Leadership and related Relationships

GlassEye · Apr 11, 2012

Yes, the Leadership feat, cohorts etc. are not approved for LPF play. I'm in agreement with this.

However, I'd like to start discussion on how to handle mentors, friends, contacts, servants, and hirelings. While we're at it maybe we could discuss membership in organizations and other things like that. Characters are getting to the level where these things are more important and I think it's important to include some aspect of it in LPF. Traditionally these things are handled in a purely role-playing fashion. I'm fine with that (keeps down on mechanical imbalances, I think) but if my character makes a close friend in one adventure I'd like to have that friend potentially available during his next and throughout the character's lifespan.

On a similar note, I've been thinking about having my character purchase a house through the LPF Cost of Living. Being an adventurer she wouldn't likely be home much and it seems reasonable that she would have servants to take care of the place. How to handle that? I did have an idea about the home acquired through cost of living rules: for example, a wealthy home covers the cost of incidentals of 5 gold or less. Hirelings (trained & untrained) cost 3 silver & 1 silver per day to employ. So, (potentially) the wealthy home could support a number of hirelings as long as the per day cost of employing them doesn't exceed the price of incidentals covered.

Thoughts?

Maidhc O Casain · Apr 12, 2012

I also think this is an important aspect of a living world. I'm fine with role-playing it, though if the friends and relations of the PCs are going to appear anywhere besides the Dunn Wright it'll probably require some talk between player and GM pre-adventure to work them into the plot.

I also have been looking at the Wealthy cost of living, and wondering about a house.

On a related note, I'm looking at character concepts and have a question about the leadership feat I couldn't find an answer to. I'm headed over to the General Discussion thread so as not to hijack this one.

GlassEye · Apr 12, 2012

Mowgli said:
I also think this is an important aspect of a living world. I'm fine with role-playing it, though if the friends and relations of the PCs are going to appear anywhere besides the Dunn Wright it'll probably require some talk between player and GM pre-adventure to work them into the plot.

I think if the nature of the relationship is clear on the PC sheet then the DM shouldn't have a problem with using that material. Note that I feel anything on my character sheet is fair game for a DM to use but not everyone may feel that way. I also think it is really cool when a DM uses my character background/history. Doesn't LEW have some sort of 'Open' or 'Closed' designation for character info in regards to whether it can be used as a hook or plot-point?

Anyway, you're probably right that if the NPC appears for more than a cameo role that the player and DM would need to talk it out in advance. But at the same time I think it would lessen the impact of the event (for me, anyway) to know in advance that something was going to happen.

Maidhc O Casain · Apr 12, 2012

GlassEye said:
I think if the nature of the relationship is clear on the PC sheet then the DM shouldn't have a problem with using that material. Note that I feel anything on my character sheet is fair game for a DM to use but not everyone may feel that way. I also think it is really cool when a DM uses my character background/history. Doesn't LEW have some sort of 'Open' or 'Closed' designation for character info in regards to whether it can be used as a hook or plot-point?

Anyway, you're probably right that if the NPC appears for more than a cameo role that the player and DM would need to talk it out in advance. But at the same time I think it would lessen the impact of the event (for me, anyway) to know in advance that something was going to happen.

I guess I was thinking more in terms of a reminder to the GM that there are NPCs listed that are available for use. Often it seems like there's some pressure to kick the game off ASAP after recruiting ends; I don't GM much (one game, so far) but for me figuring out how and where to work them in would take some time. Thought that might largely be accomplished while the game is going on, I guess.

Satin Knights · Apr 12, 2012

GlassEye said:
On a similar note, I've been thinking about having my character purchase a house through the LPF Cost of Living. Being an adventurer she wouldn't likely be home much and it seems reasonable that she would have servants to take care of the place. How to handle that? I did have an idea about the home acquired through cost of living rules: for example, a wealthy home covers the cost of incidentals of 5 gold or less. Hirelings (trained & untrained) cost 3 silver & 1 silver per day to employ. So, (potentially) the wealthy home could support a number of hirelings as long as the per day cost of employing them doesn't exceed the price of incidentals covered.

Thoughts?

I would go with servant expenditures being a max of 1/2 the incidental allotment. This being because it is a continuous cost. So, a wealthy home could spend 2.5 gp on servants, or 8 trained and 1 untrained. Even an average home would be able to afford one trained servant.

jkason · Apr 12, 2012

GlassEye said:
Doesn't LEW have some sort of 'Open' or 'Closed' designation for character info in regards to whether it can be used as a hook or plot-point?

Yes. As I recall, players were supposed to mark their background as 'open' if they were willing to let GMs use it; otherwise, it was private insofar as plots were concerned. I've been pretty much comatose in terms of my involvement over there, mind, so that may have changed and I missed it, or I may be misremembering.

Mowgli's point is a solid one, too, in that it's hard to coordinate making sure you have the right PC in your adventure to utilize NPCs in a plot at the proposal stage without pre-recruiting the PC(s). I think some GMs are a lot better at improvised background integration than me, though, so recognize I'm viewing that through the filter of my own limitations.