PF Skills: Reforged – Social
Social (CHA): The ability to navigate the labyrinth of politics, barter with traders, sell a lie or discern the truth and perhaps inspire courage or fill a person with fear. In general, your conversational interactions with npc’s.
Absorbed: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate & Sense Motive
So if you’ve been following this blog you know that the general objective behind all the skill modifications is first) to decrease the reliance on fate (the dice) and second) to increase the value of skill points where possible. While this skill doesn’t do anything to decrease die rolls it does greatly increase the value of any point put here. You’re getting 4 for 1 after all.
Because social interaction is so fluid I won’t bother giving DC examples or detailed breakdowns. But it should be pointed out that each of the skills that have been absorbed are still separate from each other. What I mean to say is if you get a bonus or penalty to a particular skill (say diplomacy) that negative only applies to that skill without affecting the umbrella “social” skill. So for class bonuses or starting traits there’s no need to rework them, they still work as is.
It’s very important to be flexible and creative with this skill in finding new ways to apply it. One idea from Rich Burlew is particularly appealing to me and I’d encourage you to read it for yourself. But essentially it turns social interactions (in his case diplomacy) into a mini-game of sorts. Check it out. I think if a true re-working of these skills is to take place it should be something along what he is proposing. But I’m not currently up to the task and took the lazy way out by making this skill. (A smiley is probably appropriate here but I will resist the urge).
There’s not much to say about this skill because it really is nothing more than an umbrella for skills that I decided not to change but that I didn’t think were equally valuable on their own.
Will Save 