Temp luck traits

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Latest revision as of 10:16, 8 June 2012

Link to old material: Old Temp luck traits

As usual, this Temp category material will eventually be moved out into properly formatted and written articles.

Luck traits are of four types: Luck, Miracles, Simple Luck and Simple Miracles. The two Simple versions are limited in scope, meaning that they are binary instead of scaling up, they are not very cost-efficient, and they are intended for the creation of relatively unimportant NPCs. The two non-Simple versions can be had in multiple degrees, especially Luck, and are flexible to use (again, especially Luck).

Luck Factor

This value, derived from Faith, is the basis for both Luck Points and Miracle Points. LF is derived from Faith using the NLE but rounded.

The Luck Point amount is how many LP the character regains per Moon. He starts the game with that amount, and may store a maximum of twice the amount, e.g. a character with Faith 5 starts with 20 LP, and if his player spends none for the next Moon, then he has 40. In the Moon after that his player might as well spend some LP because otherwise the regain opportunity is wasted.

Note that with a Luck Charm item, LP regain is increased by 50% (for the example character, to 30 LP per Moon) and LP max is doubled (for the example character, to 80 LP), but if the Charm is lost, the character's LP regain drops to 1/6 of what it was with the charm, rounded down (the example character would regain 5 LP/Moon instead of 30) and the maximum reverts to normal (in this case 40). Unlike Signature Items this kind of Luck Charm can never replaced. If stolen the character may be able to track the Charm down and steal it back, but if it is destryed, he suffers the effect of reduced LP regain (and non-increased max) for the rest of his life.

Also note that some Enchanted items may give luck benefits, including Coincidence-based benefits. These may be called Luck Charms, but do not follow the above rules, and are not fuelled by Luck Points. Ideally they should be called Fortune Charms instead of Luck Charms, to maintain the distinction.

Luck Score

Any character with non-Simple or Simple Miracles or Luck has a Luck Score. This can be calculated relatively quickly if it is needed, and currently is only used for a high-powered version of a very obscure variant of a particular item Enchantment, so is probably not necessary to pre-calculate before play. It is quite simple to include the pre-calculation functionality in the character creation spreadsheet, though, and the Luck Score does give an overall summary-type indication of how much the character concept emphasizes Luck.

If a character has both non-Simple Miracles and non-Simple Luck, then calculate the Luck Score twice, once for each, take the highest, and increase by 0.5. For instance if a character has a Luck Score of 4.5 for Luck and 3 for Miracles, his final Luck Score is 5.0.

The only current use for Luck Score does not require it to be an integer value (you round the final sum only, in that formula), but when necessary, simply round Luck Score down to get an integer value.

Coincidence degrees and Plausibility

The bread-and-butter Luck Traits, Minor Coincidence and Major Coincidence, use the Cost D column. The Cost E, F and A columns are currently un-used infrastructure. Cost C is used for Luck Traits that allow for a broad but limited range of Coincidences, or which can be expected to be frequently used, e.g. Jinx Foe, and Cost B is used for Luck Traitsthat allow only for a narrow range of Coincidences. Note that not all Luck Traits use the Coincidence rating system.

non-Simple Luck

In order to have non-Simple Luck, Basic Luck must first be purchased. This "opens" the character for Luck Traits, and represents a fairly high buy-in cost (in GP). Once Basic Luck has been purchased, additional Luck Traits and an increased number of Luck Points can be purchased, both relatively cheaply.

Round the final Luck Point total down. You regain half of this (round down again) every Moon, and can have no more unused LP stored than your starting total, e.g. if you have Faith 4 and Increased Luck I, then your starting amount and your max is 12 LP, and you regain 6 LP/Moon. For each instance of Extra Luck Trait, you must choose a different Luck Trait, except for those Luck Traits that specifically state that they may be chosen more than once.

Luck Traits

A note on LP cost scaling: A reasonable assumption is that a player character with Luck Points (not all PCs have Luck!) might have 16 or 24 points (based on Faith 4, or Faith 3 boosted by Increased Luck I), and regains half this per Moon (8 or 12 LP). A baseline value for a Luck-emphasizing character is Faith 6 and Increased Luck II, giving 96 LP (+48/Moon).

Aspected Luck, Broad

Aspected Luck, Narrow

Assassin Protection

This Luck Trait thwarts attempts to kill you by stealthy or nefarious means. This includes sniping, backstabbing, poisoning, and bombings, but only things or acts that deliberately targets you. This Luck Trait gives no protection against being the bystander victim of an assassin trying to blow up your boss or boyfriend.

1 LP for a Minor Coincidence, 3 for a Medium, 10 for a Major.

Coincidence, Major

You must have at least 30 LP in order to choose this Luck Trait, because each usage costs 30 Luck Points, and gives you one Major Coincidence, that must be of direct benefit to you or your friends or allies.

"Major Coincidence" means that the event does not have to be very plausible, but it must be well within the realm of the expectable. Something that could have happened.

Coincidence, Minor

Each use of Minor Coincidence costs 3 LP, and causes one Minor Coincidence to happen, that must be of direct benefit to you or your friends or allies.

"Minor Coincidence" means that the event must be quite plausible; it can't be something that makes people stop and wonder if magic has been worked, if there is a psionicist hiding in the corner, or similar.

Daredevil

The Daredevil Luck Trait can only be used when your character is engaging in risky behaviour, taking chances, doing dangerous things. Being in combat is not intrinsically risky enough in itself - it has to be potentially dangerous combat, or a potentially dangerous non-combat activity. Note that unlike most soldiers, player characters, whether soldiers or not, often engage in risky behaviour.

The effect of Daredevil is to reduce the severity of Fumbles only on rolls made by the character himself (never on rolls made by others, whether friends or foes), and only rolls for physical activities, such as combat and movement.

For 2 LP, the severity of a Fumble can be reduced by 1 grade, e.g. from F-4 to F-3. For 6 LP, it can be reduced by 2 grades, to a minimum of f-1 (a non-Fumble failure). Daredevil can never turn a Fumble into Success! For 20 LP a Fumble can be reduced by 3 grades.

Fair Combat

This Luck Trait works a bit like Jinx Foe, but can only be used when you are in unfair combat. Unfairness is measured in levels, and depends on what kind of gear you and your foe or foes have.

Being unarmed against a foe armed with a melee weapon counts as 1 level of unfairness. Being armed with a melee weapon against a foe armed with a ranged weapon counts as 1 level of unfairness. Being unarmed against a foe armed with a ranged weapon counts as 1 level of unfairness.

If you are unarmoured and the foe is armoured, add 1 further level of unfairness. If you are armoured and the foe is unarmoured, subtract 1 level.

If you are riding a combat-trained mount and the foe is on foot, subtract 1 level. If you are on foot and your foe is riding a combat-trained mount, add 1 level. Double this modifier if the mount is flighted (e.g. a giant riding bird) and its flight ability is useful in the current enviroment (e.g. not unside a claustrophobic underground maze).

Thus the maximum possible level of unfairness is 5 levels, but levels above 3 are treated as 3; also the Fair Combat Luck Trait cannot be used at all if there is not at least 1 level of unfairness. The GM must use his sense of realism and fairness to ignore minor benefits such as a knife that can be thrown (it should not count as a ranged weapon), or certain forms of light armour.

With 3+ levels of unfairness, the player may inflict a medium mishap on the foe for 1 LP. With 2 levels, it costs 2 LP. With 3 levels it costs 4 LP.

With 2 or 3+ levels of unfairness, a major mishap may also be inflicted. That costs 8 or 15 LP, respectively.

Being "in combat" means that the foe and the character are fighting, or that the foe is chasing or being chased by the character with a reasonable assumption that violence will occur if one catches the other.

Jinx Foe

This works like Minor/Major Coincidence, except that instead of fortunate coincidences occuring to you and your close allies, unfortunate coincidences occur to your foes - those who oppose you.

2 LP for a minor coincidence afflicting one foe or rival, 6 LP for a medium coincidence, 20 LP for a major one. If you want to afflict multiple foes, pay separately for each.

Long Shots

Lucky Pockets

You just happen to have a useful object in your pocket, or your backpack, or the trunk of your car, your saddlebag or whatever. The assumption is that the object is small and cheap.

The basic cost per use is 1 LP, but this can be increased if the item is of dubious plausibility for your character concept, to 2 or 3 or even 4 LP. The cost is increased further if the item is not small (+1), or if it is outright large (+2) or very large (+3), relative to where it is stored (a car trunk can contain more than a pocket in a pair of jeans). The cost is also increased if the item is non-cheap (+1), or expensive (+2) or very expensive (+3). Thus a very implausible (for the character) item can cost 10 LP, whereas a very plausible one costs only 1 LP.

Mascot

Reroll

Signature

Faster Bonding

Signature Kit

Signature Mount

Signature Vehicle

Signature Weapon

Subtle Luck

Unscathed