Balance in fantasy gaming

[GianniVacca]

I am looking at adapting the Allegiance system to non-divine applications, so I could easily say that one social group can teach X, and another can teach Y.

Very interesting! Keep us posted!

[Nightshade]

That's a good point...hmmmm. I'm coming from a Hero System background and I know exactly how to do those sorts of things in Hero, but how does one construct them in BRP? And how does one have PCs "pay" for them? In Hero it's easy because you buy things out of accrued experience points, but BRP operates in an entirely different fashion. So is it all handled in the play -- making them hard to learn and maybe requiring a quest, or what have you?

Construction is, I'm afraid, like much of BRP pretty ad-hoc. Paying for them can have two basic approaches:

1. Chunk: They're treated like learning some spells and learned as one unit that takes X amount of time. Buying them at the start of play would probably be done by assigning a cost in skill points.

2. Pseudo-skill: Like Martial Arts they're learned as a second skill that has to be used with a combat skill at the lower of the two values. This has a problem that it can be hard to keep the skill at a value that makes actually taking the hit worth it, particularly if (like Martial Arts) its treated as a mental skill not improvable except by training.

[ghelmberger]

Looking at Pendragon, I see that the Glory system provides for the opportunity to "buy" things in an interesting way. Since one of the things I'm looking to emulate in this game is the sort of wild lust for glory that is present in the eddas and sagas, I think this could be a useful sort of mechanic. W points of Glory or Renown or whatever I choose to call it can buy X, but if you want to wait and accumulate more, you can spend Y points to get the more useful ability Z.

[vagabond]

You can also look to the original Stormbringer use of demon summoning,

or even Mongoose's Elric for its use of pacts. Making magic dangerous to

attain, complete with blood sacrifices (the caster's own, or a victim),

selling one's soul, and bartering with powerful demonic and godly entities

will surely make even the PCs a little wary about learning even the weakest

of spells.

As stated, herbalism and alchemy become important for healing and other less

powerful or less permanent effects.

Ian

[sdavies2720]

Looking at Pendragon, I see that the Glory system provides for the opportunity to "buy" things in an interesting way. Since one of the things I'm looking to emulate in this game is the sort of wild lust for glory that is present in the eddas and sagas, I think this could be a useful sort of mechanic. W points of Glory or Renown or whatever I choose to call it can buy X, but if you want to wait and accumulate more, you can spend Y points to get the more useful ability Z.

I've always limited the players through game-world restraints: Some skills are only taught in specific places, or magical abilities are acquired through quests.

But I have to say, I really like the idea of paying for extraordinary abilities through reputation. You could even game it: "Well, we used to think Rurik was pretty hot stuff with how he saved the city from the dragon and all, but he's gotten weird all of a sudden -- lots of strange things are happening now. I'd stay away from him if I were you...did you hear about the gold knight at the tournament last week? Now that's someone to look up to."

Steve