I’ve been reading comments made in various channels about some players wishing for more interaction with other adventurers, as opposed to seeing most living in a perpetual combat script. However, people need incentive to do most things. This is no different. Keep in mind that what I’m suggesting below isn’t going to hinder anyone who wishes to continue soloing and scripting until they’re blue in the face. It’s simple an active and more automated reward system for engaging other players and role-playing, which seems to be missing.

Pointing out the obvious, Dragonrealms is a game that greatly rewards the player by performing the various skills in the rule-set, so much that many people have characters running in automated scripts, soloing most of their time online, and not socializing or role-playing, outside of the occasional event or order gathering. In a nutshell, we’re playing to see numbers grown and getting a feeling of accomplishment from it, plus accumulating items that make our characters read well in descriptions. This is probably true for most of the active players, whether they consider themselves role-players or not. Nothing wrong with that, and for some players that’s enough to keep them coming back. To each his own and I’m not saying that any other player is at fault from playing the way they want to, but it seems to me there is less reward from casually setting up role-play scenes in a game where RP and being in character was at one time very important.

Yes, there’s the RPA system for people you think have shared an outstanding scene with you and increased learning rate is awesome. However, it’s completely dependent of someone else’s opinion of what you may happen to be doing and in no way a sure thing. You can go train with a script and know exactly what type of reward you’re about to get. It’s virtually a guarantee. RPA can also feel like dealing with social media friend requests from complete strangers and I don’t like feeling obligated to reward someone points just because they gifted me when I may not have felt like they were doing anything special when I interacted with them. Plus, sometimes I forget its even an option. Furthermore, it doesn’t seem like RPA is enough incentive to entice the average player into taking a few minutes away from their combat script to engage other people. You can level your character just fine without so much as glancing at another person. Therefore, I suggest Well-being and the Socialization Skill:

Well-being
Well-being reflects the character’s state of mind and is heavily affected by the Socialization skill. By actively role-playing in scenes using socialization, eating food, drinking beverages, wearing clothing, armor and items of a certain tier, wearing cosmetics, perfume, and bathing the character can increase their overall state. Well-being is an optional aspect and can never go below neutral, so as not to punish adventurers who wish to enjoy solo aspects of the game. However, those who wish to participate will be rewarded with bonuses to pool regeneration, learning rate, dropped treasure value and luck values.

Example: picture all the below categories as the drawers of a dresser. Each drawer can hold so much before it’s full. The overall Well-being score is comprised of each dresser for a grand total number. You can only achieve the maximum number available to you by having filled each drawer with the category it requires. That grand total number determines how much of a bonus you receive to pool regeneration, learning rate, dropped treasure bonus and luck value. The maximum value is only attainable for an hour or so before the character needs to enter back into a non-combat social exchange again to build it back up.

Categories and percentages of overall Well Being score. Note that I’m not suggesting that the bolstered aspects be increased by the same possible +150% listed below. It’s just a value depicting what a full Well-being score would look like:

Tavern Bonus – Up to an extra 30% for a possible total of +150% if each category below is given attention. 20-min spent inside to build up to max bonus. 20-min duration before decay, 10 min to drain to zero after departing the tavern. Once buildup begins inside the tavern it will take 20 minutes to achieve +30%.

Entertainment – Up to 20%. Listening to music or viewing a performance. Percentage will vary depending on the skill of the performer. 20-min exposure to build up to max bonus. 40-minute duration before decay, 20 min before drain to zero %.

Socialization skill – Up to 40%. Once buildup begins within a conversation it will take 20 minutes to achieve 40%. 20-minute duration outside of the conversation before decay, 10 minutes to drain to zero %.

Prayer & Ritual* - Up to 20%. 40-minute duration before decay, 20 min before drain to zero %. Effect will begin immediately upon finishing the prayer or ritual in public. Strength of the bonus will be determined by the level of Conviction or Theurgy possessed by the performing paladin or cleric.

Clothing / armor / worn items– Up to 10% (Tier level affects the percentage of each piece) repair state decreases value per piece worn. Semi static. Will only change as repair state fluctuates.

Cosmetics / Grooming – Up to 15%. (Tier level affects the percentage of each piece) duration before decay is 1 in-game day.

Food – 5%. (Tier level affects the percentage regarding food and drink) duration is one in-game day before decay, 1 day before decay to zero %

Drink – Up to 5%. (Tier level affects the percentage regarding food and drink) duration is one in-game day before decay, 1 day before decay to zero %

Perfume / Bathing - Up to 5%. (Tier level affects the percentage regarding perfume) duration is one in-game day before decay, 1 day before decay to zero %

Note: Well-being will never fall below a neutral state or bestow any negative benefits. This is to not punish those who don’t wish to participate in the system or worry about managing it.

*Clerics and Paladins can sing or chant songs, prayers, and sermons to bestow an additional area wide bonus to well-being for an extra 20%, which means +40% from the prayer & ritual category and a possible 120%. Praying to one of the immortals by itself will only bestow up to 20% only. The number of people present will affect the awarded percentage by 2% per character, with four being present providing the maximum award.

Cosmetics would include makeup, lotion or face paint. Some are dual categories such as beard bestowing the benefits of cosmetics and perfume.

Socialization skill
Socialization is a new skill that reflects the character’s ability to communicate effectively with others and benefits from the charisma statistic. By actively using the skill to participate in role-playing scenes it will positively fill a large portion of the character’s well-being score. Socialization also increases the likeliness, frequency and intensity of a luck bonus firing off.

Socialization is a lore skill used when interacting with other player characters by initiating active role-play sessions with two or more people. These sessions are activated by an actual command.

Other than being used to greatly bolster the temporary gains from a high well-being score, the characters’ socialization ranks are used as a factor for increasing the number of RPA awards you can give and receive.

Spells and Abilities that Boost Socialization skill
• Silver Tongue (Thief)
• Command Presence (Paladin)
• Networking (Trader)
• Leader of The Pack (Ranger)
• Magnetic Charm (Bard)
• Sermon (Cleric)
• Lion’s Visage (Barbarian)

Spells and abilities that debuff Charisma
• Devolve (Ranger)
• Socialization skill (SUSPECT)

Training
The following commands are used by the Socialization skill:

SO GREET <target><string> - Creates a custom greeting string that enables you to target an individual within the area to begin socialization learning, similar to the act command in regards to structure and how it will appear locally. Upon the activation of the command the target is prompted to choose whether to join or refuse the conversation. Multiple people may be engaged in a conversation, which will increase the rate of learning and form a group, regarding who is able to invite. Feedback from the connection will state after each pulse, “<members> appear to be gathered together in conversation”.

Once a conversation has begun with a greeting and reply all involved may freely converse as they normally would, with learning pulses from the socialization skill. Socialization or any of the commands involved do not have timers and the character may practice other skills while engaged. A player can only belong to one conversation at a time. If at any point a member of the conversation is suspected of being unresponsive or is answering in an illogical manner and suspected of scripting during the session, then the following commands come into play:

SUSPECT <target><string> - This command utilizes a custom string to announce to all that you are beginning the process of judging another character engaged in a socialization conversation for being unresponsive. The custom string will repeat itself at the two-minute mark, the five-minute mark and then a final time at six minutes. At the seven-minute mark, if the unresponsive player has not utilized the REPLY command to stop the suspect attempt, scholarship and socialization learning will cease, and well-being percentages from socialization will be reduced to zero for 20 minutes. While under the effects of Suspect the character cannot be targeted by another attempt until the 20-minute timer is finished. Suspect can be used by characters in or outside of the target’s actual conversation, but not on someone that is simply unresponsive outside of one.

REASSURE <target><custom string> – This command utilizes a custom string to neutralize SUSPECT attempts from another player that has mistakenly targeted you for being unresponsive. It must be used before the seven-minute mark after a Suspect command has been initiated in order to block the attempt. Example of a custom feedback string: “You slowly turn toward <target> and make eye contact, offering them a slight nod to signify they have your attention.”

EXCUSE <custom string> - This command is used when the character wishes to remain within the conversation but needs to go afk for longer than a few minutes. Upon activation, socialization skill learning will temporarily be shut down as will the afk characters’ learning rate contribution to the conversation.

EXCUSE RETURN <custom string> - Command used to restore an afk character’s socialization skill learning after temporarily suspending it with EXCUSE.