Reputation

[Grimmshade]

Reputation seems useless until over 50%. You get a penalty for failing a Reputation roll to impress someone, so why would you risk it unless you had at least a 50% rep? 

This is all fine, because characters should have to build a rep before it means something, and it's cool that someone unimpressive gets ridiculed for trying to be impressive. The worrying part is that important npc's in the GM Kit (Rune Lords and such) have Reputation below 50%. It seems like those types of people should certainly be at a level where they could comfortably use their Reputation to their benefit.

Is it a bit wonky?

Edited September 26, 2018 by Grimmshade
Typos because my phone sucks

[Joerg]

Just now, Grimmshade said:

Reputation seems useless until over 50%. You get a penalty for failing a Reputation roll to impress someone, do why would you risk it unless you had at least a 50% rep? 

This is all fine, because characters should have to build a rep before it means something, but the worrying part is that important npc's in the GM Kit (Rune Lords and such) have Reputation below 50%. It seems like those types of people should certainly be at a level where they could comfortably use their Reputation to their benefit.

Is it a bit wonky?

If you're only a C-list celebrity, you need to augment your use of reputation...

[Grimmshade]

1 minute ago, Joerg said:

If you're only a C-list celebrity, you need to augment your use of reputation...

So you would augment your Rep before rolling your Rep to augment a social roll?

That's actually pretty cool. What would that look like in game? Something like flourishing your weapon and making a weapon roll while stating your reputation?

[JaredTwing]

I use Reputation for other things than just trying to impress people. Have you heard of them before? Are they known? Etc. So yes, at low levels the player does not want to use it un-augmented, but that certainly doesn't make the stat useless to me. Its just another piece of information making up who and what a character is.

[Joerg]

2 hours ago, Grimmshade said:

So you would augment your Rep before rolling your Rep to augment a social roll?

Think about making your entrance e.g. past the housecarl from that much wealthier clan which doesn't like yours, and get him to get an audience with his chief? Cite your deeds, those of your ancestors, those of your clan - be a good little Orlanthi attention whore just to get to talk to the chief, and have him denounce his favorite son for a foul worshipper of Chaos.

Especially after the one worshipper of Orlanth in your party of at least some notable family background just found his calling to follow the subcult of Mouselanth the Modest, and your GMs are Jeff Richard and Robin Laws tag-teaming.

Introduce yourself. Which ability but Reputation would you use?

2 hours ago, Grimmshade said:

That's actually pretty cool. What would that look like in game? Something like flourishing your weapon and making a weapon roll while stating your reputation?

At the start of a duel? But certainly yes. Orlanthi are a boisterous, bragging lot, and that means they bring up their reputation whenever they can. If you are more glib of tongue than accomplished, sure, use a communication skill instead, but if you match your reputation vs. that of your opponent, use that skill and augment it.

Other situations to use reputation directly - speaking up in a law case, or presenting a plan to the clan ring (probably requesting clan resources for that plan), or when wooing a woman through meeting the parents, or just trying to impress the go-between.

There will be situational modifiers, too. A reputation score at 30% can give you a more than decent chance once you have prepared presenting yourself.

 

Think back to how you behaved in primary school. Act like that.

[jajagappa]

6 hours ago, JaredTwing said:

I use Reputation for other things than just trying to impress people. Have you heard of them before? Are they known?

I use it to make a straight roll, bumped up or down depending on where they are, for just this purpose.  

I would allow it as an augment for a Communication roll, although success might come with a price, and failure might not (e.g. if the Issaries trader doesn't know you, he might not jack up the price of the sword you wish to buy, but if you're a known companion of Queen Leika, well then... he may have a "great" deal for you!).

[womble]

Note also that reputation "Within the same Clan" gets a 25 bonus, so you get to 'worth using as an Augment, maybe' quicker when you're dealing with your kin.