Social Context: Rules for 4th Ed D&D Characters who belong

[charlesperez]

While reading 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, a set of rules in the form of a plug-in for D&D sort of clawed its way out of my brain. These rules provide a social context for a D&D character, giving that character a home, family and friends. They also give mechanical weight to alignments and to one's choice of church and of patron deity.

Following are the alignment rules and how they relate to social traits. The social traits themselves - Deities, Organizations, Patrons, Allies and Loved Ones - are grist for other threads. The question I ask is, are the rules I present here intriguing enough that you would want to see more? Is it worthwhile to describe the social traits in detail on this forum? The more general question would be, would you want to play D&D this way? Why or why not?

If I publish this rules set in full, I would publish it independently, relying on fair use to answer charges of actual infringement, and not enter into any licencing agreement with Wizards of the Coast.

The Rules for Alignments, including interacting with social traits, are as follows.


An active check is an attack roll or an ability roll or a skill roll. It is not an initiative roll, a defense, a saving throw or a damage roll.


Good

+2 Social Bonus to active checks when:

Whether to obey a Law is an issue, and your action helps to resolve it;

Or whether or not someone keeps his sworn word is an issue, and your action helps to resolve it;

Or your action helps to alleviate someone's suffering.

+3 Social Bonus to active checks when Good triggers and:

A Good or Lawful Good Deity triggers and your action obeys its precepts;

Or a Good or Lawful Good Organization triggers and your action benefits its goals;

Or a Good or Lawful Good Patron triggers and your action benefits his interests;

Or a Loved One triggers, and your action alleviates her suffering.


Lawful Good

+2 Social Bonus to active checks when:

Alleviation of someone's suffering is an issue, and your action helps to resolve it;

Or someone's sworn word is an issue, and your action helps to resolve it;

Or your action helps someone to obey a Law.

+3 Social Bonus when Lawful Good triggers and:

A Good or Lawful Good Deity triggers and your action obeys its precepts;

Or a Good or Lawful Good Organization triggers and your action benefits its goals;

Or a Good or Lawful Good Patron triggers, and your action benefits his interests;

Or a Good or Lawful Good Ally triggers, and your action benefits his cares.


Unaligned

+2 Social Bonus to active checks when:

Someone's loyalty is an issue, and your action helps to resolve it;

Or your action helps someone keep his sworn word;

Or your own freedom is an issue, and your action helps to resolve it.

+3 Social Bonus when Unaligned triggers and:

A Deity triggers and your action shows loyalty to it;

Or a Patron triggers and your action shows loyalty to him;

Or an Ally triggers and your action shows loyalty to him;

Or a Loved One triggers and your action shows loyalty to her.


Evil

+2 Social Bonus to active checks when:

The evil that someone does is an issue, and your action helps to resolve it;

Or your action helps you keep your sworn word;

Or your action shows devotion to the object of one or more of your social traits.

+3 Social Bonus when Evil triggers and:

An Evil or Chaotic Evil Deity triggers and your action obeys its precepts;

Or an Evil or Chaotic Evil Organization triggers and your action benefits its goals;

Or an Evil or Chaotic Evil Ally triggers and your action benefits his cares;

Or a Loved One triggers and your action benefits her vulnerabilities.


Charles