From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or feared more than loved. The reply is, that one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting.
Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?
You meet many people in your adventuring life, from shopkeepers to monsters to kings. How do they treat you? What affects this? The NPC reaction roll answers these questions.
NPCs—which, for this purpose, includes both friendly and hostile intelligent beings1—react to you on two axes: Fear and Love. These are, of course, very simplified names for complex concepts.
Fear refers to a person’s perception of how strong (in a general sense, not just a physical one), intimidating, and impressive you are. A dictator or authoritarian king is seen as strong, as is warrior famous for his skill at arms, or a well-respected judge known for her harsh but fair decisions.
A high Fear reaction does not necessarily mean that the person is afraid of you or thinks that you will harm them; rather, it means that they respect you for your strength or influence, and your willingness to use it. A good creature may be feared just as much as an evil one; an impeccably honorable paladin who elicits a high Fear reaction may be one who is perceived as brooking no compromise, who will readily fight for his beliefs, and whom one should not challenge when matters of justice are at stake. High Fear reactions may be elicited by characters of great social standing and power just as easily (if not more so) as by characters of superior combat prowess.
The opposite of fear is disdain. A character who elicits a low Fear reaction is perceived as weak, unimpressive, someone who does not need to be taken seriously, who may be ignored, bossed around, or treated without consideration.
Love refers to a person’s positive feelings toward you: admiration, esteem, approval, fondness, or even reverence. A high Love reaction means that the person sees you as good, and smart, and kind, and capable (the halo effect ensures that people rarely separate their perceptions of your different positive qualities). A character who is loved is perceived as a great person, and their actions and words will be seen in the best light. Someone who is outgoing, open, and attractive may elicit a high Love reaction, as can a celebrity or famous personage—a character known for their good deeds, impressive accomplishments, or high social status. Even an evil person may elicit a high Love reaction. “Aye, he’s an evil bastard,” people may say, “but you have to give him credit…”
The opposite of love is hate. A character who elicits a low Love reaction is disliked or even hated. They are perceived as offputting, disgusting, or evil (if the Love reaction is sufficiently low). Things they say and do will be viewed in the worst light.
First impressions are everything. A reaction roll is made when a character first encounters any particular NPC (or group of NPCs, if it’s homogeneous, like a patrol of orcs or a group of regulars in a bar). The results of that roll determine the NPC’s attitude toward the character thenceforth. (If an adventuring party is interacting with an NPC as a group, the reaction roll is usually made for the whole group; see Reaction For A Party, below.) An NPC’s attitude can be improved by words and actions; the use of social skills (Bluff?, Diplomacy?, Intimidate?) improves the effectiveness of such efforts.
The reaction roll is actually a pair of rolls, one for each axis (Fear and Love). Both rolls are d10s, modified by a variety of things: the character’s Charisma, a character’s pre-existing social relationship with the NPC, the use of social skills to adjust the NPC’s reaction by deliberate effort, the character’s reputation, and many other situational modifiers.
The die roll itself represents the NPC’s natural inclinations—are they confident or a coward? personable or curmudgeonly?—as well as the NPC’s mood, personal history, and many other minor, unpredictable vagaries of circumstance that may affect how one person perceives and reacts to another. (The DM may, instead of actually rolling the d10, simply select a die result in the 1–10 range; this is often appropriate for specific NPCs, whose background and personality traits the DM has concretely determined. All modifiers to the reaction roll apply as normal.)
The DM makes the reaction roll in secret, and determines modifiers to the reaction roll in secret also. The players learn of the results of the roll only by observing the reactions of NPCs; the DM’s descriptions and role-playing conveys to the players how NPCs are reacting. For example, the DM might note that the townsfolk are glancing at the druid’s bear companion, and not paying as much attention to the rest of the party; from this, the players may deduce that the bear is likely the reason for the poor treatment they’ve been getting.
The use of social skills allows player characters to gauge NPC reactions more deeply. Insight? allows a character to perceive the reason for an NPC’s reaction; Diplomacy? helps a character draw out an NPC’s motivation; Gather Information can allow a character to find out just what people think of them. While the PCs may notice that having a bear in the party is not doing them any favors, the use of social skills is usually necessary to figure out whether the townsfolk are frightened of the bear, or whether they are offended because bears are sacred animals to the local religion, and that religion prohibits having a bear in one’s service. See the individual skill descriptions for more details.
A character always adds their Charisma modifier to their Love reaction rolls. A character adds their Charisma modifier to Fear reaction rolls in peaceful social contexts but only one-half their Charisma modifier (rounded down) to Fear reaction rolls in combat contexts (any time the NPCs are hostile or worse, or are encountered in a combat scenario).
A character’s Reputation modifiers are added to their reaction rolls. See the Reputation page for details.
Characters can use social skills (Bluff?, Diplomacy?, and Intimidate?) to affect how NPCs perceive them. See the individual skill descriptions for details.
In peaceful social contexts, a character adds one-half their Strength modifier (rounded down) to Fear reaction rolls. In combat contexts, a character adds their full Strength modifier to Fear reaction rolls.
Many other circumstantial factors affect NPCs’ reactions to the character, including social context and structure. See the table below for an incomplete list. The DM may determine that some factors not listed below also come into play in any particular situation.
Some of the modifiers on the table apply only in peaceful social contexts, while others apply only in combat contexts. For example, modifiers for socially inappropriate use of magic obviously have no meaning in cases where a character is storming into their enemies’ lair, even if the enemy society frowns on the use of magic; it’s simply irrelevant, and entirely overridden by the hostile action the character’s taking. In general, modifiers that mention conformity to community norms, standards, and expectations are usually irrelevant in combat context. Conversely, if the mayor of a town walks into someone’s home, the fact that he is “outnumbered” by the citizen’s family members does nothing whatsoever to diminish his social influence over them.
All modifiers to the reaction roll are based on what is visible or otherwise known to the NPCs; NPCs’ reactions are never affected by what they can’t perceive or have no way of knowing. This means that disguised characters are perceived by NPCs as the age/gender/race/etc. that they appear to be, and the NPCs react accordingly. (Of course, if the deception is later discovered, this usually hurts the characters’ standing in the public eye; most people look unkindly upon those who pretend to be other than what they are.) Characters can often simply not advertise their associations, political views, religious affiliations, etc., and so avoid the effects on public perception that these things might have.
| Circumstance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Armor, weapons, magic Note: The larger—i.e., most extreme—modifier from this category generally applies, overriding any less extreme modifiers. For example, an archmage with a glowing magic staff and black lightning crackling around his body would get a total of +8 to Fear from a band of goblins, despite being totally unarmored. | Fear | Love |
| Character is armed/armored better than NPC (superior weaponry, visibly magical vs. mundane equipment, etc.) | +4 | |
| Character is armed/armored much better than NPC (very powerful weapons vs. poor or no weapons, enchanted full plate vs. cheap leather armor) | +8 | |
| Character is armed/armored worse than NPC | −4 | |
| Character is armed/armored much worse than NPC (no armaments against a well-equipped opponent) | −8 | |
| Character visibly wields more/better magic than NPC | +4 | |
| Character visibly wields far more/better magic than NPC (visible, very impressive magical effects) | +8 | |
| Character is armed/armored in social context where this is inappropriate or not expected (most peaceful communities) | −4 | |
| Character is armed/armored in social context where this is forbidden or strongly discouraged | −8 | |
| Character uses magic or has magical effects in social contexts where this is inappropriate or not expected (most lawful communities) | −4 | |
| Character uses magic or has magical effects in social contexts where this is forbidden or strongly discouraged | −8 | |
| Character wields or uses magic in community where magic is distrusted, feared, or considered to be a mark of evil (penalty depends on severity of prejudice; most communities have a −2, though larger or more cosmopolitan cities may have no penalty) (this modifier is cumulative with the previous two lines) | −2 to −8 | |
| Character wields or uses magic in social context or community where magic is a mark of accomplishment or divine favor | +2 | |
| Age | Fear | Love |
| Character is a juvenile or adolescent (penalty depends on technological advancement of society; higher-tech societies have lower views of adolescents/juveniles—less Fear) | −2 to −4 | |
| Character is a child (pre-pubescent but fully verbal) (penalty depends on technological advancement of society; higher-tech societies have lower views of children—less Fear but more Love) | −4 to −8 | +2 to +4 |
| Character is a young child | −8 | +4 |
| Character is middle-aged | −1 | |
| Character is old | −2 | +1 |
| Character is venerable | −4 | +2 |
| Gender Note: A very few human nations, some halfling nations, and most gnome and elven nations are largely gender-egalitarian; the character’s gender has no effect on Fear reaction rolls. For all other humanoid societies, the following modifiers apply. | Fear | Love |
| Character is female, in a weakly patriarchal culture (most human and dwarven nations) | −2 | |
| Character is female, in a strongly patriarchal culture (some human and most orc nations) | −4 | |
| Character is male, in a weakly matriarchal culture (some dwarven and most halfling nations) | −2 | |
| Character is male, in a strongly matriarchal culture (all drow nations) | −4 | |
| Character is genderless, agender, nonbinary, or of a non-standard gender (due to personal inclination, being a member of a race with unusual gender structure, or other reasons) (penalty depends on degree of deviation from gender norms in any given society) | −0 to −4 | |
| Character is of NPC’s preferred gender of attraction (bonus depends on NPC’s relationship status and other circumstances) | +0 to +4 | |
| Race Note: Tolerance for unfamiliar races varies between cultures and communities. The numbers below are typical of most humanoid civilizations in the Worlds of Adventure campaign. Remember that these modifiers apply based on how similar the character is to the NPC and what sorts of people may be found in the community; a human in a tribe of orcs typically will be just as disliked as an orc in a human tribe. | Fear | Love |
| Character is of a different race from NPC, regardless of what races are prevalent in the community | −2 | |
| Character is of a race uncommon in the community | −2 | |
| Character is of a race that is disliked, thought poorly of, or bears the stigma of negative stereotypes in the community | −4 | |
| Character is of a race identified as or with the racial enemies of the community | −8 | |
| Character is of a slightly “monstrous” race, relative to what is common in the community (orc in a largely human town) | +2 | −4 |
| Character is of a strongly “monstrous” race, relative to what is common in the community (efreeti in a largely human town) | +4 | −8 |
| Character is a monster (demon, dragon, etc.) (this modifier applies in all but the most cosmopolitan communities, such as planar metropolises) | +8 | −16 |
| Character is accompanied by one or more wild creatures (excluding domesticated pet species common in the community, such as dogs) | +2 | −4 |
| Character brings wild creatures into dwellings or public buildings (penalty doesn’t stack with previous line) | −8 | |
| Character is accompanied by strange or monstrous creatures (demonic familiars, astral constructs) | +4 | −8 |
| Character visibly has, or appears to have, ties to dark or monstrous forces (modifier depends on how clear the tie is, and how the forces are viewed) | +2 to +4 | −4 to −8 |
| Character is of a race, nation, or faction currently at war or armed conflict with the community | +2 | −16 |
| Character is, or appears to be, a member of the community (in terms of appearance, dress, behavior, etc.) | +2 | |
| Size Note: A character’s size and Strength modifiers to reaction rolls overlap, not stack. | Fear | Love |
| Character is of a larger size category than NPC (bonus to Fear reaction is equal to 2 ^ size category difference, max of +16) | +2 to +16 | |
| Character is of a smaller size category than NPC (penalty to Fear reaction is equal to 2 ^ size category difference, max of −16) | −2 to −16 | |
| Class Note: Community norms regarding social class and standing vary between societies. The numbers below are typical of most civilizations in the Worlds of Adventure campaign, but some cultures or particular communities may be more or less class-conscious, more or less stratified, etc. | Fear | Love |
| Character is of a higher social class than NPC (civil servant vs. unguilded artisan) | +2 | −1 |
| Character is of a much higher social class than NPC (land-owning noble vs. laborer) | +4 | −2 |
| Character is of a tremendously higher social class than NPC (royal scion vs. beggar) | +8 | −4 |
| Character appears to be conspicuously signaling social class (penalty depends on importance of social norms against pretentiousness) | −2 to −4 | |
| Character pretends to be of a higher social class than he actually is (penalty depends on severity of deception, and applies after deception is discovered) | −4 to −8 | |
| Character is of a lower social class than NPC | −2 | −1 |
| Character is of a much lower social class than NPC | −4 | −2 |
| Character is of a tremendously lower social class than NPC | −8 | −4 |
| Character is of a stigmatized social class (prostitute, beggar, tax collector) | −2 | |
| Character is of a despised or hated social class (thief, assassin, con artist) | −4 | |
| Religion | Fear | Love |
| Character is of the same religion as NPC, and the religion is in the minority (bonus depends on religious permissiveness of the community; more religiously permissive communities place lower emphasis on religion) | +2 to +8 | |
| Character is of different religion than NPC, and the NPC’s religion is in the majority (penalty depends on how important religion is in the community) | −2 to −8 | |
| Norms & laws | Fear | Love |
| Character is seen as violating a social norm (penalty depends on strength of social norm and the severity of the violation; examples include men wearing dresses (in most human and dwarven communities); nudity; etc.) | −2 to −4 | |
| Character is seen as violating a taboo (e.g. eating a live bird in public) | −8 | |
| Character is seen to be breaking the law (penalty depends on severity of violation, and how just the law is believed to be) (Note: this refers to passive law-breaking, such as littering, or walking around with what appear to be stolen possessions. Active law-breaking, such as committing theft or murder, is not covered by the reaction roll, although an NPC’s attitude toward the character may affect how the NPC reacts to the character’s illegal actions.) | −2 to −8 | |
| Alignment Note: Reaction modifiers due to magical detection of alignment apply only if the character’s alignment is not already known via their reputation scores; if the magical detection provides no new information, the modifiers do not apply. | Fear | Love |
| Character is magically detected as evil, in good or neutral community (Love reaction penalty depends on strength of aura; Fear reaction bonus applies only if character otherwise already is seen as strong) | +2 | −2 to −8 |
| Character is magically detected as evil, in mixed, tolerant, or cosmopolitan community (penalty applies only for good or neutral NPCs in community) | −2 | |
| Character is magically detected as good, in evil community (Love reaction penalty depends on strength of aura; Fear reaction bonus applies only if character otherwise already is seen as strong) | +2 | −2 to −8 |
| Authority | Fear | Love |
| Character is in a position of secular, civilian authority over NPC (teacher, employer) | +2 | |
| Character is in a position of high secular, civilian authority over NPC (tribal chief, owner of company) | +4 | |
| Character is in a position of military authority over NPC (commanding officer) | +4 | |
| Character is in a position of military authority over NPC, and outranks the NPC by a lot (general to a captain) | +8 | |
| Character is in a position of religious authority over NPC (deacon of NPC’s church) | +4 | +2 |
| Character is in a very high position of religious authority over NPC (high priest of NPC’s faith) | +8 | +4 |
| Social divides | Fear | Love |
| Character is visibly on the same side of an aesthetic or mild political divide as NPC (fans of same sports team, share stance on half-breed rights) (bonus depends on strength of NPC’s opinions) | +2 to +4 | |
| Character is visibly on the same side of a serious political divide as NPC (support same successor to throne) (bonus depends on strength of NPC’s opinions) | +4 to +8 | |
| Character is visibly on the opposite side of an aesthetic or mild political divide as NPC (fans of opposing sports teams, opposite stance on half-breed rights) (penalty depends on strength of NPC’s opinions) | −2 to −4 | |
| Character is visibly on the opposite side of a serious political divide as NPC (support different successors to throne) (penalty depends on strength of NPC’s opinions) | −4 to −8 | |
| Character belongs to a rival social, economic, or political faction from the NPC | −8 | |
| Character’s affiliation is illegal or strongly taboo (demon cultists) | +2 | −8 |
| NPC’s affiliation is illegal or strongly taboo, and NPC fears that the character might find out, or might use this against them | +4 | −4 |
| Situation | Fear | Love |
| Character is non-violently invading NPC’s home | −10 | |
| Character is violently invading NPC’s home | +2 | −20 |
| NPCs outnumber the character and his allies (penalty is −2 if outnumber by less than 2x, −4 if 2x to 4x, −8 if 4x or more) | −2 to −8 | |
| Character and his allies outnumber the NPC(s) (bonus is +2 if outnumber by less than 2x, +4 if 2x to 4x, +8 if 4x or more) | +2 to +8 | |
| NPCs are on their “home turf” and the character is not (penalty depends on how far from character’s own “home turf” he is; −2 if he’s merely visiting the house of a political rival, −8 if he’s within a remote castle held by his nation’s enemy) | −2 to −8 | |
| Character is on his “home turf” and NPC is not (bonus depends on how far NPC is from their own “home turf”; see previous line) | +2 to +8 |
A reaction roll in the 1–10 range, on either axis, generally represents the usual range of reactions common and appropriate to the social context in which you’re interacting with the NPC. Results outside that range represent stronger or more unusual responses; see the tables below for details.
| Attitude (Love reaction) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Hostile | Unfriendly | Neutral | Friendly | Helpful | |
| −10 or lower | NPCs view the character as a child or equivalent. | NPCs are almost incapable of perceiving the character as a threat, except by accident. They may not bother with the character at all. | NPCs are likely to ignore the character; they may interact with the character in the way that their social role requires (i.e. a shopkeeper), but will otherwise act dismissively. | NPCs will give advice and offer aid based on their general attitudes and preconceptions, largely ignoring the character’s desires or preferences. | NPCs may seek to make decisions for the character, treating them as a subordinate or minion. | |
| −9–0 | NPCs view the character as so weak and unimpressive as to barely be a competent adult. The teenage apprentice, the village fool, the naive airhead, and the runt of the tribe are usually in this range, as is the civilian from an invading warrior’s perspective. | NPCs may eschew serious combat tactics in favor of non-lethally injuring the character for amusement, or capturing them as a hostage or plaything. | NPCs will laugh at and insult the character, or play mean-spirited pranks. | NPCs will act dismissively toward the character or ignore them, or even seek to play the character for a fool, depending on alignment. | NPCs will not take the character seriously. | NPCs may act and speak condescendingly toward the character, and try to give the character orders or directions. |
| 1 | NPCs view the character as relatively unimpressive, unthreatening, and safe. | NPCs will attack confidently, believing that victory is assured. | NPCs may make brazen threats, mock the character, or demand tribute. | NPCs may seek to take advantage of the character, or at least will not offer selfless help, but will attempt to extract a benefit from the interaction. | NPCs will be more likely to offer advice, argue, or be resistant to the character’s leadership. | NPCs may try to push the character to accept help, or to do things the way the NPC thinks they should be done. |
| 5 | NPCs view the character as their equal, neither particularly impressive or intimidating, nor unusually weak. | NPCs will treat the character in whatever way their respective social roles, and the circumstances, dictate. | ||||
| 10 | NPCs view the character as strong and confident, someone who takes no nonsense. | NPCs may still attack, but cautiously, not committing themselves fully, and using defensive tactics. | NPCs will content themselves with dirty looks and mutters in the character’s direction. | NPCs will take a wary approach, seeing what the character does before deciding how to act. | NPCs will be solicitous and polite. | NPCs will defer to the character, giving little advice unless requested, and accepting the character’s judgment and direction readily. |
| 11–20 | NPCs find the character intimidating, whether due to the character’s obvious combat capability or their social dominance. | NPCs will hesitate to attack, and may attempt to avoid the encounter, or at least use very conservative combat tactics; they may even agree to parley, if their position allows it (if they’re not under orders to fight, for example). | NPCs will suppress their dislike of the character and will treat them with courtesy, or at least will attempt to avoid the character. | NPCs will be solicitous and polite. | NPCs will defer to the character, generally agreeing with them and attempting to get in the character’s good graces. | NPCs will follow the character’s lead entirely, making no suggestions nor acting independently unless ordered. |
| 21 or higher | NPCs view the character with awe, terror, or both. | NPCs will avoid attacking unless totally necessary; they will flee or parley, or surrender, if that is their only choice. | NPCs of any attitude above hostile will walk on eggshells around the character, fearing the consequences of saying or doing the wrong thing. | |||
| NPCs will be solicitous and polite despite their dislike of the character, or avoid the character if possible. | NPCs will be solicitous and polite, though they may try to ingratiate themselves with the character, if they deem it possible. | NPCs will hesitate to offer advice or help, for fear of giving insult. | NPCs will be totally submissive. | |||
Love reactions in the 1–10 range represent a neutral attitude.
| Reaction | Attitude category | Description |
|---|---|---|
| −20 or lower | Hostile (hateful) | The NPC feels intense hatred toward the character. They will likely go out of their way to harm the character, to the extent that the social context and their Fear reaction permit it. Within a civilized society, the NPC may speak out against the character at every opportunity, or may keep their hatred silent, depending on how strong the character is viewed as (Fear reaction toward the character), and on other factors. Outside of civilization, the NPC will attack the character even when their Fear reactions would normally indicate otherwise (treat Fear reaction result as one category than normal). |
| −19–−10 | Hostile | The NPC strongly dislikes or hates the character. Within a civilized society, the NPC takes whatever actions are socially appropriate in order to inconvenience or harm the character: civilians will summon guards, guards will arrest or even attack the character (if a suitable excuse may be found or manufactured). Outside of civilization, the NPC will almost certainly wish to take hostile action. The NPC’s Fear reaction toward the character may affect what actions the NPC actually takes, but the hostile intent will be there in any case. |
| −9–0 | Unfriendly | The NPC may interact with the character only grudgingly, or may refuse to interact with them at all. Depending on social context (is the NPC a shopkeeper, a town guard, or a traveler encountered on the road?), NPC may even insult or otherwise act rudely toward the character. If the character is seen as strong (the NPC has a high Fear reaction toward the character), the unfriendly attitude may be suppressed, but the dislike is still felt. |
| 1 | Neutral | The NPC finds character somewhat unpleasant, annoying, or offputting. The NPC will probably not act on those feelings, but is likely to perceive the character’s words and actions in a negative light. |
| 5 | Neutral | The NPC finds the character neither particularly agreeable nor objectionable. The NPC will treat the character in whatever way their respective social roles, and the circumstances, dictate. |
| 10 | Neutral | The NPC forms a good impression of the character, seeing the character as basically a fine, upstanding individual. Though the NPC will probably not treat the character substantially differently than others, they will give the character the benefit of the doubt, and perceive the character’s words and actions in a positive light. |
| 11–20 | Friendly | The NPC has taken a liking to the character, considers the character a pleasant person, and is well-disposed toward them. The NPC will give the character preferential treatment, so much as the social context allows. The NPC will likely speak well of the character to others. |
| 21–30 | Helpful | The NPC genuinely likes the character, and will go out of their way to aid them, even to the extent of taking personal risks (whether physical or social ones). The NPC may think highly of the character’s competence, consider the character to be especially good-hearted, or both. |
| 31 or higher | Helpful (devoted) | The NPC feels deep devotion, admiration, or love for the character. The NPC views the character as exceptionally wonderful, a paragon among their kind. The NPC will be barely able to restrain themselves from telling others of the character’s greatness. The NPC will readily do almost anything the character asks, or even doesn’t ask; the NPC may even lay down their life for the character. |
The results of the reaction roll do not strictly determine the NPC’s reaction to the PCs’ words and actions, nor does the reaction roll replace the DM’s roleplaying the NPCs and their responses. Rather, the result of the reaction roll colors and shapes the NPC’s behavior and responses. The reaction roll tells the DM what the NPC’s unconscious, reflexive response to the PCs is like; the PCs’ words and actions are ultimately what people react to. (Although extreme reactions, especially very low Love reactions, may be very challenging to overcome with anything that the PCs could say or do.)
People have personalities; and personalities differ. The reaction roll is not a straitjacket any more than alignment is, and the last letter in “NPC” stands for “character”; so while NPCs of every age and race will have a broadly similar gamut of reactions (excepting beings with alien psychologies, like slaadi, kaorti, or other such creatures), their unique personality will affect the way that they express their general reactions.
Listing the many aspects of personality which affect a person’s responses and behavior is far beyond the scope of this work. The DM may draw upon many sources to give life to his NPCs, including his own life experience, fiction, and imagination. The following are only a few common examples of what factors may affect how an NPC reacts to the PCs and behaves toward them, beyond the results of the reaction roll.
A character’s Charisma score represents their force of personality, confidence, and natural social ability; so an NPC’s Charisma affects how they express their attitudes toward others. An unfriendly NPC with a below-average Charisma score might face the PCs with a scowl, muttering about them under his breath and giving them dirty looks. An unfriendly NPC with an average or slightly above average Charisma may speak disparagingly to them, trading jokes about them with his friends, and making no secret of his dislike. An unfriendly NPC with a very high Charisma may mock the PCs with subtle insults, rile up others against them, and manipulate and goad them into embarrassing themselves.
Social skills serve NPCs just as they serve the PCs. An NPC with a high Insight score will be better at perceiving the PCs’ own attitudes and views, and will likely adjust their behavior accordingly. An unfriendly or neutral NPC may use this insight to turn his interactions with the PCs to his own benefit; a friendly or helpful NPC will more readily perceive just what the PCs want and need. An NPC with a high Bluff score can more easily hide or mask her attitude toward the PCs. An NPC with a high Diplomacy or Intimidate score can more easily influence people around them, shifting the opinions of other NPCs toward his own.
Alignment (and, more broadly, a person’s moral and religious beliefs and personal principles) affects how a person will behave. A hostile NPC may try to harm the PCs, or incite others against them, or may report the PCs to the proper authorities, or may challenge them openly, depending on whether the NPC is lawful or chaotic, evil or good. A neutral NPC may or may not seek an opportunity to take advantage of the PCs. A friendly or helpful NPC may be constantly looking for a way to turn their relationship with the PCs to personal benefit, or their aid and advice may be entirely selfless. All of these things depend on the NPC’s alignment and beliefs.
A person’s place and standing in society affects how they behave, sometimes being more important than their personal beliefs and attitudes. A neutral shopkeeper may treat PCs who are his customers politely even if he rather dislikes them, but a fellow bar-patron has no reason to do the same (unless he is intimidated by them, of course). An honest guardsman will attempt to enforce the city’s laws upon lawbreakers even if he finds them agreeable (or, conversely, even if they make him somewhat nervous), while an ordinary citizen is more free to act in whatever way his attitude dictates. When the PCs speak to the queen in her throne room, surrounded by her court, her behavior is constrained by decorum and traditions; she may quite like the PCs, but will treat them formally, whereas a blacksmith who is a good friend of the PCs may call out in greeting, shake the PCs’ hands, and embrace them, with no codes of behavior to stop him.
When a party of adventurers travels together and interacts with NPCs as a group, it is generally not necessary to make reaction rolls for each party member individually. One reaction roll is made for the party. This roll uses the Charisma modifier and social skill modifiers of the party “face”—the character who takes the lead in social interaction with NPCs; the Strength modifier of the strongest visible people in the party, plus the average Strength modifier of the rest of the party; and the reputation of the party as a whole or the reputation of that character with the most extreme reputation score in the party (among those characters who are well-known enough to be recognized), whichever is a larger score.
Other modifiers for any character in the party generally apply, although the DM should exercise judgment in this case; for instance, the gender of the party fighter makes no difference if the bard is the party “face”, but if most of the party are old men, their age modifier to Fear reactions will apply even if the “face” is a strong young woman—NPCs will probably find the party less intimidating than they otherwise would. Likewise, even if the party “face” is a monk with no armor or visible magic, if he is flanked by a wizard with a glowing magic staff and a cleric with demonic armor and a greatsword that continuously drips burning blood, those characters contribute to the party’s reaction rolls even if they speak not a word; but the ranger’s views on Taldan politics mean exactly nothing if said ranger stands at the back of the party and does not speak.
Insofar as the party acts as a cohesive whole, and the party members present themselves to the world as a close-knit unit, NPCs will view them as such; reactions are contagious, through guilt-by-association and, conversely, the “oh, he’s with the paladin” effect. However, in some cases—such as when the reaction modifiers of one party member are greatly at odds with the reputation of another—NPCs may react to some party members separately. “We’re honored to be serving such a renowned pillar of the community, madame, but the unkempt fellow with the bear—I’m afraid we’ll have to ask him to leave, and we certainly don’t allow animals in this establishment,” says the maitre d’; or the guild thief leans over to whisper into the thief’s ear, asking her what the hell a cleric of St. Cuthbert is doing here; is he a mark, and if so, the thief should really have let the other thieves know the plan in advance…
A community reacts to things as a whole much more than as a group of disparate individuals. Prevailing beliefs, values, and prejudices are more homogeneous than not, in most communities, and through social proof, the views of each person influence those of others.
When a character, or an adventuring party, enters a community, the DM makes a reaction roll for the entire community. The modifiers to this roll are only those that apply to the whole community, or most of it, and not any of those that apply to individual NPCs. The results of this roll set the tone for how the character or party is viewed and received in the community. Most of the members of the community will react to the character or party in just that way, and all but the least perceptive characters can easily get a general sense of how the community is responding to them.
Any individual NPC encountered within the community will, by default, conform to the reaction rolled for the community. The DM need not make a new reaction roll for each NPC the character or party meets, although he may do so if he wishes to convey a sense of heterogeneity of personalities and attitudes within the community (when this is appropriate given the local culture). In any case, reaction rolls or results for individual NPCs within the community use, by default, the same overall modifiers as those for the whole community—unless the individual NPC in question diverges, in some way, from the community average.
Individual NPCs get their own reaction rolls if they “stand out from the crowd” in some way. This could be the NPC’s social role—the guardsman, the mayor, the wizard, the guild thief; it could be that the NPC is of a race or nationality that’s in the minority in the community; it could be that this person has had unusual life experiences; it could simply be someone with a contrarian streak. The rule of thumb is that any time the characters interact with an “important” or “named” NPC, one who is not simply representative of the average community member, the DM should make a new reaction roll, after checking to see if any modifiers apply to this person’s reaction that did not apply to the community as a whole (or the opposite). (The DM should, of course, pretend to make reaction rolls for every barman, housewife, and street urchin the PCs encounter, so as not to let the players know who is or is not “important”. The PCs can, of course, identify people whose reactions seem to differ from those of their fellows—but this generally requires attention and effort, and the use of social skills, though sometimes it will be quite obvious even to the most oblivious character.)
In larger or more diverse communities, such as large cities, port towns, or planar settlements, the views and values of the community may not be homogeneous enough for a single reaction to be prevalent. The DM may make “community” reaction rolls for subsets of the community: particular neighborhoods (the nobles’ quarter), racial or ethnic groups (the dwarves of Greyhawk City), or any other relatively cohesive social or geographical unit within the community in which “social contagion” of reactions and opinions may take place. Likewise, when a character or party encounters a relatively homogeneous group of NPCs (a gathering, like a town hall meeting, or an organization, like a tradesmen’s guild) within a larger community, the DM may make a single reaction roll for the whole group.
1 Mindless creatures (no Int score), such as golems or giant insects, react to you purely on instinct, or in a programmed way. No reaction roll is ever made for them. ⇑