Rewards

[RangerWickett]

The 4e character wealth system is borked anyway.

This is part of the reason we're putting in the audit in adventure 3. The RHC will say "You've got X much stuff, but should only have Y much. Hand over the rest."

I'm not sure how to do something similar in paragon and epic tier, since the scope will be very different.

 

[Cheezmo Miner]

I just want to make sure I'm reading and interpreting the system correctly:

If the PCs purchase an item from the RHC, they may trade it in later for its full value.

If the PCs loot an item or find treasure, they are expected to hand it in without compensation.

Is this correct?

 

[RangerWickett]

If the PCs purchase requisition an item from the RHC, they may trade it in later for its full value and have the full value reimbursed to their stipend.

If the PCs loot in the course of their investigations recover an item or find treasure, they are expected to hand it in without compensation so the RHC can ensure all resources are deployed as efficiently as possible among its constables.

(However, a PC can always be a cheat and keep something he's not supposed to.)

 

[N'raac]

So how does this tie in to the requirement that all PC's be loyal citizens of Risur? From the Player's Guide, this was infallibly tested. Would a character who immediately starts looting and cheating against RHC requirements, and presumably had this in mind from the outset, have passed those tests? What do the RHC tests actually prove? IOW what aspects of a PC's personality would cause them to fail the tests and be denied entry to the RHC, making the PC unsuitable for this campaign?

 

[RangerWickett]

Rod Blagojevich, a corrupt governor who just got sent to prison to over a decade for trying to literally sell a Senate seat, would I'm pretty sure never have been willing to sell nuclear secrets to a hostile nation, or aid an assassination plot, or try to send state troops to capture a nearby city.

And if he was aware of a legitimate threat to the country, he probably wouldn't be convinced to keep quiet just for some money. He strikes me as the kind of guy who figures, "Sure, this is breaking the law, but in the grand scheme of things one politician is as corrupt as the next, so I'm not hurting anybody."

There are all sorts of petty ways to be out for yourself, but to still have the moral rectitude not to seek to cause harm. Basically, RHC loyalty tests keep out spies and intentional traitors, and finds people who want to help the country. But you can want to help your country and still think you're not getting paid as much as you deserve for a job this dangerous.

It doesn't stop someone with loose morality from joining, and over time people can slip down slopes until they're able to justify things they never would have considered when they were hired.

 

[Cheezmo Miner]

So how does this tie in to the requirement that all PC's be loyal citizens of Risur? From the Player's Guide, this was infallibly tested.

What RW said.

I can only take that bit from the Player's guide so far. I may remind the player's once about their loyalty oaths and the assumption of their patriotism. Once. More than that and I'm trying to control their characters. I'm just not that kind of DM. If its fun for them to play crooked g-men, I'm not going to force the issue. Especially when the books are covering that very potentiality.

Basically, RHC loyalty tests keep out spies and intentional traitors, and finds people who want to help the country. But you can want to help your country and still think you're not getting paid as much as you deserve for a job this dangerous.

I was asked how an evil PC would be possible and referenced The Comedian from Watchmen. Undeniably Chaotic Evil, but still works as a government agent.

 

[N'raac]

I was asked how an evil PC would be possible and referenced The Comedian from Watchmen. Undeniably Chaotic Evil, but still works as a government agent.

Seems to me goals are way more important than alignment. An evil character who believes in Risur - right or wrong - could be much more effective than a good character who started into this believing Risur held to good and noble policies and has discovered otherwise. The PG raises the possibility of conflicting loyalties, and I suspect we'll see some reasons that some characters may question or even change allegiances before the path is complete.