Reactions Draft

Here's a draft of the Reaction roll charts I may put in the next Rules Update.  Questions, Comments?

SECTION 6:  REACTION CHECKS

 

When checking for the Reaction of NPC’s to attempts at negotiation, check the following tables, applying the modifiers listed:

 

2d6 Result	Hire	Sell	Bribe/Back Down	Make Peace
2-4	No	No	Fight	Fight
5-7	Better Offer-1	Better Offer-1	No	No
8-10	Yes	Better Offer-2	Better Offer-2	Yes
11-12	Yes, Bonus	Yes	Yes	Help

 

Hire:  When you wish to hire an NPC as a henchman or hireling, or when you want to convince someone to hire you for a job.

Sell:  when you wish to convince someone to sell you something they wouldn’t ordinarily sell or perform a service that’s difficult or time consuming.  Examples:  getting a noble to sell you a family heirloom or getting a wizard to write you a scroll.

Bribe/Back Down:  when you want to convince someone to do something that’s against their nature, their job, their ethics.  This assumes you have either a perceived advantage in force or are offering a bribe.  If it is strictly threat of force, you may substitute a morale check.  Examples: bribing guards to open a gate or smuggle goods in to a prison, getting orcs to move out of the way on a bridge to allow passage, or getting an evil priest to heal a sick good guy for cash and prizes. 

Make Peace:  when you wish to get a potential enemy to not fight, but for both groups to pass on their way peacefully (without a bribe or threat of force).   Example: you stumble across 20 goblins in a forest, you see no need to fight them so you attempt to ask for a no-foul truce.

 

RESULTS:

No:  the NPC’s refuse, the parley is over.

Yes: the NPC’s agree at the state terms.

Fight:  check initiative, it’s go time.

Help::  the NPC’s become friendly and offer to provide some help or assistance.

Better Offer-1:  the PC’s may check again, if they offer 50% more cash.

Better Offer-2:  the PC’s may check again, if they offer twice the last offer.  If this was a “back down” attempt, they will ask for an appropriate bribe and allow a re-roll.

Yes Bonus:  if hiring NPC’s, they will agree and will introduce you to a like-minded friend.  If you are attempting to be hired you will get a 50% bonus.

 

MODIFIERS:

Lead Negotiator:  Add Charisma Bonus

Bard: can attempt to use Bard power to shift reaction 1 level

Different Alignment:  -1

Opposite Alignment:  -2

Different Species or Nation:   -1

Hostile Species or Nation:  -2

Reactions

I have been poking around with a bunch of stuff--fleshing out the rest of the magic item creation rules, making an alchemist NPC class (like the Lackey only going to level 6)  and so forth.   No one seems to care about that stuff right now, since the characters have barely got pork chop money.


What I did remember that came up in play is NPC reactions.   The table in the RC (essentially the same as the ones we used in ACKS) are just too fiddly and vague.   I need to come up with something that can give a clearer answer, without so many undefined "roll again" results.


We need something direct for hiring people.   We need something direct for negotiating with neutral and hostile enemies.   I mean you shouldn't be using the same result table for getting some orcs to hand over a dingus without a fight and getting a bored guard to let you pass.


I'm also wondering whether I should issue a new Update with new information, or should I edit all the rules mods together into a single document that is corrected and collated.

Draft for Potions, Poisons and Arms/Armor by Focus Method

Armor and Weapons by Focus Method:  any caster can enchant a piece of armor or weapon using the same method as creating a magical focus.   A +1 enchantment counts as a 3^rd level spell and a +2 enchantment counts as a 5^th level spell.   The enchanted armor and weapon, however, have no risk of being destroyed when the caster dies.  The rules for tribal or impoverished casters also apply.   Elves also can create a “Focus Quiver” by sacrificing a level 1 spell slot.  This quiver makes up to 20 arrows taken from it and immediately shot per day act as magical weapons for the purpose of hitting creatures invulnerable to normal weapons, but applies no bonus to hit or damage.

 

Potions:  Magic-Users, Gnomes and Alchemists (NPC) may create any potion.  To create a potion requires a formula and a Potion Laboratory.  When a caster decides to go into the potion construction business and has created his laboratory, he adds a new “spell level” to his spell book, for potion formulae (thus he has a maximum number of potion formulae based on his intelligence).  The potion library requires a room with a fireplace and 2000gp worth of glass ware, astrological references and special equipment.  For the base cost of the potion refer to the Hackmaster Game Master’s Guide, the Experience Point cost for each potion is the amount of gold that must be spent on ingredients.   Divide the cost by 100 (round up) for the number of days required to brew the potion.  However, each potion requires a special ingredient which must be quested for, and cannot be bought on the open market.  Cursed potions have an experience value of 200. 

Clerics of 5^th level or higher can also make potions, but only those of Healing, Extra-healing, Elixir of Health and Undead Control.   Instead of a potion laboratory, the cleric must use a silver font and basin inside of a consecrated shrine to his god.  Such a font costs 3000gp and can also be used to make Holy (or Unholy) Water.   The time and cost for the potions are figured the same way as magic-user potions.  Clerical potions require no special ingredients. 

The basin and font can also be used to make Holy Water.  The cleric, dressed in formal vestments, must cast (in order): Create Water, Purify Food and Drink, Bless, Chant and Prayer.  This produces 10 vials worth of Holy (or Unholy) water, which must be immediately decanted into crystal vials (cost 3gp each).

Primitive or Impoverished spell casters can also make potions.   They require only a dedicated hut or cave area and series of gourds or pots.  The potion still requires its special ingredient, but does not have a gold piece cost, instead it takes much longer to create.   The potion will take 10 times the normal length of time of a normal potion.

 

Poison:

Monster Poison:  poison can be harvested from monsters.  To harvest a dose of poison from a venomous monster, add the character’s Intelligence and Dexterity (thieves and evil clerics can also add their experience levels) and get that number or less on d100.   Only one attempt per monster may be made, and an empty flask or vial must be ready to store it.  If, however, the d100 harvest roll is a 93 or higher, the harvester is the process of harvesting and must make a save vs. poison or suffer the effects of the monster’s poison.

Man-Made Poisons: a series of man-made poisons are also available. These are all very illegal and in most cities possession or manufacture of poison carries a death sentence.   The types are as follows:

Type	Cost	Effect
Common Blade Venom	25gp	1d4 damage for 1d6 rounds, save +4
Strong Blade Venom	250gp	Death in 1d3 rounds, save applies
Common Food Poison	15gp	1d4 damage per turn for 2d6 turns, save +4
Strong Food Poison	150gp	Death in 1d4 turns, save applies
Common Contact Poison	75gp	1d4 damage for 2d4 rounds, save +4
Strong Contact Poison	750gp	Death in 1d6 rounds, save applies

 

            Evil thieves, magic-users, clerics, and gnomes of level 5 or greater, and all evil alchemists can make poisons.   It requires a poison kit, costing 200gp.   Each poison dose costs one half the retail cost to make, a 1 day per 10gp of poison value.   The character must roll Intelligence or less on a d20 to successfully make the poison.  If he rolls a 20 on die, he has poisoned himself and must make a save of suffer the full effects of the poison.

            Using Poison:  1 dose of monster poison or blade venom will coat 20 arrows or bolts, on one sharp melee weapon for 10 rounds of combat.  However, if someone using a poisoned weapon rolls a 1 on the attack roll, he has poisoned himself and must save or be affected.  Food poison must be applies to a dish that the target eats or drinks.   1 dose of contact poison will cover about a 2 foot x 2 foot area.  If anyone touches the covered object with bare skin, the poison takes effect.

Serious Thinking About Wands

I'm putting together some rules for the creation of magic items beyond the Scrolls and Foci already established.   I'm having some serious thoughts about whether or not to just dump Wands completely.  In a way, Foci take the place of Wands.   Having a focus that shoots 1 spell per day (or 3 times per day if you made it yourself, or took it from someone who's still alive) eliminates the need for having a battery of 20 charges or so.  


There's also the question of balancing Wands vs. Scrolls.   If a scroll of fireball costs 350gp and 3 weeks to make,  a 20-charge wand should be more expensive and require longer time, since it is more convenient to use the wand (no spell spoilage, whereas you can spoil a scroll casting) and it is less cumbersome than fishing out 20 scrolls.  So, it would be at least 7000gp, and 60 weeks (but more likely, say 10,000gp and 70 weeks).   It's a nice money-sink, but I don't see too many mages taking a year and a half out of play for a fireball wand.  Maybe I'm wrong.


A fireball focus, would be 3 weeks and 300gp, but the bigger sacrifice would be the loss of a spell slot and the permanent disability on losing the focus.


I just think that the Focus slips nicely into the space that wands had in the magic-user utility realm, and they should be more justifiably ubiquitous.   And, there's nothing that says that a Focus can't look like a wand.


The special staffs and rods can still be used, just treated as Misc. Magic Items.

Nightmare

Cleanse the mind
Cleanse the spirit


Cleanse the mind
Cleanse the spirit


Cleanse the mind
Cleanse the spirit


Cleanse the mind
Cleanse the spirit


Cleanse the mind
Cleanse the spirit


Cleanse the mind
Cleanse the spirit


Cleanse the mind
Cleanse the spirit

Quick Review: Beowulf

"Esquire" TV network is showing a new series called "Beowulf."  Instead of taking place in the Scandinavian settling of the original, it is in a mythological place called "The Shield Lands" where great horned trolls run around on the beach, and the town blacksmith is a Pakistani Lady for some reason.


Review:   Poop