NPC Reactions and Attitudes

Table of Contents

Rule: NPC Reactions

Replaces: Diplomacy

Used In: Red Star Chronicles

Overview: An NPC's initial attitude towards a player is the result of a modified Charisma check.

NPC Reactions
When a character encounters an NPC for the first time, the character makes a Charisma check and adds his level. The DM will subtract the NPC's level or hit dice from the roll. Every character should do this for every significant NPC, and this takes place before any actual interactions have been undertaken. However, for sake of expediency, the DM may have only a particular member of the party make the roll for the entire party.

Roll Result Table: Other modifiers:

These modifiers depend on the party. If the humanoid party is in a humanoid town, they will likely receive a +6 to +10 total modifier on the roll. If the humanoid party is in a mind flayer fortress, they will likely receive a -20 to the roll.

Thus, the average roll for a dangerous dungeon (modifier -15) will be hostile, while the average roll for a town encounter (modifier +7) will be neutral. Having a good Charisma will help improve this average reaction.

Note that the NPC reactions apply only when neither party has prior knowledge of the other. If the NPCs become aware of the players through some other means than chance encounter (say, the players fail to stop a kobold from fleeing into the warren to alert his comrades), then the DM determines the NPCs' attitudes without rolling.

Rule: Adjusting NPC Attitudes

Replaces: Diplomacy checks

Used In: Red Star Chronicles

Synopsis: Rather than having Diplomacy as a discrete skill, NPC attitude adjustments are handled solely through roleplaying.

Adjusting NPC Attitudes
The Diplomacy skill is one of the worst implemented in 3.5. It was relatively straightforward, even at low levels, to boost a Diplomacy check so high that even blood enemies could be turned into helpful allies over the course of a single combat round. Thus, we remove Diplomacy from the rules.

NPC interactions are one of those situations that's better-suited to a less-clanky ruleset. In a true roleplaying situation, how an NPC feels about a PC is determined entirely through their interactions, not a die roll. Therefore, once initial attitudes are determined, any changes to that attitude are handled through roleplaying (or magical compulsion).

Note that this roleplay aspect is solely for an NPC's attitudes towards the PCs. If the PCs are attempting to persuade the NPCs to do something, then the Negotiation skill comes into play. This skill is influenced by by an NPC's attitude.

Player Attitudes
No matter what attitude the players might actually have towards each other's characters, PCs are always treated as friendly towards one another. This ruling is in place to prevent certain loopholes whereby players might benefit from "pretending" to fight one another or otherwise be enemies. The DM is free to suspend this rule at his discretion if the situation warrants and the players are not attempting to abuse it.

Exception: If a PC is turned against his party due to some manner of magical compulsion (e.g. dominate person), then he may be considered to be hostile towards the other PCs and friendly towards the dominator and the dominator's allies.