Skip to main content

Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells 2nd Edition - Reputation and Contacts


Reputation

Characters in most fantasy games begin as nobodies. They are usually common people without significant past deeds that would make them noticeable or famous. That’s an interesting and important feature. It sets the stage so that the really special events happen during the game. If the PCs are to become famous, gather a reputation, this will be due to things they do in their adventures.

Thus, as the characters go on adventures, acquire wealth, and become more and more powerful and influential, their reputation will grow. Their names will invoke images and change the way people see them. To help reflect this on the game I’ve come up with what I call a Level Test. It works like this: The player rolls a 2d6 and compare it to your character’s Level. If it’s equal to or below the number, the NPC recognizes you somehow. Their reaction will vary according to your deeds and fame.

The Referee can also impose a Negative or Positive Die depending on how familiar each region is to the culture of the character. Suppose a character famous for his deed in one kingdom traveled all the way across the ocean to another region, his chances of being recognized would be lower, so the Referee would roll an additional d6 and keep the two highest dice. In the same manner, if the character made efforts to become bonded to some specific culture, noble house or organization, NPCs linked to them (even enemies) could roll 3d6 and keep the two lowest dice when determining if they know the character.

Contacts

The player characters will inevitably meet and form bonds with a great number of individuals in their adventures. They will make friends, acquaintances and business contacts along the way and they will certainly try to make use of these contacts whenever they could prove useful in their endeavors.

In game terms, players can make a Luck Roll to determine if they know a contact related to their characters Concept. If they are an Ex-Gladiator from the Free Cities of the Bay of the Dragon, they could make a Luck Roll to determine if a contact related to gladiator arenas, gamblers, or people from the cities of that area are around. Far away from these circumstances these contacts could hardly be of any use though and the Referee might rule that they cannot make the Luck Roll.

If the character finds themself lucky, they know a certain someone that might be able to assist them, but not necessarily willing to help without receiving anything in return. The player and the Referee should create this individual together, possibly making use of the tables of Appendix N: NPCs Generator. These individuals should have distinctive features, personality and their own agenda. They might require some sort of payment for their services but more commonly will ask for favors, giving the Referee more opportunity to introduce adventure hooks in the campaign.

An unlucky character, however, either doesn't know anyone that could be of help nearby or the people they know are currently unavailable for now. The Referee should determine exactly the situation and move on.

Beyond the contacts the characters may know based on their Concept, they will eventually forge ties with other individuals. Players should make notes on the people they meet and can possibly call upon for assistance. To make use of them they still need to make a Luck Roll too, as circumstances can change and things are not so predictable.

Popular posts from this blog

How to never describe a dungeon!

Artwork by Luigi Castellani I've heard it a thousand times. You probably heard it too. Some people , I don't know why, say that dungeons , especially large ones, are boring . The endless repetitions of rooms and corridors and having to choose to go left, right, north or south depresses them. I don't know why. Actually, I do know why. Because they don't really know how to run a dungeon in play. It seems easy, effortless. Just say what's in the room the PCs are in and where the passages going out of it go. But it's not. They get bored with the "you get to a intersection and there is a door to the north and two passages, one going east and one going west" because that's a terrible way of describing a dungeon environment and gives nothing really useful to the players to choose from. You never describe a dungeon like that . There's a lot more going on that we can initially see. A good referee will take all the context of what the dungeon w

My RPG Zine Trilogy is on Kickstarter!

 I can't believe I didn't post about it here! The Dead are Coming, Screams Amongst the Stars and Running Out of Time are on Kickstarter right now! These are 3 complete games, made using the system of Electric Bastionland and Mausritter as the basis (and with some modifications to fit my vision for each of them). As with my games, they all come filled with many tools and tables to generate gaming content, adventures, locations, NPCs and much more. They are compact, easy to use, and equipped to provide you with years of entertainment! Here's a brief description of each of the games. The Dead Are Coming The first of them is called The Dead Are Coming, a minimalist, OSR style RPG about survival in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead have risen and other survivors can be much worse than the undead. Characters in this game are common people who have been struggling to survive, find their loved ones, keep them safe and just trying to keep living. They all carry resources like

Download the final text and sheets of Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells

Hello space hobos! Layout is about to begin and I have a surprise for you guys: The (as of right now) final text PDF of the Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells , together with the Character Sheet and Vehicle’s Sheet! With those, you can begin your crazy adventures in the Known Universe and try your luck under the cruel gaze of the Galactic Overlords. Try to earn a good amount of credits transporting goods or refugees through the sectors. Or even try to awaken a sleeping Star God to repair some of the damage the wars have brought upon our reality. So grab your Solar Blade and ready your Cosmic Spells! We are about to go on an adventure! SB&CS - Complete Text SB&CS - Character Sheet SB&CS - Vehicle's Sheet If you like what you've just read, check out my books over  RPGNow  and  Lulu .