[M&M] Alternate influence rules

[Jack of Spades]

In gearing up to run an interaction-heavy campaign using Mutants and Masterminds, we gave some thought to overhauling the current Influence skills. I've found several problems with them that I was trying to address, the biggest of which was that people simply wouldn't use them. The Persuasion mechanics were confusing and cumbersome (requiring coming up with reactions for every NPC and tracking them), and prone to abuse; sufficiently high levels of Persuasion became mind control. Players were unwilling to lose control of their characters to other players or NPCs with high Persuasion scores. Bluff felt poorly defined. A lot of interaction strategies seemed to be missing entirely. And there was no well-defined way to use interaction in investigation. Mechanically, it offended my sense of balance that there were only three Influence skills; it's cheaper to buy up Intimidation, Deception, and Persuasion than Presence, and mechanically does the same thing.

Out of that came these house rules. We're still play testing this. We'd really like feedback.

Advantages: Objections and Incentives are a lot easier to come up with on the fly for us than reaction ratings, and don't have to be tracked scene to scene. Argument is no longer a one-roll thing, while not being as mechanically complex (and sometimes immersion-breaking) as combat. There's a wider range of ways to be impressive, but even the most impressive character doesn't totally flatten the least resolute's personality; you have to engage with the character's Objections through role-play, and there's an opportunity to spend Hero Points to remain unconvinced.

Disadvantages: Breaks backward compatibility. Not everyone may want the focus this brings to talking instead of fighting.

[Jack of Spades]

The idea of Objections and Incentives comes from InterACTION by the Angry GM.

Incentives
Incentives give people a reason to cooperate with you. A Minor Incentive gives +2 to Argument rolls (see Persuasion below); a Major Incentive gives +5 to Argument rolls. Characters may have Incentives independently, or they may be given Incentives during interaction.

Objections
Objections are reasons not to cooperate with a request. This can be fear of danger, dislike of the individual or their group, financial or social cost, a vow, desire to protect someone else, and so on. Objections are, however, reasons not/i] to help, not a simple lack of reason to help.

Objections are described as Major or Minor. There is a third category, Absolute Objections, which cannot be overcome mechanically and probably can’t be overcome through role-play at all. We ignore Absolute Objections for rules purposes; if the character has an Absolute Objection, don’t bother to roll.
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Deception

This skill is basically unchanged.

Bluffing
If you are telling a lie to get someone to go along with you, use Persuasion instead; Bluffing specifically covers getting someone to believe an untruth.

• Success (1 degree): The subject believes you when he has no personal knowledge that contradicts you.
• Success (2 degrees): The subject believes you about things where he doesn’t consider himself an expert.
• Success (3 degrees): The subject believes you even in areas where he considers himself knowledgable. He won’t disregard his own senses, but will believe your interpretation of things over his own.

False Appeal: If you’re offering a phony Incentive as part of an Argument (see Persuasion), roll a Bluff first to make the offer credible. If you fail, the target gains a Minor Objection to dealing with you (you’re dishonest); if you fail by two or more degrees, it’s a Major Objection! If you have the Set-Up Advantage, you can roll Deception for someone else's phony Incentive.

Disguise, Feinting, & Tricking
Unchanged from the Heroes Handbook, except that all are opposed by Insight. Note that you can Trick a foe during interaction, causing them to believe you have an Objection that you don’t really have. If you have the Startle advantage, you can use a Performance specialty for Feints.

Misdirection
You use your social skills to distract a subject from another action. If you are misdirecting attention for your own action, both the Deception roll and the other action are at −5. Misdirection is opposed by the target’s Perception or Insight. If successful, the target is does not notice the action they are misdirected from; if it’s an attack, they are Vulnerable (just as for a Feint).

Interview (new)

Interview is used to elicit information from others. It can be indirect, guiding a conversation so the subject tells you what you want to know without ever being asked, or very direct, as in a prisoner interrogation. Take an opposed Interview action vs. Insight not Will, in this case).

• Success (1 degree): The subject reveals useful information, perhaps without knowing it.
• Success (2 degrees): The subject reveals what you want to know.
• Success (3 degrees): The subject reveals everything he knows without reservation.

You can also gain information by convincing a subject to cooperate with an Argument. However, Interview will gain information even in the face of an Absolute Objection to revealing it, and may garner useful information even if the subject doesn't know it would help you.

Performance (new)

You are able to generate strong emotion in the subject in order to get what you wan; it is inherently non-rational. Performance takes a mandatory specialization; some examples are Performance: Charm, Performance: Intimidation, Performance: Sex Appeal, and Performance: Manners.

Demoralizing
You can use Performance to undermine an opponent's emotional commitment to action. Make a Performance check as a standard action with a DC of 10 plus the target's Insight or Will. If it succeeds, the target is Impaired (−2 circumstance penalty on checks) until your next round. With four or more degrees of success, the target is Disabled (−5 penalty on checks) until your next round.

Influencing
You gain a target's support by emotional rather than rational persuasion. Roll an opposed Performance action vs. the target's Insight or Will defense. If you succeed, treat it as a successful Argument check (see Persuasion), but only for actions taken in your presence. With one or more degree of failure, though, the target may do the opposite of what you want; they now have at least a Minor Objection to helping you at all.

Performance for Minions
You can use Performance on an entire group of minions – all who can see and hear you – with a single check. The GM makes a single resistance check for the entire group, and they all take the same results.

Reaction
In a non-combat situation, you can use Performance to create a persistent reaction in a subject. This acts as an Incentive to help you generally, and applies only if the target is in your presence or otherwise thinking about you. In requires an opposed Performance Action vs. Insight or Will. With one or two degrees of success, you create a Minor Incentive; with three or more, you create a Major Incentive. If you have the Set-Up Advantage, you can create a Reaction for someone else, but it must still be maintained as usual.

Maintaining Reactions: Once you have created a Reaction with a particular Performance skill, you can roll in any future scene you are both in to maintain the Reaction; this takes less time and effort, but still requires a perceptible use of your skill. Roll vs. a DC of 10 + the higher of Insight or Will. If you roll fewer degrees of success, the effect is reduced, but not increased unless you take make the effort to generate the Reaction all over again. This is a Routine Check.

Persuasion

Persuasion's mechanics are completely changed from the Heroes Handbook.

Argument
An Argument is an attempt to overcome an Objection. It is an Opposed Persuasion Action vs. Insight or Will, whichever is higher.

• Success (1 degree): You overcome a Minor Objection.
• Success (2 degrees): You overcome a Minor Objection, or reduce a Major Objection to a Minor Objection.
• Success (3 degrees): You overcome a Major or Minor Objection.

You can also use Argument to reduce the value of an Incentive, if you want (to undermine someone else’s Argument, probably).

Appeal
To help overcome Objections, you can offer an Incentive. Make an opposed Persuasion Action vs. Insight or Will; if you succeed, you’ve created an Incentive. The GM determines if it is a Major or Minor Incentive based on what was offered.

[danelsan]

I'm liking this and may adapt something like it for my own use. Reminds me a bit of the Exalted 3rd edition Social Influence rules, which are one of the best things about the new system.