Societies

Social Groups

For each group the party encounters, and is likely to encounter again, keep a social flower chart. Combat encounters result in a negative social roll (aside from certain martial groups that react favorably to combat on occasion). It should be rolled at the end of the encounter. Social encounters are resolved differently, shown below.

Social Encounters

A Social encounter triggers when the party acts against a group's prior agreements openly or does something surprising to the group. Depending on the positivity or negativity of their actions, roll on either a positive or negative social roll for that group to determine the outcome of the encounter. A good example of a simple positive interaction might be a gift, but across the Known Universes incentives outnumber the stars.

• To determine positivity or negativity when it's in question, roll: 1d20 + 10 + flower chart y-coordinate and target 20.

Social Roll

Making a Social Roll

• Choose the correct compass. Most flower charts have at least a positive and negative compass.
• Roll 2d6.
• Based on the result, move the appropriate direction according to the flower chart’s result compass.
• Update the faction’s disposition according to the new hex.

Social Flower Chart

Hex flowers have a direction axis at value 12 (using 2d6 flower navigation), and three or more layers. Hex layers encompass infamy, favor, dedication, awareness. The axis is Social itself, each faction interaction is one roll on the flower. The layers should be ordered from neutral to positive, with negative results occupying the left and right edges of the flower. This way there can be an instability to the extreme positive state where things snap! The only things that need to be recorded are a faction’s hex flower coordinate and total number of Social rolls.

Flower charts have simple variants, varying by how wide the “happy path” from the bottom center to top center hex is. The wider the lane, the fewer negative hexes, the smoother the progression. Profiles for social entities either link to one of these basic flower charts or provide their own.

Factions

Power Dice

Exploding / decaying dice chain representing the faction's total power. Somewhat analogous to their coordination and magnitude of threads faction members are allocating to it.

Virtues

One or more characteristics (such as Grace or Will) the faction prizes, is impressed, or intimidated by. With a characteristic roll and an appropriate action in game, one character in the party may alter the result of a social roll by their margin of success, up to their bonus in that characteristic.

Zero or Negative Virtues

Characters with zero or negative in the Virtue may alter the roll by 1 if they succeed. They may also use the negative bonus as a positive one when attempting to achieve the opposite of a Society's normal stance on that Virtue, for example to achieve agression or rejection instead of peace or acceptance, respectively.

Gifts

Factions have different actions or resources they consider gifts.

Obligations

Factions (and the party as a faction) can grant obligations to those who do right by them, aid, or defend them. Most faction profiles will have one or more obligations they may give to the players or other factions. These obligations are essentially our spells. They may be one-time use, reusable, refillable at some location or under some conditions. They may grant resources (once or regularly), character bonuses, NPC assistance (including transit), lent artifacts, and more. Factions also might have thresholds for obligations. Uncontacted or neutral factions will generally not trade obligations with the party. Most obligations are temporary in some manner. Signatory worlds won't issue or honor permanent obligations, and may see permanent obligations negatively, even if they aren't involved. In extreme cases, signatories might take it upon themselves to clear a permanent obligation if they hear about it.

Censures

On the other side of the coin from obligations, the party will accrue a Censure whenever it acts against a faction. In the case of the explicit enemy this probably isn't worth tracking.