Level Up (A5E) What I've been working on today
Faolyn
(she/her)
Huh. This could prove interesting. It would definitely make actual cash useful again at high levels. I know my players would be interested!
Although I hope it will contain the info needed to build things like taverns and workshops as well as the more traditional fortresses and castles! In one game I ran, the players decided to rescue goblins from a life of banditry by giving them good jobs. And in a game I'm in now, my character is part-owner of a bar.
Although I hope it will contain the info needed to build things like taverns and workshops as well as the more traditional fortresses and castles! In one game I ran, the players decided to rescue goblins from a life of banditry by giving them good jobs. And in a game I'm in now, my character is part-owner of a bar.
There's also this.
Hell, yeah!
Nifty. Followers always seem to be one of those things that seems really cool & flavorful in theory but never quite works like that at the table. What caches my eye is that it sounds like this includes some provisions to ensure that they don't just turn into poor bastards who escaped a dcc funnel only to find themselves in another more deadly funnel & the GM has some weight supporting a follower's refusal to be suicidal despite the influence of diplomancy.
Faolyn
(she/her)
The GM always has the ability to say that NPCs won't do a thing. Charisma checks aren't magic, and natural 20s aren't auto-successes except in combat. If the PC rolls really well, but it's a suicidal order, the GM can have them assist in some other way, or even just flat-out refuse (but politely, because the PC rolled well).
Having the ability to say it by fiat is different from having the ability to point at it while saying it to short circuit the whole "it says I have loyal attendants/followers/etc so.." debate discussion or negotiation testing the gm to see how far they can stretch it. When the GM can point at it even the most sympathetic player will tell bob to stfu rather than providing well meaning fuel.
Edit: having it written also means that the gm might not even need to
Faolyn
(she/her)
Check out the "Loyalty" rule in the DMG.
Loyalty is an optional rule you can use to determine how far an NPC party member will go to protect or assist the other members of the party (even those he or she doesn't particularly like). An NPC party member who is abused or ignored is likely to abandon or betray the party, whereas an NPC who owes a life debt to the characters or shares their goals might fight to the death for them. Loyalty can be role played or represented by this rule.
Loyalty Score
An NPC's loyalty is measured on a numerical scale from 0 to 20. The NPC's maximum loyalty score is equal to the highest Charisma score among all adventurers in the party, and its starting loyalty score is half that number. If the highest Charisma score changes—perhaps a character dies or leaves the group—adjust the NPC's loyalty score accordingly.
Tracking Loyalty
Keep track of an NPC's loyalty score in secret so that the players won't know for sure whether an NPC party member is loyal or disloyal (even if the NPC is currently under a player's control).
An NPC's loyalty score increases by 1d4 if other party members help the NPC achieve a goal tied to its bond. Likewise, an NPC's loyalty score increases by 1d4 if the NPC is treated particularly well (for example, given a magic weapon as a gift) or rescued by another party member. An NPC's loyalty score can never be raised above its maximum.
When other party members act in a manner that runs counter to the NPC's alignment or bond, reduce the NPC's loyalty score by 1d4. Reduce the NPC's loyalty score by 2d4 if the character is abused, misled, or endangered by other party members for purely selfish reasons.
An NPC whose loyalty score drops to 0 is no longer loyal to the party and might part ways with them. A loyalty score can never drop below 0.
An NPC with a loyalty score of 10 or higher risks life and limb to help fellow party members. If the NPC's loyalty score is between 1 and 10, its loyalty is tenuous. An NPC whose loyalty drops to 0 no longer acts in the party's best interests. The disloyal NPC either leaves the party (attacking characters who attempt to intervene) or works in secret to bring about the party's downfall.
Loyalty Score
An NPC's loyalty is measured on a numerical scale from 0 to 20. The NPC's maximum loyalty score is equal to the highest Charisma score among all adventurers in the party, and its starting loyalty score is half that number. If the highest Charisma score changes—perhaps a character dies or leaves the group—adjust the NPC's loyalty score accordingly.
Tracking Loyalty
Keep track of an NPC's loyalty score in secret so that the players won't know for sure whether an NPC party member is loyal or disloyal (even if the NPC is currently under a player's control).
An NPC's loyalty score increases by 1d4 if other party members help the NPC achieve a goal tied to its bond. Likewise, an NPC's loyalty score increases by 1d4 if the NPC is treated particularly well (for example, given a magic weapon as a gift) or rescued by another party member. An NPC's loyalty score can never be raised above its maximum.
When other party members act in a manner that runs counter to the NPC's alignment or bond, reduce the NPC's loyalty score by 1d4. Reduce the NPC's loyalty score by 2d4 if the character is abused, misled, or endangered by other party members for purely selfish reasons.
An NPC whose loyalty score drops to 0 is no longer loyal to the party and might part ways with them. A loyalty score can never drop below 0.
An NPC with a loyalty score of 10 or higher risks life and limb to help fellow party members. If the NPC's loyalty score is between 1 and 10, its loyalty is tenuous. An NPC whose loyalty drops to 0 no longer acts in the party's best interests. The disloyal NPC either leaves the party (attacking characters who attempt to intervene) or works in secret to bring about the party's downfall.
if your argument that an optional rule tucked in the dmg is required to complete a poorly written background feature available to player characters in the PHB ho take the noble background, You'll get no argument. That doesn't change the fact that it looks like the blurb I quoted earlier looks to be a significant improvement worthy of praise for the apparent improvement.
