Questions About Prestige

[Redbadge]

Many of the items I'll eventually want to get for my character during the AP are uncommon. I assume my party members are probably the same. Therefore, I have a few clarifying questions with regards to equipment/prestige so we know when they come up. Just so you know, we haven't started the campaign yet (we start Saturday), so I don't know if or when we'll get our first "paycheck" or if it is possible at all to "shop" at any point during the first adventure.

Let's say I am level 1, but want to buy a level 2 common item. Assuming there is a break in the action and I have enough money to buy the item, I can just tell our DM that I want it (perhaps roleplaying the actual transaction as needed), mark off the required gold, and add the item to my character sheet without any other restrictions, correct?

Let's say that I'm still level 1, but I also want to buy a level 3 uncommon item. In this case, I wait for an appropriate time and then tell the DM I would like to requisition this item. Since we start at Prestige 2 with the RHC (I'm a Yerasol Veteran) and the Favor Rating for this request is 4, the DM would tell me that 7 days from now, I will receive the item I want, correct? I should add the item to my character sheet at that time, assuming that we are somewhere that I can interact with the RHC authorities?

What if I don't want it to take a week and decide to use the Diplomacy/Intimidate option described in the Player's Guide to get the request treated as 1 level lower? Can I get our Eladrin bard to make this check, since our party is the one making the request? Is the DC for this Diplomacy check 27 (3 x 4 + 15)? Assuming she succeeds (which actually seems quite difficult), I should receive the item at the same time the next day instead, correct?

Assuming we don't make the check, according to the Player's Guide, no one in the party can make any additional level 4 requests (including additional higher level uncommon items) until I receive mine, correct? Unless someone (anyone?) in the party can succeed in a Diplomacy check to make the new level 4 request be treated as a level 3 request instead? But as soon as I receive my uncommon, the next such request by anyone in the party would be rating 5 anyways, correct?

According to the Player's Guide: "Start with a base Favor Rating of 3 for Uncommon items, and 5 for Rare items. Add 1 if the item you’re looking for is higher level than you. Then add 1 for each other uncommon or rare item you have. Do not count single-use items or items that the group providing the favor doesn’t know about." Since we apparently requisition items as a party, do we count all uncommon items possessed by the entire party when determining favor rating? For example, assume that I already have an uncommon item, as does the party Bard? Does the next guy treat the favor rating for acquiring a higher-level uncommon as 6 (3+1 + 1+1)? And the DC to reduce this level to a month (from level 6 to level 5, since we could "never" get it at Prestige level 2) would be DC 33 (3 x 6 + 15)?

Finally, do I spend my money when I requisition the item, or when I receive it? For example, could I request a level 1 uncommon (Favor rating 3) at the very start of the adventure, and get it the very next day (assuming I earned enough money between now and then)?

Depending upon your responses, I may have additional questions about the reward system.

Thanks,

Redbadge (Kirk, Human Thief/Yerasol Veteran/Grizzled Sergeant)

 

[RangerWickett]

Let's say I am level 1, but want to buy a level 2 common item. Assuming there is a break in the action and I have enough money to buy the item, I can just tell our DM that I want it (perhaps roleplaying the actual transaction as needed), mark off the required gold, and add the item to my character sheet without any other restrictions, correct?

This precise scenario won't happen, because by the time there's a break in the action, you'll be level 2. But for future adventures, yeah. Explain what you want, work with the DM to make sure it's okay, and roleplay the acquisition, at least the first couple times, to tie the mechanics to actual events in the story. Then pay GP, and the item's yours.

... various stuff about request limits, timing, etc. ...

Hm, I realize now I probably should have explicitly split Requisitions and Favors. My original intention was to have Risur requests represent 'requisitions,' and Flint requests represent 'calling in favors.' Now that folks have actually started playing with the rules, I realize that I didn't set those rules up so they work the way I had intended.

I'll see if I can get the pdfs revised with an update to this.

Each PC should requisition their own items independently, and usually from Risur. If you know that a non-RHC entity has an item you want, you can use your Prestige rating with the appropriate group to request the item. Of course, you need to be an ally of that group to get any help from them.

The party can request favors, usually from Flint, like getting police back-up or hiring a ritual mage.

Each PC can only request one item of a particular favor rating at a given time. Likewise, the party as a whole can only request one favor of a particular favor rating at a time.


As for Diplomacy or Intimdate checks, usually for favors the most charismatic PC will make a request on behalf of the party, unless one PC is trying to do something without the rest of the group knowing about it. For item requisitions, though, each PC normally requests his or her own gear. You can ask a more-Diplomatic/Intimidating teammate to place the request on your behalf, but that counts against one of his own requests that can be active at a time.


This is not a spoiler, but in the first adventure you get salary just a few hours before you're sent on a time-sensitive particular mission. There's no time to get uncommon items. More likely you'll just be able to grab common items and one-use things like alchemicals and such.

Then between the 1st and 2nd adventure a few months pass, so you've got plenty of time to get pretty much anything you can afford.

But during the 2nd adventure, a lot of stuff is going on. That's when Prestige starts to actually matter. So, um, hopefully we'll have the wrinkles in the rules ironed out by the time the adventure is released.


By the way, I kinda love the idea of ordering something, then struggling to get paid so you can afford it by the time it arrives. Or maybe even abusing your authority a bit so you can get extra cash (it's for a good cause, though).

 

[OnlineDM]

This precise scenario won't happen, because by the time there's a break in the action, you'll be level 2.

Not to be spoilery, but the end of Act One specifies that a week passes between the end of Act One and the start of Act Two. I would assume PCs could do some shopping during that time, right?

 

[Redbadge]

Hmmm... I was already thinking about taking training in Intimidate (it's one of the options for the Battle Awareness feat I plan on taking at level 2), but I know I'll be taking it for sure now.

By the way, will you confirm the DC questions I asked above? If they truly are so difficult, I like it. It means that it'll get easier and easier to pass the Diplomacy/Intimidate check as we get higher in level, regardless of what our current prestige is, reflecting our increase in leverage/pull.

By the way, is 6 the highest prestige you can have with a group? If so, it seems that the most Uncommon/Rare items each PC can have is 7 (Requisition Rating of 10 for the eighth item, even assuming a successful Diplomacy/Intimidate check). There is nothing wrong with this, and it does help curtail the magic item Christmas trees that can be quite common at higher level. But I'd have to revise my character plans a bit, because I already had at least 8 uncommons picked out that I would want by mid-Paragon (Weapon, Armor, Neck, Head, Feet, Waist, Tattoo, Wondrous). In fact, the only common items I really want are in the arms slot (Bracers of Mighty Striking) and back-up weapon (Distance Dagger). Obviously, I can make do with common items in the important slots (basically, +X Magic Weapon, +X Magic Armor, +X Amulet of Protection, since these are the some of the very few common options).

 

[RangerWickett]

Not to be spoilery, but the end of Act One specifies that a week passes between the end of Act One and the start of Act Two. I would assume PCs could do some shopping during that time, right?

Theoretically yeah, but the PCs don't know their mission yet.

By the way, will you confirm the DC questions I asked above? If they truly are so difficult, I like it. It means that it'll get easier and easier to pass the Diplomacy/Intimidate check as we get higher in level, regardless of what our current prestige is.

By the way, is 6 the highest prestige you can have with a group? If so, it seems that the most Uncommon/Rare items each PC can have is 7 (Requisition Rating of 10 for the seventh item, assuming a successful Diplomacy/Intimidate check). There is nothing wrong with this, and it does help curtail the magic item Christmas trees that can be quite common at higher level. But I'd have to revise my character plans a bit, because I already had at least 8 uncommons picked out that I would want by mid-Paragon (Weapon, Armor, Neck, Head, Feet, Waist, Tattoo, Wondrous). In fact, the only common items I really want are in the arms slot (Bracers of Mighty Striking) and back-up weapon (Distance Dagger). Obviously, I can make do with common items in the important slots (basically, +X Magic Weapon, +X Magic Armor, +X Amulet of Protection, since these are the some of the very few common options).

6 is as high as Prestige goes, but when PCs end up at high paragon and epic levels, I figure the DM will have enough familiarity with the game to fudge the guidelines, particularly for lower-level items. I mean, if you're 20th level, you're not really 'requisitioning' that +4 legendary sword; you're calling on the nation to scour the countryside in search of a long lost relic that you need to fight truly unprecedented threats, or asking a thousand druids to unite in a ritual to craft a new item for you.

At that point, saying, "Oh, and I could really use some bracers of archery" is kind of not worth even worrying about.

 

[Redbadge]

By the way, I kinda love the idea of ordering something, then struggling to get paid so you can afford it by the time it arrives. Or maybe even abusing your authority a bit so you can get extra cash (it's for a good cause, though).

I had in mind other scenarios as well.

For example, let's say my character has 720 gp. Depending on the way requisitioning works, there are two scenarios my character might pursue.

Scenario 1: My character asks for a +1 Vanguard Rapier (level 3 uncommon). I fail my intimidate check against the surly requisitions officer at the RHC headquarters, and she tells me, "Hon, that'll be 680, up front. You can collect your package 30 days from today. In the meantime, please fill out this paperwork in triplicate and proceed to the notary." Under this scenario, I have neither the weapon nor the cash for a whole month (which may or may not matter during the rigors of the adventure).

Scenario 2: My character asks for a +1 Vanguard Rapier. I still fail my intimidate check, but this time the requisition officer tells me, "Hon, you can collect your package 30 days from today. Please have 680 gold ready at that time. In the meantime, please fill out this paperwork in triplicate and proceed to the notary." Then I take my full 720 gp to the armory and check out a +1 Rapier and +1 Leather Armor to use in the interim. Once the month is up, I return the two level 1 commons to the RHC and exchange my gold for the Vanguard Rapier.

Thoughts?

 

[RangerWickett]

I'd pick #2. And if I were the DM and you decided not to pay 30 days later, or were unable to, I'd maybe have the RHC give you a hard time with further requisitions, demanding payment up front.

 

[benfromidaho]

These are both good ideas for how a requisition can go. I see some of my characters going the first, and others being much more charismatic and going the way of the latter. I can't wait for players to use this requisitioning system versus a traditional dungeon snatch and grab.