So I'm creating a Tarot-like "reading" mechanic for my campaign. In my world there are 8 "houses" which represent both the 8 realms of magic and the 8 "families" of Gods. Each house has 4 personalities or Gods attached to it. For the major houses (there are 4 majors), these are the lord, the lady, a knight and a sage. The minor houses sport more variety. The sum total of 32 Gods are rendered into a Tarot-like deck, The Deck of Eight Houses, that is used for divination purposes.
It is possible, at turning points in the world's fate, for a reader of the cards to have a particularly powerful reading or "greater reading". Such a reading can result in very specific divination and in lingering effects on the those who partake.
I am going to perform such a reading for my players. The effects will be two-fold: one, some of the cards will have pre-determined meanings which will come out in play. I.e. I will predict a thing or two that will actually happen and make sure that it happens to the person who drew the right card (nothing too railroady). Secondly, the drawing of cards results in lasting magical effect. Effectively the players will get some magical bonuses and penalties, based on the cards drawn for them, that will last indefinitely (in truth, until the next such reading).
Each card has a possible positive or negative effect depending on how it comes up (the 2nd of 3 cards is played sideways and is negative). So each player will get two positive cards and one negative card and each card has to have an associated positive and negative effect. In general I want the players to be slightly buffed, on average, by this experience and so they get two bonuses and a penalty and the penalties tend to be slightly less severe. They are, and will be, behind on magical items and these bonuses will slightly make up for that.
My problem is that I am running out of ideas for pairs of bonuses/penalties. I am looking for some more ideas. Let me show you what I have. Please see if you can come up with other ideas that seems comparable. Basically the bonuses should be roughly equivalent to a feat ability and the penalties should be about half as severe but with room for exceptions to that.
When I'm done with the whole deck, I'll publish the results on here.
....
Cards ideas I have so far:
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+1 hp per level // -1/2 hp per level
one reroll per day // one forced reroll per day (DM forces player to reroll)
force one enemy to reroll, once per day // one enemy reroll per day (DM chooses)
+1 luck bonus to AC // -1 luck bonus to AC
+1 luck bonus to attack rolls // check for a fumble on a 1 or 2 instead of just on a 1 (IMC, players have to make a DC 10 dex check to avoid a fumble when they roll a 1)
+1 luck bonus to all saving throws // -1 to best saving throw
+2 luck bonus to reflex saving throws // -1 to reflex saving throws
+2 luck bonus to will saving throws // -1 to will
+2 luck bonus to fort. saving throws // -1 to fort.
+1 luck bonus to two skills (player's choice) // -1 luck bonus to two skills that player has spent skill points on (player's choice)
+1 to damage rolls // -2 when confirming criticals
one time per day you can take an additional move action during a round // ???
+4 luck bonus to AC which lasts for 1 round, usable 1/day // -2 penalty to AC, 1 round/day as chosen by DM
+4 luck bonus to attack rolls which lasts for 1 round, usable 1/day // -2 penalty to attack rolls, 1 round/day as chosen by DM
+5% xps // -5% xps
+4 luck bonus to initiative rolls // -2 penalty to initiative
+10 feet movement rate // -5 movement rate
Death's Blessing, the next time the player is put below -5 hps they automatically stabilize at -5 hps even if they would have died // the player dies when they read -5 hps instead of at -10
+5 on one skill check per day // may not "take 20" (better ideas?)
+1 to crit range if weapon has a crit range of 19-20 or better, else +1 to crit multiplier // crits lose .5x damage
........................
Do any of these seem too powerful or not powerful enough? More importantly, what ideas do you have for other such bonus/penalty pairs?
Thanks a lot!
StGabe.
It is possible, at turning points in the world's fate, for a reader of the cards to have a particularly powerful reading or "greater reading". Such a reading can result in very specific divination and in lingering effects on the those who partake.
I am going to perform such a reading for my players. The effects will be two-fold: one, some of the cards will have pre-determined meanings which will come out in play. I.e. I will predict a thing or two that will actually happen and make sure that it happens to the person who drew the right card (nothing too railroady). Secondly, the drawing of cards results in lasting magical effect. Effectively the players will get some magical bonuses and penalties, based on the cards drawn for them, that will last indefinitely (in truth, until the next such reading).
Each card has a possible positive or negative effect depending on how it comes up (the 2nd of 3 cards is played sideways and is negative). So each player will get two positive cards and one negative card and each card has to have an associated positive and negative effect. In general I want the players to be slightly buffed, on average, by this experience and so they get two bonuses and a penalty and the penalties tend to be slightly less severe. They are, and will be, behind on magical items and these bonuses will slightly make up for that.
My problem is that I am running out of ideas for pairs of bonuses/penalties. I am looking for some more ideas. Let me show you what I have. Please see if you can come up with other ideas that seems comparable. Basically the bonuses should be roughly equivalent to a feat ability and the penalties should be about half as severe but with room for exceptions to that.
When I'm done with the whole deck, I'll publish the results on here.
....
Cards ideas I have so far:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+1 hp per level // -1/2 hp per level
one reroll per day // one forced reroll per day (DM forces player to reroll)
force one enemy to reroll, once per day // one enemy reroll per day (DM chooses)
+1 luck bonus to AC // -1 luck bonus to AC
+1 luck bonus to attack rolls // check for a fumble on a 1 or 2 instead of just on a 1 (IMC, players have to make a DC 10 dex check to avoid a fumble when they roll a 1)
+1 luck bonus to all saving throws // -1 to best saving throw
+2 luck bonus to reflex saving throws // -1 to reflex saving throws
+2 luck bonus to will saving throws // -1 to will
+2 luck bonus to fort. saving throws // -1 to fort.
+1 luck bonus to two skills (player's choice) // -1 luck bonus to two skills that player has spent skill points on (player's choice)
+1 to damage rolls // -2 when confirming criticals
one time per day you can take an additional move action during a round // ???
+4 luck bonus to AC which lasts for 1 round, usable 1/day // -2 penalty to AC, 1 round/day as chosen by DM
+4 luck bonus to attack rolls which lasts for 1 round, usable 1/day // -2 penalty to attack rolls, 1 round/day as chosen by DM
+5% xps // -5% xps
+4 luck bonus to initiative rolls // -2 penalty to initiative
+10 feet movement rate // -5 movement rate
Death's Blessing, the next time the player is put below -5 hps they automatically stabilize at -5 hps even if they would have died // the player dies when they read -5 hps instead of at -10
+5 on one skill check per day // may not "take 20" (better ideas?)
+1 to crit range if weapon has a crit range of 19-20 or better, else +1 to crit multiplier // crits lose .5x damage
........................
Do any of these seem too powerful or not powerful enough? More importantly, what ideas do you have for other such bonus/penalty pairs?
Thanks a lot!
StGabe.
