Numion
First Post
Hi,
The game is about being a member of, and running, an adventuring party. Thus, it's quite surprising that while many characters gain ultimate personal power, their adventuring groups still operate like amateurs; living from tavern to tavern, taking missions from shady/dirty old men in said taverns, their accomplishments unknown to all but those "in the know" (those in the know being the dirty old man who gave the mission and the adventurers themselves.)
Here are a few pointers how to take your adventuring group to the next level:
1) "Business cards"
Adventuring groups leave a lot of bodies behind in their line of work. Make that work to your advantage. One easy way is to order some nice arrows or other projectiles that have your groups name on them, with some kind of message, like:
"This Evil Was Vanquished by Companions of the Golden Goblet!"
"This Corpse Was Brought to You By Companions.."
"This Could be Your Nemesis Lying Here; Contact Us At.."
Just be sure to pack some ordinary arrows also; in case you have to open fire in crowd control situation or something.
Another similar, but less versatile idea is the Stamp Hammer. Have your normal war hammers or other bludgeoning instruments business end engraved with the mirror image of your groups logo. That way each skull that is bashed in with it will bear your trademark, and nobody else can claim the deed.
2) Decent Headquarters / Office
Forget living from tavern to tavern or campsite to campsite. You're not Aragorn. Fancy headquarters will instantly message everyone that you mean business and that you're professionals. Forget the usual inherited keep, and put your HQ in a large city. That way you'll generate more adventuring opportunities from wealthier clients. While you might be tempted by a wonky "adventuring" HQ where you both live and operate your business from, don't.
Have a separate office where you employ a hot receptionist who can meet prospective clients (adventure hooks), classify them according to expected pay / difficulty and otherwise keep your operation running. Locate the office in a busy street and turn nobody away; you can increase fame by doing some pro-bono problem solving for the less fortunate every now and then. Live in a different place from the office, preferably in an opulent mansion so you'll (again) message your success while distancing yourself from the ordinary rabble on an everyday basis.
Rent everything - the DM will probably destroy both places at some point, and don't get attached to the receptionist. She'll no doubt get kidnapped.
You might want to make the office waiting room a kind of museum of your past exploits. Have kill counts on the wall, memorabilia from defeated BBEGs.
3) Organize a Party at Your Mansion
That's one of the most efficient ways of increasing your fame. It will probably even catch the DM a bit off guard, since it's usually the adventurers who get invited to some boring nobles party (which itself will turn into an adventure). Invite the cream of the society - this is a good way to discreetly look out for adventuring hooks with hefty payouts, and to get a general feel of the citys power structure. Don't invite the mysterious stranger from the tavern; you've moved on.
Spare no expense; your opulent lifestyle will tell the attending nobles quite clearly that your services are expensive - saves you time haggling later on.
This maneuver involves some risks, however. For example, you might be tempted to use your characters perform skill. Otherwise nice, but the DM might force a roll instead of take 10, and you might roll a "1" and look like a dork. Just hire a good band instead. There's also the risk of the DM trying to subvert your moment in the spotlight into an adventure. This is a tricky one.
You don't want to appear decked out for adventuring in your garden party, but you want to be ready in any case for trouble. Keep all discrete magic items handy / hidden nearby (but make sure the guests don't steal anything. Patting down a suspect noble when he/she's leaving might be embarrassing, but it's better than losing a valuable magic item), and use some choice illusions to make you look respectable while still being ready for action.
This advice should get you started. Do you have any worthy advice? Post it here, comments are welcome also!
The game is about being a member of, and running, an adventuring party. Thus, it's quite surprising that while many characters gain ultimate personal power, their adventuring groups still operate like amateurs; living from tavern to tavern, taking missions from shady/dirty old men in said taverns, their accomplishments unknown to all but those "in the know" (those in the know being the dirty old man who gave the mission and the adventurers themselves.)
Here are a few pointers how to take your adventuring group to the next level:
1) "Business cards"
Adventuring groups leave a lot of bodies behind in their line of work. Make that work to your advantage. One easy way is to order some nice arrows or other projectiles that have your groups name on them, with some kind of message, like:
"This Evil Was Vanquished by Companions of the Golden Goblet!"
"This Corpse Was Brought to You By Companions.."
"This Could be Your Nemesis Lying Here; Contact Us At.."
Just be sure to pack some ordinary arrows also; in case you have to open fire in crowd control situation or something.
Another similar, but less versatile idea is the Stamp Hammer. Have your normal war hammers or other bludgeoning instruments business end engraved with the mirror image of your groups logo. That way each skull that is bashed in with it will bear your trademark, and nobody else can claim the deed.
2) Decent Headquarters / Office
Forget living from tavern to tavern or campsite to campsite. You're not Aragorn. Fancy headquarters will instantly message everyone that you mean business and that you're professionals. Forget the usual inherited keep, and put your HQ in a large city. That way you'll generate more adventuring opportunities from wealthier clients. While you might be tempted by a wonky "adventuring" HQ where you both live and operate your business from, don't.
Have a separate office where you employ a hot receptionist who can meet prospective clients (adventure hooks), classify them according to expected pay / difficulty and otherwise keep your operation running. Locate the office in a busy street and turn nobody away; you can increase fame by doing some pro-bono problem solving for the less fortunate every now and then. Live in a different place from the office, preferably in an opulent mansion so you'll (again) message your success while distancing yourself from the ordinary rabble on an everyday basis.
Rent everything - the DM will probably destroy both places at some point, and don't get attached to the receptionist. She'll no doubt get kidnapped.
You might want to make the office waiting room a kind of museum of your past exploits. Have kill counts on the wall, memorabilia from defeated BBEGs.
3) Organize a Party at Your Mansion
That's one of the most efficient ways of increasing your fame. It will probably even catch the DM a bit off guard, since it's usually the adventurers who get invited to some boring nobles party (which itself will turn into an adventure). Invite the cream of the society - this is a good way to discreetly look out for adventuring hooks with hefty payouts, and to get a general feel of the citys power structure. Don't invite the mysterious stranger from the tavern; you've moved on.
Spare no expense; your opulent lifestyle will tell the attending nobles quite clearly that your services are expensive - saves you time haggling later on.
This maneuver involves some risks, however. For example, you might be tempted to use your characters perform skill. Otherwise nice, but the DM might force a roll instead of take 10, and you might roll a "1" and look like a dork. Just hire a good band instead. There's also the risk of the DM trying to subvert your moment in the spotlight into an adventure. This is a tricky one.
You don't want to appear decked out for adventuring in your garden party, but you want to be ready in any case for trouble. Keep all discrete magic items handy / hidden nearby (but make sure the guests don't steal anything. Patting down a suspect noble when he/she's leaving might be embarrassing, but it's better than losing a valuable magic item), and use some choice illusions to make you look respectable while still being ready for action.
This advice should get you started. Do you have any worthy advice? Post it here, comments are welcome also!
