Jegergryte Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) Right, I have this world I'm playing in and have been developing over a few years. The world in itself is created by an unknown number of "gods" or "beings" of energy that caused creation into existence… in the process they messed up the perfect void (which didn't like being messed with). Basically this is a meta-plot device more than anything the players ever get into. So while there are "divine" and "infernal" forces trying to win an epic battle of keeping creation in existence and unmaking it, this is not really something that plays into the game directly. So the "gods" don't really care about the centre of creation, so long as it produces souls and is kept safe, which it is. So they don't meddle with the affairs of the planet, if you ignore the millennial lunar alignment transferring magic (as a thank-you gift for the souls: the stuff of creation) from the "gods" to the planet. I do not intend to let these "gods" take sides in "earthly matters" or let people have an allegiance to them, as they are nameless and care more for creating than anything else. Now, the world itself has many nations, civilisations and such stuff. Of course there is one "faction", the Monsters, which was the cause for the downfall of the Utopia (some 15000 years ago or so). This is the closest to "dark gods" or "forces of chaos" that players will ever really encounter, of course we (me and the guy I created the world with) did use "demons" at some points, as representatives of the void, when it sometimes manages and attempts to mess up stuff on Pentarus, like stealing (completely destroying) souls… which usually doesn't go well, for a multitude of reasons… I see now that this can go on and on about this… basically my question is about how to use allegiances in a non-divine way? or if it is actually any point in doing that… consideriong the above... Thing is, I have certain powerful people, like an "evil" (such a relative term) empress, a cynical century old Devi-type of character, and more like him… additionally there are two more or less completely magical races… these are, I guess, the power factions… technically its possible to become a Devi-type character by performing deeds and discovering ancient technology and lore, and of course by in some way or another help the above mentioned "gods" with "powerful" and large quantities of souls… so, then, it is possible to come in contact with or by contacted by or just affected by the creators of creations, although this is more akin to reaching enlightenment than any sort of communication taking place. So either by causing a genocide or strengthen the souls of people (training, teaching magic, honour, and so on) or causing an epic continuous birth-increase (just to name three superficial and banal examples) one can, potentially, be "elevated" into a Devi. Of course it could just be simplified into abstract non-interventionist religions, pantheons, honour (moral and ethical) codes, protocol of the principles of actions and so on… at that point though it becomes numerous and will certainly overlap… I guess as long as these don't give suggested abilities it won't be much of a problem, but of course I do lean towards such a rewarding system, especially when/if reaching apotheosis… I know it would be easier to comment and come with suggestions if you knew more of the world and its meta-plot, its set of "plausibility structures", its metaphysical and semi-divine sacred canopy (of relativity…) Edited September 7, 2011 by Jegergryte typo Quote "What about the future...? We only hope, we cannot however account for the minutiae of the quanta, as all accidents in an infinite space are inevitable." Jegergrytes Creative Cubicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrJealousy Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 I had trouble finding the question in that. Sounds like an interesting and complex world you have there. My small contribution would be to say that Allegiance is not to be sniffed at! Assuming there are powerful people, gods or things that are willing to pour some small portion of their power into something like a champion. Then, they probably would. Quote Mr Jealousy has returned to reality! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedopon Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 ... ? ... Quote 121/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaot Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 basically my question is about how to use allegiances in a non-divine way? or if it is actually any point in doing that… consideriong the above... Yes, you can use Allegiance as a social metric if you set it up right. It can be a tally for the actions that you take in favor of a certain group or power structure. You can strip out the supernatural aspects and benefits of Allegiance and substitute social standing and reputation. You do enough actions to support a group (racking up point's in that groups Allegiance), and you're going to be associated with that group in the public eye. You're going to be well known enough by people in that group to go to them for favors to an extent. Also, you will be able to use that group's reputation in social situations to influence others. ("Hey, I'm Hrimraral. You don't know me but I do a lot of work with the Grey Company. I need to talk to you about overly aggressive partially awakened plasmoids.") I've only used Allegiance where there are three factions but I've thought about loosening it up to track a wider spectrum. Another tweak I was thinking about using is tracking faction/anti-faction points separately. So Gorbak does a lot of work for The Scarlet Hand, right? But he works as a mercenary and in two of his missions he was involved in situations that led to some serious set backs in The Scarlet Hand's agenda. He still has a significant Allegiance with them, but he's got a few strikes against them as well. The thing about this is, it probably works best in a setting with very defined factions and geography. I could see it working great in a Lankhmar game or a Dune game. You blow this up to sandbox and, unless there's a clear line on factions working against each other, it probably won't be a very useful mechanic. And of course, it's completely unplaytested. Just one more thing knocking around in my head. technically its possible to become a Devi-type character by performing deeds and discovering ancient technology and lore, and of course by in some way or another help the above mentioned "gods" with "powerful" and large quantities of souls… so, then, it is possible to come in contact with or by contacted by or just affected by the creators of creations, although this is more akin to reaching enlightenment than any sort of communication taking place. So either by causing a genocide or strengthen the souls of people (training, teaching magic, honour, and so on) or causing an epic continuous birth-increase (just to name three superficial and banal examples) one can, potentially, be "elevated" into a Devi. Of course it could just be simplified into abstract non-interventionist religions, pantheons, honour (moral and ethical) codes, protocol of the principles of actions and so on… at that point though it becomes numerous and will certainly overlap… I guess as long as these don't give suggested abilities it won't be much of a problem, but of course I do lean towards such a rewarding system, especially when/if reaching apotheosis… And, it looks as though I must run, but I have some thoughts and questions on this section here. Quote 70/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosenMcStern Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Be careful: Allegiance is for the supernatural only. Your reputation with the mundane hierarchy of a cult is better modeled by Status (cult) . 1 Quote Proud member of the Evil CompetitionTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdavies2720 Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Clockwork and Chivalry has a trait called "Righteousness" which is calculated from Stats (like skills) and with a bonus depending on which faction a character belongs to. It has a couple of effects in play: * Players and NPCs trying to influence each other can do an opposed Righteousness check to see who wins out * Players can add 1/10 their Righteousness to skills when applicable * The GM can call for a Righteousness check from a player if they are acting in a way contrary to their faction beliefs Most of my players are liking Righteousness, and don't mind that their free will can occasionally be subverted by the GM Righteousness check. For my playing group, the mechanic has done what it's supposed to: Bring faction allegiance front and center in the campaign. Steve Quote Bathalians, the newest UberVillians! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogspawner Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I have a two-step mechanic for allegiance/alignment. For each cult/faction decide 5 traits (from Pendragon) that are most relevant; and monitor the characters' various traits in play. Then their allegiance to any cult/faction can be calculated by totting-up relevant traits (subtracting opposites) - without having to keep a separate number for every faction (so you can invent new ones easily...). Quote Britain has been infiltrated by soviet agents to the highest levels. They control the BBC, the main political party leaderships, NHS & local council executives, much of the police, most newspapers and the utility companies. Of course the EU is theirs, through-and-through. And they are among us - a pervasive evil, like Stasi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.