One shot contributions are fine, and even pretty much the way they have to work. That's a good point of the 'trickle' idea. That said, I don't know how willing I am to throw out bonuses just for backstory - it gets hard to figure precisely where the line between good character creation and scrounging for points can be found.
If you're willing to run little backstory adventures on the side for other players, that might be a thing. We could keep them non-canon until declared otherwise, just so no one has too much worrying about consequences or revealing their secrets.
One shot contributions are fine, and even pretty much the way they have to work. That's a good point of the 'trickle' idea. That said, I don't know how willing I am to throw out bonuses just for backstory - it gets hard to figure precisely where the line between good character creation and scrounging for points can be found.
No worries. I write my character backstories and dig up images for fun. Learned about pre-columbian mesoamerican culture and the nahuatl language to add to my list of bizarre esoterica learned through rpgs.
If you're willing to run little backstory adventures on the side for other players, that might be a thing. We could keep them non-canon until declared otherwise, just so no one has too much worrying about consequences or revealing their secrets.
That sounds like fun... points would be an unnecessary bonus. Not that I wouldn't take them :)
No worries. I write my character backstories and dig up images for fun.
Excellent.
Marjana,
Earlier, in recruitment, you professed an interest in archipelagos and/or Arabian night flair. If that is part of her shadow wandering, she may have passed through Mist, Nikolas' shadow of choice for the last century and a half.
She might easily recognize his as a wandering hero legend from there, sort of a cross between Sinbad and Odyssius. It wouldn't be hard to realize he was an Amberite playing, especially considering the feel of reality. At the time, he was making no effort to remain quiet.
I keep forgetting to come back to this.
I like it. It's canon.Do you want to have actually met up on one of those exploits? Set it fairly early in that century and a half and Marjana could easily have been less skilled enough not be too obvious and young and foolish enough to flirt with risking discovery. Then, when the particular quest was over, steal a boat and sail off into Shadow, leaving you wondering.
^ I'm the GM, and I approve this message.
Marjana,
Earlier, in recruitment, you professed an interest in archipelagos and/or Arabian night flair. If that is part of her shadow wandering, she may have passed through Mist, Nikolas' shadow of choice for the last century and a half.
She might easily recognize his as a wandering hero legend from there, sort of a cross between Sinbad and Odyssius. It wouldn't be hard to realize he was an Amberite playing, especially considering the feel of reality. At the time, he was making no effort to remain quiet.
I keep forgetting to come back to this.
I like it. It's canon.
Do you want to have actually met up on one of those exploits? Set it fairly early in that century and a half and Marjana could easily have been less skilled enough not be too obvious and young and foolish enough to flirt with risking discovery. Then, when the particular quest was over, steal a boat and sail off into Shadow, leaving you wondering.
Sounds great! It will make for an interesting reveal when we meet in Amber. How about a friendly rivalry seeking after a legendary beast. We could have defeated it in concert and both taken trophies.
Nikolas would have made no secret of his heritage, but if you want to remain mostly hidden, I think it is even more interesting to discover you are a cousin later.
Throw out some ideas.
"I can kill you, Corwin. Do not even be certain that your blade can protect you, if I can get my hands on you but once..."
The truest gauge of sheer power that there is, a superior Strength is the closest thing to a sure bet that an Amberite knows. Once the First in Strength has you in their grip, you had best have made your peace already. Which of you will be the real heavyweight champ?
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No bid: James (Sorry, man, we need to keep rolling along)
6th: Eztil, 1 point
5th: Chaney, 2 points
4th: Alric, 10 points
3rd: Marjana, 11 points
2nd: Roy, 16 points
1st: Nikolas, 32 points
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And it's looking like the belt might go to Nikolas, the Musclebound Man from the Mist! Is there another challenger? Will the Revolver Roustabout Roy bring in the chair? Or perhaps the Chastising Chevalier Chaney will try to come off the rails and walk away with both Warfare and Strength?! It's possible the Mighty Maiden of Mystery Marjana might tag in and claim the title; but it's still anyone's match, folks!
It appears skill at arms was a necessary counter to the superior physical power of my cousins. I won't be bidding higher, although my mysterious workout routine might see me buying up to a secret rank if you all make it cheap enough for me :)
Roy puts his feet up on the table and nods to Nikolas. "And here I thought I was tough in a fistfight. Hat's off to you, cousin."
It was after the walls of DelPhin fell and Sultan Diemodes was carried back through the Mists to face the punishment of the Gods Between. Nikolas the Great held a great feast of victory for the freed men of DelPhin. Here they would celebrate their victory and meet their new king, Menaleus, finally returned to his crown after exile by the usurper so long ago.
The wine flowed, and fully a tenth the stocks were emptied for meat. Nikolas and his band roared and fought with gusto, but a pall was plain over the hall. The men of DelPhin drank, but like the wine was bitter. They ate, but as if the beef was spoiled. Nikolas watched and reveled, but after a time his joy grew as grey as the stone of the hall.
After a time he leapt to his feet. “Why do you not sing! Diemodes is taken; your daughters and wives are safe from his predation! Your sons are free of his pits! I and mine have torn down your walls and sundered your chains! Why do you eat and drink as though we failed!”
The men of the hall shrank back from his bellows, for all knew the future of those who raised Nikolas to anger – fodder for the earth of Mist to drink and grow. One grew brave and showed himself worthy of Nikolas’ attention.
“Great Nikolas, grateful are we to have the yoke of Diemodes wrest from our backs. But we know you are a wanderer, and your largess is fleeting. With our walls foundered, the Juggernaut is as free to enter DelPhin as we are free to leave. In your absence we know that our lives will soon be paste beneath its mighty hooves. None can stand in its path and hope to live”
Nikolas’ brow furrowed. The green in his eyes flashed. “None, you say.” His cup was dropped with no ceremony, and the wine soaked like blood into the rugs beneath his feet. He held out his now empty palm and Thamos placed Godsblood, the mighty spear, into Nikolas’s grasp. With speed lent of his deific blood, the spear flew from his hand to impale the largest cow spit over the central flame and carry it to tack like an ill-chosen tapestry at the end of the hall.
“No one may touch this meat! Before the cow rots and falls to the floor, I will return with the blood of the Juggernaut staining the skin beneath my nails. I will ‘stand in its path’ and the beast will die.”
With those words Nikolas strode unarmed from the hall through the streets of DelPhin, past the crumbled gates and to the cleft of Jamber Mount from where the Juggernaut always emerged.
A day’s walk into the Cleft found Nikolas with sheer walls of stone to his right and left. The passage forward was but ten men wide. He stopped and held his cupped hands to his sun-blackened face. “Beast, the walls of DelPhin are destroyed! The only thing that’s stands before it and you is Me!” then let his arms fall to his side and waited. The sun fell and rose three times and Nikolas did not move from his place, his stare unbroken.
As the third day’s sun sank again, a faint thunder rumbled the sky above, but no clouds blocked the fading light of the day. A smile creased Nikolas’ jaw. “It comes.”
The thunder grew until the sand beneath Nikolas’ feet began to ripple like the surface of a stream. A cloud of dust billowed at the edge of vision. And then it appeared. It was the size of ship with two masts, filling the cleft, its sides brushing each wall and showering sparks with each powerful step. It was as tall as it was wide and covered in a thatch seemingly made of iron. It ran with the speed of a hawk with the wind at its back and its belly swept the evidence of its prints from the sand as it moved. One massive horn preceded its gait like a lance carved from the trunk of century old olive tree. There was no escape below, to each side. Only a bird could flee, but Nikolas had no wings. It was the Juggernaut!
It moved as inexorably forward as death, only swifter and with its time of arrival foreknown. Nikolas placed one foot behind him and both hand ahead to meet the beast. The thunder rose until all other sound was vanquished in its presence. The Juggernaut closed the distance, its speed never slackening, until it met Nikolas’ open hands. He gripped and forced the horn to the side then lowered his head to bear the burden of the beast fully.
Nikolas’ foot carved a furrow in the sand below him, then the stone beneath that – like a plow of steel through soft loam. The Juggernaut’s movement appeared to move forward unabated, earth, stone and sand erupting in a cloud of debris around the man. Then gradually, it slowed. 50 yards, then a hundred, Nikolas was pushed back, but the beast’s mighty hooves began to lose purchase on the ground below it. The melding of man and monster slowed to a crawl then stopped. The sound of the beast's futile footsteps alone would burst the ears of normal men. Then, within the cloud arose a tremendous CRACK. And the thunder disappeared like a candle flame between two fingers. The sand and dust settled from the air to see the Juggernaut’s head resting loosely in the sand, its neck snapped and blood flowing from its nostrils. Nikolas climbed from the channel and with a quick movement snapped the Juggernaut’s horn in two and lifted the broken piece to carry back to the city.
So Nikolas freed DelPhin the second time, One more challenge awaited him when he passed again through its broken walls. But that is another tale.
So the legend goes . . .
Two have declared their intent to stand pat, but there are still four who could challenge the mighty Nikolas. Don't forget, Strength isn't just becoming the ultimate martial artist, nor is it only the ability to perform superhero-like feats of strength, nor is it just the ability to resist damage from any force lesser than a focused effort from a real opponent.
If the First in Strength gets ahold of you, that is a far worse fate than being confronted by the First in Warfare with blade in hand. A canny opponent can change the battlefield to trick a victory, or simply run away, from a swordsman, but once grappling begins, there is no escape without the most desperate of measures. Is that kind of power something you can let slip away so easily?
Also - damn, Nikolas. Nice.
Thanks,
As you said, concepts change during the Auction. Nikolas is feeling less a fusion of Sinbad and Odysseus now, and more a cross between Sinbad and Heracles.
Consider my little story how 1st-rank Strength might look. How would the rest of you fare against the Juggernaut!
Thanks,
As you said, concepts change during the Auction. Nikolas is feeling less a fusion of Sinbad and Odysseus now, and more a cross between Sinbad and Heracles.
Consider my little story how 1st-rank Strength might look. How would the rest of you fare against the Juggernaut!
Some kind of ambush and much more stabbing.
All the stabbing.
Edit: I'm not contesting this one. Shame it doesn't look like there'll be any bidding war here, though.
I'm good at where I'm at; with beard of this magnitude, Alric surely couldn't possess great strength.
I don't see the trickle bit in my little guide, but I follow the concept. Leads me to another question though; do we have to spend all of our points? I assume more "trickle in" so we can get Artifacts down the road, but if after the auction, the secret buy-up phase, and then saying "I'll take Words of Power and a Personal Shadow," if I still have points left, can they be banked for future purchases (say, adding Guardians to my shadow or making a little slave or magic sword Artifact)?
Nice story Nikolas.
How would the rest of you fare against the Juggernaut!
Running... there would be lots of running.
No change in bid for Eztil
I don't see the trickle bit in my little guide, but I follow the concept. Leads me to another question though; do we have to spend all of our points? I assume more "trickle in" so we can get Artifacts down the road, but if after the auction, the secret buy-up phase, and then saying "I'll take Words of Power and a Personal Shadow," if I still have points left, can they be banked for future purchases (say, adding Guardians to my shadow or making a little slave or magic sword Artifact)?
Yes, and as an added bonus, until you spend them they count as good stuff. The more good stuff you have, the more 'the universe' loves you.
I'm good at where I'm at; with beard of this magnitude, Alric surely couldn't possess great strength.
I don't see the trickle bit in my little guide, but I follow the concept. Leads me to another question though; do we have to spend all of our points? I assume more "trickle in" so we can get Artifacts down the road, but if after the auction, the secret buy-up phase, and then saying "I'll take Words of Power and a Personal Shadow," if I still have points left, can they be banked for future purchases (say, adding Guardians to my shadow or making a little slave or magic sword Artifact)?
Any points you have left over are banked as "Good Stuff". "Good Stuff" indicates that the universe looks out for you to some degree. You'll get more lucky breaks, (Shadow) people will have a better first impression of you, etc. If you overspend, you instead get "Bad Stuff". Your reach has exceeded your grasp, and the universe will punish you (even with a single point of "Bad Stuff").
After character creation, our advancement pace will be set by the GM. When he says we have some points to spend, you'll give him a total sum of Bad Stuff you might be willing to take to get what you want, a list of things in priority order you want, and whether or not you'd be willing to take Bad Stuff to get each particular item on your list.
So, say you were willing to take on up to 5 points of Bad stuff. You'd say that, and then say "I want a magic ring, a beautiful tiara, and a pony. I'd take Bad Stuff for the ring, but not the tiara or the pony."
If you could afford the ring, with or without Bad Stuff, you would get it, but if you couldn't afford the tiara or the pony without taking Bad Stuff, the GM would inform you of that.
Generally the rules suggest that you never quite know how many points you're getting or even whether or not you've accumulated Bad Stuff once you've said you'd accept it. But the universe will let you know about the latter.
Hope that helps.
By RAW any unspent points are "good stuff" which is luck and charisma and any overspending is "bad stuff" is bad luck. Is Viscount's cal,l of course. how it works.
In some games (including my own), I put caps on good stuff. Also implemented "partial powers". Both were to address saving up 50 points for Pattern or in our case the 42 points from 3rd to 2nd in warfare.
Just seems odd for someone to have 49 points of good stuff because you are saving up or 50 points of bad stuff because you walked the pattern during the story.
I'm good at where I'm at; with beard of this magnitude, Alric surely couldn't possess great strength.
I don't see the trickle bit in my little guide, but I follow the concept. Leads me to another question though; do we have to spend all of our points? I assume more "trickle in" so we can get Artifacts down the road, but if after the auction, the secret buy-up phase, and then saying "I'll take Words of Power and a Personal Shadow," if I still have points left, can they be banked for future purchases (say, adding Guardians to my shadow or making a little slave or magic sword Artifact)?
...sort of? Extra points, or overspending, get funneled into Stuff, Good if you've got extra and Bad if you go over.
Stuff is a little weird, but think of it like karma or luck. A character with Good Stuff tends to run into favorable situations or people with good intentions, where a character with Bad Stuff tends to have unfortunate things happen more often than not. It's also sort of a decent way for determining how your character sees the world, as generally speaking, a Good Stuff character will perceive the universe as a more positive, glass-is-half-full kind of place. A Zero Stuff character tends to find themselves running into neutral situations, obviously, and the world to them is usually a place to be shaped by their own actions.
That said, when going for advancement, you can choose whether to burn your current Good Stuff or accept some Bad Stuff as necessary. The rules as written call for you to not really know how advancement is going on, with me being very secretive about whether or not you've achieved your current goals - I intend to be a little more transparent than called for, but I'm still not going to be handing you a specific total all the time. You'll tell me your goals for advancement and whether you're willing to let your Stuff fluctuate to achieve those goals, but you won't know precisely how many advancement points you're getting, so the math is trickier. You will know when you've met a goal of yours, though.
I'm good at where I'm at; with beard of this magnitude, Alric surely couldn't possess great strength.
I don't see the trickle bit in my little guide, but I follow the concept. Leads me to another question though; do we have to spend all of our points? I assume more "trickle in" so we can get Artifacts down the road, but if after the auction, the secret buy-up phase, and then saying "I'll take Words of Power and a Personal Shadow," if I still have points left, can they be banked for future purchases (say, adding Guardians to my shadow or making a little slave or magic sword Artifact)?
Samson had quite a beard or so the story goes. It's possible. :)
As Nikolas said, normally you can store points as Good Stuff or borrow against Bad Stuff for extra. Some games I've seen have put limits on that, since huge amounts of Stuff gets annoying, especially huge swings in Stuff - banks 20 points of Good Stuff, buys Shapeshifting for 35 points, drops to 15 points of bad stuff and gets whiplash. :)
Usually though that's mostly reserved for big purchases: Powers or advanced Powers. Or major stat bumps, like someone trying to go in this game from 3.5 (23pts) to 2.5(65pts) in Warfare. Items and similar things are usually cheaper and can often be bought piecemeal and/or upgraded as points are available.
Normally advancement is handled by giving the GM a prioritized wish list and then wondering what if anything you're gotten from it.:) New Powers and items are usually obvious, but attribute upgrades might not be.
Other GM question, though it's probably not going to relate to Marjana at least at first: partial powers? At least for Advanced ones?
Edit: And a whole bunch of ninjas jump out at once!
All of those helped immensely. Just one more clarification.
Say I wind up with some Bad Stuff, and then get some amount of points. Can I then spend those to get rid of Bad Stuff? Is it ever an option, or does Bad Stuff automatically get paid off before we can buy something new?
Bah, ninja'd. That said, I mostly agree with Eztil there, although there is no limit on Bad Stuff. Just be aware that when you start hovering near twenty points of Bad Stuff, you start getting into serious risk of random unfortunate death. I won't let you accidentally go over ten, but if you force the issue, it's your choice.
Partial powers...kinda. I'll let your character start to experiment with powers, and they won't have full control, but I'm not gonna implement partial versions specifically.
Are we in a Kill Bill scene? There are ninja everywhere!
By RAW any unspent points are "good stuff" which is luck and charisma and any overspending is "bad stuff" is bad luck. Is Viscount's cal,l of course. how it works.
In some games (including my own), I put caps on good stuff. Also implemented "partial powers". Both were to address saving up 50 points for Pattern or in our case the 42 points from 3rd to 2nd in warfare.
Just seems odd for someone to have 49 points of good stuff because you are saving up or 50 points of bad stuff because you walked the pattern during the story.
In the game I co-ran, we used that as the classic example of what not to do. We'd warn you off, but don't try to take an initiatory Power without at least most of the points to pay for it.
You pay the cost and wind up with the Bad Stuff during the Pattern walk. Walking the Pattern with 50 points of Bad Stuff isn't something you survive.
Both of those helped immensely. Just one more clarification.
Say I wind up with some Bad Stuff, and then get some amount of points. Can I then spend those to get rid of Bad Stuff? Is it ever an option, or does Bad Stuff automatically get paid off before we can buy something new?
When advancing, you let me know if you want your Stuff total to be affected or not. If your goal is to not have Bad Stuff anymore, then the answer is pretty explicitly yes.
In the game I co-ran, we used that as the classic example of what not to do. We'd warn you off, but don't try to take an initiatory Power without at least most of the points to pay for it.
You pay the cost and wind up with the Bad Stuff during the Pattern walk. Walking the Pattern with 50 points of Bad Stuff isn't something you survive.
This.
So, say you were willing to take on up to 5 points of Bad stuff. You'd say that, and then say "I want a magic ring, a beautiful tiara, and a pony. I'd take Bad Stuff for the ring, but not the tiara or the pony."
If you could afford the ring, with or without Bad Stuff, you would get it, but if you couldn't afford the tiara or the pony without taking Bad Stuff, the GM would inform you of that.
I have a similar personal rule of "no more than 5 points of bad stuff". Having the universe out for you is not so fun... maybe Martin walked the pattern and got 50 points of bad stuff and hence was used by Brand.
Items are a bit different. You don't have to spend points to have items, you spend them to make them part of you. Anyone with pattern could walk to a pretty magic ring but it takes time, could be dangerous, and when you loose it its gone. The magic ring you paid for is hard to loose and someone with pattern could loose it then walk into a bar and find it in their beer.
Oh, and one little thing that's sort of a behind-the-scenes deal: If you're working to upgrade your Attribute rank, there's an involved little process. First, I'll be keeping a running total of your spent points - if one of your goals is to advance your Rank, then I'll be adding to it, but you won't be able to steal a Rank from the current holder without exceeding the current holder's running total by five.
Dominant Rank is a little harder to steal ; That won't be taken without beating them by more than five, and additionally, once you're about to pass them, they will get a warning that they need to start putting points in in order to keep their Dominance.
True(Etzil), but that doesn't let me suggest that Alric is a little princess :P
Being a princess is free :)
True(Etzil), but that doesn't let me suggest that Alric is a little princess :P
If I get enough princess Bad Stuff, will Bowser-I mean, Nikolas-cart me off to another castle?
Heh, That would be very, very bad stuff.
Oh, and one little thing that's sort of a behind-the-scenes deal: If you're working to upgrade your Attribute rank, there's an involved little process. First, I'll be keeping a running total of your spent points - if one of your goals is to advance your Rank, then I'll be adding to it, but you won't be able to steal a Rank from the current holder without exceeding the current holder's running total by five.
I don't think I follow that.
If the Strength auction was done now and Marjana was trying to buy up during play - going from 3rd(11pts) to 2nd(16pts), how much would that cost?
I've always seen it as like buying up after the auction - costs 5 to get to 2.5.
Or are you saying we'd both be moving up without changing ranks and the original point costs don't matter once the game starts?
That brings up something else.
I know that PvP is extremely likely, perhaps even encouraged, but are we actively trying to kill each other? I was operating under the impression that we're all going to have shared goals, but the means of achieving them might put us into conflict, not that we're in the Amber Hunger Games.
Alrighty, folks - technically, we aren't going to finalize Strength until later on tonight at the earliest, so James has a chance to get back in the game, but let's go ahead and start with the private bids for the next Attribute: which is...
Physical conflict has been covered, Strength and Warfare dominating the battlefield and up close and personal levels. What's left, then? Moving beyond the mere physical to the realm of magic, will, and the mind. The power of Psyche conveys dominance in all forms of Sorcery, augments the ability to walk in Shadow, and is the force behind psychic combat. At a distance or up close, the master of Psyche rightly terrifies all beings with their minds still intact.
Oh, and one little thing that's sort of a behind-the-scenes deal: If you're working to upgrade your Attribute rank, there's an involved little process. First, I'll be keeping a running total of your spent points - if one of your goals is to advance your Rank, then I'll be adding to it, but you won't be able to steal a Rank from the current holder without exceeding the current holder's running total by five.I don't think I follow that.
If the Strength auction was done now and Marjana was trying to buy up during play - going from 3rd(11pts) to 2nd(16pts), how much would that cost?
I've always seen it as like buying up after the auction - costs 5 to get to 2.5.Or are you saying we'd both be moving up without changing ranks and the original point costs don't matter once the game starts?
The original point costs still definitely matter. The idea is that if you're trying to improve your rank during in-game character advancement, you'll need to surpass someone else by more than just one point. Using your example: during play, you would have to use up five points to get to rank 2.5, but you could take 2nd if you exceeded their total by a further five. You'll need to spend more, of course, if they are also working to improve their ranking.
Does that make sense?
Roy comes to the end of his cigarillo and looks over toward Nikolas. "On second thought... I did hear about you, you know. That stunt you pulled with the, whatsit, Jugger-gnat? Mighty impressive."
He pulls out another cigarillo and takes on a thoughtful look. "But I done some impressive things in my time, too. Like when I went up against the Sons of Mammon. Y'ever heard of them? Probably not. Twice-damned sons of b*tches, they were. And a whole lot of them. They raided all up and down the edge of the Maze, round abouts 1890 or so. And no normal banditos, either. Name like that they had to be a cult, and sure enough they were."
The gunslinger rolls the cigarillo in his fingers, still gazing off into the distance. "Caught my first one down near Lost Angels, April of ninety-one. Black magic, he used, and told me the others did too. Not to mention they were good shots, and over three score of them. Vicious bastards. They holed up in a big ol' church they converted to a dark temple of sin and debauchery, all fortress-like. I asked if it was stone and he said no. So I burned that down."
He pauses, nodding. "But most of 'em got away. Saw me coming that time. So I grabbed another one off on his lonesome, and found out they was takin' a train eastways, hoping to set up shop somewhere else and get back to it. All of 'em at once, like. Well, I was going to get me some dynamite and blow the track, but they was leaving that very day. No time. So you know what I did? I went out on my horse to a nice patch of track that ran over a ravine. Wide enough to ride aside the engine while it passed. I left my horse on the other side and waited next to the track. And you know what I did then?"
Roy finally lights a match and holds it up to the cigarillo, then looks at Nikolas dead in the eye as he takes a drag. "I kicked that damn train over and watched the whole lot of them bastards drop to Hell."
That brings up something else.
I know that PvP is extremely likely, perhaps even encouraged, but are we actively trying to kill each other? I was operating under the impression that we're all going to have shared goals, but the means of achieving them might put us into conflict, not that we're in the Amber Hunger Games.
Mostly correct. There will be shared goals, but there also might be competitive ones. In the traditional Throne War scenario, for instance, there is usually both a vacant space on the Throne of Amber and a looming threat to the City. In that circumstance, the characters would need to both settle the fight for the Throne and defend against the enemies of Amber.
Yeeesss. Let the true battle for Strength begin. Tell your tales, recount your legends, and let the world know your prowess! Roy of the Deadlands stands supreme for the moment, with Nikolas at his heels; Chaney, Marjana, are you sure you don't want to back up your skill with a little raw power?
A question on Strength vs Warefare. Often in games (and the rulebook) I've seen Warfare basically be the god stat for all physical conflict. The consummate swordsman (Warfare) beats the best martial artist (Strength) every time no matter what (want to accept some damage to initiate a grab? too bad the swordsman dances away). This is reflected in the auctions I've seen.
This was a source of great disappointment for my character who I built as a hercules like character. I felt that my strength just meant being able to lift heavy things, open any jar, and if anyone was foolish to throw a punch at me or piss me off while hanging around unarmed I could take them out.
So in this game, could Roy (#1 strength) beat even Marjana (#2 warfare)?
I am in no way trying to drive up the price :)
As a side comment while we're talking about different things, and without wanting anyone to play their hand too much, is anyone looking at any of the positions for that auction, once we get there? They seem interesting, with a trade-off of prestige/power and responsibilities.
So in this game, could Roy (#1 strength) beat even Marjana (#2 warfare)?
Can I at least have my gun? I've seen what the little lady can do to a man who gets too close. Arm-wrestling talents aside, I'd rather keep my distance or make sure I'm on her good side.
No guns Roy! :) My question made more sense when Nikolas was number one.
As a side comment while we're talking about different things, and without wanting anyone to play their hand too much, is anyone looking at any of the positions for that auction, once we get there? They seem interesting, with a trade-off of prestige/power and responsibilities.
Admiral of the South Sea seems neat. We can argue with each other over who is stronger or smarter, but money is money, even in Amber (I assume anyway xD), and control of a wealthy trade route seems like a delightful power ploy.
A question on Strength vs Warefare. Often in games (and the rulebook) I've seen Warfare basically be the god stat for all physical conflict. The consummate swordsman (Warfare) beats the best martial artist (Strength) every time no matter what (want to accept some damage to initiate a grab? too bad the swordsman dances away). This is reflected in the auctions I've seen.
This was a source of great disappointment for my character who I built as a hercules like character. I felt that my strength just meant being able to lift heavy things, open any jar, and if anyone was foolish to throw a punch at me or piss me off while hanging around unarmed I could take them out.
So in this game, could Roy (#1 strength) beat even Marjana (#2 warfare)?
I am in no way trying to drive up the price :)
Valid concerns, with a fairly complicated answer. All other things being equal, a man with a deadly weapon beats a man with his fists. As Bruce Lee said, "Nowadays you don't go around on the street kicking people, punching people — because if you do (makes gun shape with hand), well that's it — I don't care how good you are."
Keeping that in mind, in an even contest between Warfare and Strength, Strength is at a disadvantage. They are not, necessarily, going to lose - but they are going to have a problem, especially if the Warfarer is being cagey. Where Strength gets an advantage is in two major points: First, that they don't need any kind of weapon. Strength is power without restriction. Second, their ability to shape the battlefield is a little (heh) stronger. They can shift rocks or jump cliffs that Warfare can't, and they can flat out run faster, if it comes to that.
So, to answer you question about #1 Strength vs. #2 Warfare, the answer is yes - probably. If Strength decided to just straight up take a hit and grab Warfare, and Warfare took the bait, then things get dicey for Warfare, but it probably comes down to their relative Strengths, Endurances and Warfares at that point (since Strength is going to be wounded, possibly seriously depending on their Warfare).
Ultimately, unless the disparity in your Attributes is nuts, pretty much never expect to charge a guy with a sword and not pay for it at least a little. That's just the way the world works. But power can make a serious difference in how you handle that fight.
As a side comment while we're talking about different things, and without wanting anyone to play their hand too much, is anyone looking at any of the positions for that auction, once we get there? They seem interesting, with a trade-off of prestige/power and responsibilities.Admiral of the South Sea seems neat. We can argue with each other over who is stronger or smarter, but money is money, even in Amber (I assume anyway xD), and control of a wealthy trade route seems like a delightful power ploy.
Doesn't it just? Don't discount the Northern Admiral, though - a fleet equipped to take out sea monsters at your disposal is a mighty force to be reckoned with as well.
“I have no need to brag. Others tell my tales – the ones I permit to spread.”
It is known that Nikolas, by virtue of his Father’s blood can travel beyond the realms of mortals to the hells and heavens of the gods. At times, when he chooses to do so, he allows his mortal companions to join him on even more wondrous quests.
One day while travelling the Mist Between, Nikolas’ ship sailed into a great storm. The wind formed waves which turned the Shadowcharger sideways. The canvas tore from the masts and the masts tore from the deck. Nikolas knew he would survive the deadly storm; even if the ship was sent to the below the surface of the sea, he would swim to shore. But he knew his crew had no such luxury. He steered the vessel from the Mist entirely, and sailed to a calm sea in the realm of the gods.
But here he was wary. Nikolas knew that among the heavens and hells dwelled men and beast who might challenge even he. And so luck, or perhaps fate steered Nikolas as he steered the Shadowcharger.
Two hours did they sail the sea beyond mortal realms, but each time Nikolas turned the keel back toward Mist, the deadly storm arose around them again and he was forced to turn back or choose to sacrifice his crew.
His frustration grew, then anger, then understanding. After the seventh retreat he knew some godly or demonic hand was preventing his passage.
Nikolas stood at the prow of the ship and ripped the wheel from its mooring. With a mighty throw he hurled it into the sea. ”Your fun is over!” he shouted into the calm surf, “We will not sail at your beckoning! If you wish to challenge me, show your face!”
A full throated laugh surrounded the ship, and the crew cowered in fear that Nikolas would goad a god. The water began to roil below the Shadowcharger, and the boat began to spin. Rocks clamped to the hull and an island grew around them. The ship rose high into the air. Surrounding the isle, its scales scraped across the rocks, loops of flesh as wide as a man, appeared a serpent. The face of a woman birthed from one end of its coils and taunted Nikolas, who stood stoic as the crew fled to the bowels of the ship.
“Child of Amber,” Nikolas’ birthland, the highest heaven, “you are far from home. It was foolish of you to stray this far into chaos alone.”
Nikolas’ face changed. He chose his words carefully for this being was unknown to him. “What is your game? You know me, but I do not know you. I have no quarrel and our houses are at peace since the Black Road joined our land.”
“No game, child, a test. You have been loud in Shadow, ripples of you are spreading far beyond your chosen demesne. Some of us take loud as a challenge. There is a contest among us to see if you can be silenced.”
“A test then. What is your contest?”
The serpent responded with a sibilant chuckle, “An easy task. You are free to go at any time, but you can only escape with what you can carry.” With the last word, the serpent’s coils gripped and jerked Nikolas’ ship from under him and he fell to the rocky beach below. With a quick roll he regained his feet, and watched as the Shadowcharger rose high above the island’s surface, cradled in the serpents scales.
Nikolas felt the eyes of other demons around him and knew that to slay the serpent would call more, unknowable, and likely more powerful demons on him. He looked the serpent in the eye, then turned to take a long look at the vessel holding his crew, well out of reach. With a nod he turned to the beach and leapt into the surf.
His crew cried out in fear and horror, “Do not abandon us! Nikolas, save us from the demon’s grasp!”
Only silence returned their cries. The serpent’s face took on a blissful contentment. “I knew the temper of this one was wanting. He flees. We have won.”
Then a shiver went through the demon’s scales, and the water around the island boiled again. The rocks shifted and some fell into the surrounding sea. The island rose higher, serpent, ship and all. The edge of the beach pulled free of the water and the isle abandoned the embrace of the surf. Below, with kicks that sent spray and foam in all direction Nikolas swam beneath the island, its base firmly in his grasp.
“I am returning, as was our deal, with all I can carry. Your Isle is mine, and only out of courtesy do I give you the opportunity to leave it before I claim you in service for the rest of your demonic life. And we both know that will be a very long life”
The serpent snarled, and lifted its coils as if to strike, but recoiled back as the sky and sea rung with a new voice. “That was the bargain, You will honor it. It is your own damn fault for trying to be clever.”
With that, the serpent escaped into the surrounding waters and Nikolas carried his new island back to the mortal realms. The serpent returned to retrieve it many years later, but that is another tale – for another time.
I bid 40!
This stuff is very cool, Nikolas. Many props.
The legend of Nikolas of the Mist spreads further, and he regains the Dominant slot of Strength! Who is willing to step up once again and prove him as much a braggart as a hero?
Thanks. I love legends, tall tales, and fables. Role-playing gives me the chance to make up my own.