We’ve introduced house rules that allow you to leverage your character’s past to forge relationships with NPCs. These rules allow you to have more control over your character’s social network and to create opportunities for alliances, conflicts, and more.
Charisma Tokens
At character creation, each character receives one Charisma Token, reflecting their existing social capital. Once per level, with the DM’s approval and when it narratively makes sense, you can expend a Charisma Token to claim a pre-existing relationship with the NPC.
I know a guy!
When faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, your character can tap into their network of contacts, invoking the phrase, “I know a guy!” You must then describe the person you know and how they might be able to help in the situation. You then say that it’s been a while since you’ve seen them and you’re not sure where you stand with them.
If the DM agrees to the creation of this NPC, they will set a Difficulty Class (DC) based on the potential helpfulness of the NPC. You will then roll a Charisma check against this DC to determine if the NPC is friendly or hostile towards you.
You will also roll a standard d20 check to determine the NPC’s proximity to the party:
- 1-4: The NPC is too far away to help, or might not even be alive anymore.
- 5-9: The NPC is located no more than half a day’s travel away from you.
- 10-14: The NPC is located in the next town, city, camp, or settlement. (Or within the same town, city, camp, or settlement you’re in, just in a different area of it.)
- 15-20: The NPC is nearby, perhaps in the next room or just outside the dungeon.