Ideas for "One Unique Things"

[Zephrin the Lost]

My 13th age PC's OUTs far:

Incendious Locke; Dwarven miner who's clan trespassed in the Diabolist's realm. He made a deal to be her herald: he walks the earth telling everyone how great she is. She gave him a magic hammer and there's a 1 in 4 chance that when he lands a killing blow the foe he defeats is sucked into the earth and into the diabolist's lair and somewhere, she releases a dwarf.

Clement: Gnome with supernatural acute sense of timing. In combat we flavor outcomes of his actions to be the result of spectacularly well timed effort. It's a lot of fun because he understands what's going to happen so completely that he almost never hurries.

Fetch: elf ranger in service of Elf Queen. Was captured and tortured by Orc Lord, lost his eyes. Prince of Shadows freed him and gave him a mask that lets him see. Of course he can never remove it. Queen won't explain why she didn't rescue him and Prince of Shadows wont explain why he freed him/gave him mask.

I've run a couple of 13th age campaigns, one in Ravenloft one in the campaign setting. Player PC's have been good overall and a lot of fun to incorporate into the campaign.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I've run a couple of 13th age campaigns, one in Ravenloft one in the campaign setting. Player PC's have been good overall and a lot of fun to incorporate into the campaign.

what did you use for Icons in raven loft.

 

[Zephrin the Lost]

what did you use for Icons in raven loft.

I used various figures from the Ravenloft campaign settings. There's a full write up in the campain wiki: https://ravenloft-13thage.obsidianportal.com/wikis/icons-of-the-kingdoms-of-mists

This was my first 13th age campaign. I learned quite a bit from it and would plan the icons differently if I were doing it again. However it was great fun and ended horribly for the PC's but not in a TPK way, rather in a Ravenloft kind of way.

 

[demoss]

I learned quite a bit from it and would plan the icons differently if I were doing it again.

I would love to hear you elaborate on this! I'm just starting with my own 13th Age campaign and am thinking about the role the icons are going to take...

 

[Dungeoneer]

From yesterday's game:

- A wizard who invented Magic Missile, only to have the idea stolen from him by the Archmage.
- A Forgeborn construct built for unknown reasons by the Prince of Shadows.
- A blind ranger who uses echo-location and has a giant bat companion.

 

[cavalier973]

From yesterday's game:

- A wizard who invented Magic Missile, only to have the idea stolen from him by the Archmage.

Did he waste his family's fortune trying to sue the Archmage for copyright infringement?

 

[Dungeoneer]

Did he waste his family's fortune trying to sue the Archmage for copyright infringement?

Close, he actually blew his money on failed magical startups!

Hilariously, the player decided to roll for his starting gold and rolled a one. He then said, "I guess that's appropriate."

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

- A Forgeborn construct built for unknown reasons by the Prince of Shadows.

Hellbox, is that you?

 

[Zephrin the Lost]

I would love to hear you elaborate on this! I'm just starting with my own 13th Age campaign and am thinking about the role the icons are going to take...

I think the biggest misstep I took when writing my own icons was to choose models with less reach than is needed for their influence to be felt even in scenarios that do not directly hinge upon them. Also to place many intermediaries between the icons and the PC's, so it's not the icons helping out and /or messing with them directly but rather their agents or operatives.

Another part of icon involvement that gave me trouble at first was reconciling icon roll benefits and outcomes. I was almost treating the icons like divine beings who were unduly invested in the PC's activities. That was actually reasonable for some of the icons in the Ravenloft setting who were powerful liches and vampires, but was inappropriate for those more grounded in the physical world. one solution was I let the PC who had a positive relationship with the Dr. Frankenstein-like icon to find a collection of the good Dr.'s papers. We would then credit any beneficial icon rolls to the PC's study of the papers. This culminated in using a 6 to reattach another PC's arm that had been ripped off by a bugbear. It was right on the money for that icon.

Another thing I learned is to ask the players if they want to cash in an icon roll, and not just cash it in for them and award them a success on a check or an item etc. It's really fun when it's a 5 I'm asking about because they know I've come up with the good and the less good so it makes the moment a little more anxious.

Hope that helps!

 

[Dungeoneer]

Another thing I learned is to ask the players if they want to cash in an icon roll, and not just cash it in for them and award them a success on a check or an item etc. It's really fun when it's a 5 I'm asking about because they know I've come up with the good and the less good so it makes the moment a little more anxious.

This is a really intriguing idea. So basically, you ask if they want gold for their roll up front or an unspecified bonus later in the session?

My main concern would be that the players might simply always choose gold.