Quickleaf
Legend
I wanted to capture the Arabian Nights feel in a game and realized that all the characters in the book know how to tell a good story. I wanted to provide a way to incorporate these stories within stories in the game. Thus, this idea was born. What do you think of the modifiers? Of the idea as a whole?
Framing a Story (New Use for Action Points)
A GM may choose to allow the players more control over the course of the story. One way this can be achieved is by allowing a player to spend an Action point to initiate a framed story. When this occurs, the player describes the basics of what he or she would like to explore (e.g. How did the Sultan come by his magic dove?). Immediately, the entire group adopts new roles as appropriate and plays out the side story with the player who spent the Action point acting as GM. In general, the new story should last no more than a half an hour, or some other agreed upon time. A framed story can serve several purposes, and many stories serve more than one purpose: (1) Leverage to convince someone to avoid (or take) a certain course of action. (2) Provides history of a situation, and imparts knowledge of some truth. (3) Improve the listener’s attitude toward the storyteller.
A framed story provides a bonus on the appropriate skill check. Often this will be Diplomacy, though Bluff, Intimidate, and Perform (storytelling) are all appropriate. Arabian sorcerers are well known for weaving magic into their stories. A framed story can also be used in conjunction with another character’s skill, such as distracting a sultan while a thief smuggles horses out of the royal stables. Of course, a poorly told story can result in a penalty to the check instead.
Positive Story Elements (+1 each)
* Story caters to the audience or listener very well, such as playing off of a weakness (e.g. for flattery), an interest (e.g. horses), or an ideal (e.g. slavery is never justified).
* Entire gaming group decides the storyteller did a wonderful job.
* Story involves a cunning poem, joke, riddle, double entendre, song, etc.
* The listener is favorably inclined toward the storyteller (e.g. you’re both in a foreign land but are of the same nationality, she enjoys your company).
* Story has another related story framed within it which elucidates the main purpose of the story. No more than three stories can be framed within a story before the listener loses track (+1 for each story).
* The storyteller handles unlikely actions by a player character in stride, remarkably tying them into a seamless whole.
* The storyteller makes a reasonable excuse for how they came to hear the story and from whose lips it was passed down to them.
* The storyteller presents proof that corroborates their story as true (e.g. “Look at the wall today, touch the brick; is it not burnt and laid with gold?”).
Negative Story Elements (-1 each)
* Story insults or offends the listener in some way
* The listener is of vastly greater social status than the storyteller, within their society (e.g. a Cathay prince to an Arabyan sheikh in Cathay lands).
* The listener is hostile or unfriendly toward the storyteller (e.g. you’ve lied to him before, you stole from his stall, you secretly married his beloved).
* Entire gaming group decides the framed story rambled and didn’t achieve its purpose
* Storyteller is given a time limit, and doesn’t wrap the story up in time.
* Story features the storyteller as the main character. In Arabyan society this is viewed as bragging, though the penalty doesn’t apply with most children.
* Story involves an outright lie or something seemingly impossible
Example 1: Rafiqi’s Tale of the Princess
Jarett’s character Rafiqi is found by the prince after having broken into the prince’s own harem. Hoping to avoid a painful death at the prince’s hands, Rafiqi spins a quick yarn to explain his presence, and decides he will play off the prince’s prodigious lust for beautiful women. Jarett decides to spend a Conviction point to relate a story about the beauty of a princess from Rafiqi’s homeland (who also happens to be Rafiqi’s sworn enemy). Rafiqi intends to convince the prince to spare his life and pursue the princess. Jarett temporarily becomes Narrator, and all the other players take on roles of various characters in the princess’ story – wicked djinn, jealous step-mother, high-brow suitor, and her true love. After 30 minutes of role-playing, Jarett decides the tale is complete, and hands the story back to the main Narrator.
Rafiqi’s attempt receives the following modifiers: +1 (caters to prince’s lust for foreign women), -1 (prince has vastly greater social status), -1 (prince is hostile), +1 (gaming group felt Jarett did a great job), +1 (the story involved a name-guessing game with a djinn), +1 (Rafiqi claims to have heard the story through his uncle who serves in the princess’ court). The net bonus Rafiqi receives on his Bluff check is +2.
Since it is a believable bluff, the prince rolls an opposed Sense Motive check. Rafiqi wins the check, but only barely. The Narrator rules that the prince has decided to investigate the truth of Rafiqi’s word and visit the princess for himself. In the meantime, Rafiqi is kept captive in the palace. If he should be caught in a lie, the prince promises Rafiqi will permanently initiate him as a harem guard – more precisely as a eunuch.
Framing a Story (New Use for Action Points)
A GM may choose to allow the players more control over the course of the story. One way this can be achieved is by allowing a player to spend an Action point to initiate a framed story. When this occurs, the player describes the basics of what he or she would like to explore (e.g. How did the Sultan come by his magic dove?). Immediately, the entire group adopts new roles as appropriate and plays out the side story with the player who spent the Action point acting as GM. In general, the new story should last no more than a half an hour, or some other agreed upon time. A framed story can serve several purposes, and many stories serve more than one purpose: (1) Leverage to convince someone to avoid (or take) a certain course of action. (2) Provides history of a situation, and imparts knowledge of some truth. (3) Improve the listener’s attitude toward the storyteller.
A framed story provides a bonus on the appropriate skill check. Often this will be Diplomacy, though Bluff, Intimidate, and Perform (storytelling) are all appropriate. Arabian sorcerers are well known for weaving magic into their stories. A framed story can also be used in conjunction with another character’s skill, such as distracting a sultan while a thief smuggles horses out of the royal stables. Of course, a poorly told story can result in a penalty to the check instead.
Positive Story Elements (+1 each)
* Story caters to the audience or listener very well, such as playing off of a weakness (e.g. for flattery), an interest (e.g. horses), or an ideal (e.g. slavery is never justified).
* Entire gaming group decides the storyteller did a wonderful job.
* Story involves a cunning poem, joke, riddle, double entendre, song, etc.
* The listener is favorably inclined toward the storyteller (e.g. you’re both in a foreign land but are of the same nationality, she enjoys your company).
* Story has another related story framed within it which elucidates the main purpose of the story. No more than three stories can be framed within a story before the listener loses track (+1 for each story).
* The storyteller handles unlikely actions by a player character in stride, remarkably tying them into a seamless whole.
* The storyteller makes a reasonable excuse for how they came to hear the story and from whose lips it was passed down to them.
* The storyteller presents proof that corroborates their story as true (e.g. “Look at the wall today, touch the brick; is it not burnt and laid with gold?”).
Negative Story Elements (-1 each)
* Story insults or offends the listener in some way
* The listener is of vastly greater social status than the storyteller, within their society (e.g. a Cathay prince to an Arabyan sheikh in Cathay lands).
* The listener is hostile or unfriendly toward the storyteller (e.g. you’ve lied to him before, you stole from his stall, you secretly married his beloved).
* Entire gaming group decides the framed story rambled and didn’t achieve its purpose
* Storyteller is given a time limit, and doesn’t wrap the story up in time.
* Story features the storyteller as the main character. In Arabyan society this is viewed as bragging, though the penalty doesn’t apply with most children.
* Story involves an outright lie or something seemingly impossible
Example 1: Rafiqi’s Tale of the Princess
Jarett’s character Rafiqi is found by the prince after having broken into the prince’s own harem. Hoping to avoid a painful death at the prince’s hands, Rafiqi spins a quick yarn to explain his presence, and decides he will play off the prince’s prodigious lust for beautiful women. Jarett decides to spend a Conviction point to relate a story about the beauty of a princess from Rafiqi’s homeland (who also happens to be Rafiqi’s sworn enemy). Rafiqi intends to convince the prince to spare his life and pursue the princess. Jarett temporarily becomes Narrator, and all the other players take on roles of various characters in the princess’ story – wicked djinn, jealous step-mother, high-brow suitor, and her true love. After 30 minutes of role-playing, Jarett decides the tale is complete, and hands the story back to the main Narrator.
Rafiqi’s attempt receives the following modifiers: +1 (caters to prince’s lust for foreign women), -1 (prince has vastly greater social status), -1 (prince is hostile), +1 (gaming group felt Jarett did a great job), +1 (the story involved a name-guessing game with a djinn), +1 (Rafiqi claims to have heard the story through his uncle who serves in the princess’ court). The net bonus Rafiqi receives on his Bluff check is +2.
Since it is a believable bluff, the prince rolls an opposed Sense Motive check. Rafiqi wins the check, but only barely. The Narrator rules that the prince has decided to investigate the truth of Rafiqi’s word and visit the princess for himself. In the meantime, Rafiqi is kept captive in the palace. If he should be caught in a lie, the prince promises Rafiqi will permanently initiate him as a harem guard – more precisely as a eunuch.
