me too much of Politically Correct Redneck.
Maybe the opposite skill to negate a loss of a relationship point? eg. friendly with Shalelu insulting elf joke, player has to make a diplomacy check to sooth Shalelu's ruffled feathers. Player is competitive with Ameiko and tells an awesome story, has to make an intimidate check to annoy Ameiko ("Yeah, better than anything you got!")
Hasn't really come up with me, but I haven't done a particularly good job of the relationship stuff.