Rolling for True Love

joshualevy · 01-31-2016, 07:10 PM

Actual GM quote from my game on Saturday:

"I know [the character] needs to roll against true love. I just don't know how to do that."

This was happening in a world based on the Myths of American Indians: Basically, a PC's wife had been charmed by coyote the trickster, and the husband (who loved his wife very much) was trying to break the charm, but had no magic skills to help him. In the end, I just had him roll and figured a critical success would do it. He didn't crit, so did not succeed. Of course, earlier in the adventure another character had found a magic item that allowed him to use a Dispel Ritual, and (of course) that did work.

But the question is: what would you have done in the same situation? Just told the character that nothing he did to break the charm worked? Roll against Will? Roll against something else? There is no attribute that embodies the strength of love between character and spouse. Or is there?

Joshua

David Johnston2 · 01-31-2016, 07:39 PM

An appeal to her genuine emotions seems like a reason to give her a will roll to break free.

whswhs · 01-31-2016, 08:14 PM

In Social Engineering, I mechanicked True Love as Loyalty. Per page 43, if Coyote is trying to influence her, True Love can simply substitute for Will in an Influence roll. Since the Loyalty score in a relationship of this kind is rolled as 1d+15, her odds are pretty good!

If Coyote does persuade her, you could follow up with a contest of building trust. There are rules for this on p. 40.

malloyd · 02-01-2016, 03:24 AM

This is the sort of plot appropriate thing I'd consider letting you buy for a character point or two. You want the power of your heroic sacrifice, true love, pure hatred or indominable anger to alter the world? Spend more character points than you could possibly gain from the scene to prove the power of your feeling and it can.

I used to think of it as sort of like retroactively incorporating this scene into your backstory, rather like buying a Reputation in play, but you can conceptualize it other ways too. There are now some rules for that sort of thing in the Player Guidance section of Power Ups 5: Impulse Buys, if you need an official reference of some sort.

Ji ji · 02-01-2016, 03:51 AM

If the charm has a limitation like "can be broken by true love", then the mechanic is in the limitation's construction itself. If not, true love cannot dispel it.

GodBeastX · 02-01-2016, 05:24 AM

Ironically I was speaking to someone about the nebulous nature of love. True love even more nebulous on the emotional level. The idea of it being quantitative is sort of difficult to relate to values.

If I wasn't tracking things from Social Engineering stand point, I would treat this as a will roll to resist an outside mental influence. I would treat "True Love" as an on/off switch, not a slider. It's certainly a powerful perk in some scenarios in mythical settings. I think the modifier for it would be up to the GM. +1 being nuisance to those trying to dominate (Eh, she's in love, I'll just try harder). +5 being very potent (Nnngh, all this pesky love! This is difficult!). +10 being insurmountable (TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL!).

I would still say it's a perk because it'd be resistance to very specific phenomena. Something that would mentally be used to break your love apart. This probably happens once in a campaign if at all. If it's something that'll be done a lot, True Love resistance is probably worth more.

You might want to price it as some sort of Magic Resistance, with a limitation to "Will rolls to resist broken hearts!" Resistant might work as well. Or you might want to use bonus Will with a limitation modifier if it works on mundane sources too "Sorry, you can't Sex Appeal me, I have true love!"

RyanW · 02-01-2016, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ji ji

If the charm has a limitation like "can be broken by true love", then the mechanic is in the limitation's construction itself. If not, true love cannot dispel it.

Don't the mind control powers generally have a mechanic to make a Will roll if commanded to do something drastically out of character? Ignoring your True Love's wishes should meet that hurdle.

~~NineDaysDead~~ · 02-01-2016, 09:37 AM

For reference "True Love" can be a type of Higher Purpose, see Pyramid 31 page 33.

Stormcrow · 02-01-2016, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togethew today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam. And wove, twue wove, wiww fowwow you fowevah and evah… So tweasuwe youw wove

Sowwy, couwdn't hewp mysewf.

simply Nathan · 02-01-2016, 12:48 PM

True Love is a Cosmic power that can override otherwise-permanent curses. The point isn't that the curse powers are written with True Love as an intentional loophole, it's that True Love is a more powerful and fundamental force in the universe.

01-31-2016, 07:10 PM	#1
joshualevy Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Silicon Valley, California	Rolling for True Love Actual GM quote from my game on Saturday: "I know [the character] needs to roll against true love. I just don't know how to do that." This was happening in a world based on the Myths of American Indians: Basically, a PC's wife had been charmed by coyote the trickster, and the husband (who loved his wife very much) was trying to break the charm, but had no magic skills to help him. In the end, I just had him roll and figured a critical success would do it. He didn't crit, so did not succeed. Of course, earlier in the adventure another character had found a magic item that allowed him to use a Dispel Ritual, and (of course) that did work. But the question is: what would you have done in the same situation? Just told the character that nothing he did to break the charm worked? Roll against Will? Roll against something else? There is no attribute that embodies the strength of love between character and spouse. Or is there? Joshua

01-31-2016, 07:39 PM	#2
David Johnston2 Join Date: Dec 2007	Re: Rolling for True Love An appeal to her genuine emotions seems like a reason to give her a will roll to break free.

01-31-2016, 08:14 PM	#3
whswhs Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lawrence, KS	Re: Rolling for True Love In Social Engineering, I mechanicked True Love as Loyalty. Per page 43, if Coyote is trying to influence her, True Love can simply substitute for Will in an Influence roll. Since the Loyalty score in a relationship of this kind is rolled as 1d+15, her odds are pretty good! If Coyote does persuade her, you could follow up with a contest of building trust. There are rules for this on p. 40. __________________ Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more.

02-01-2016, 03:24 AM	#4
malloyd Join Date: Jun 2006	Re: Rolling for True Love This is the sort of plot appropriate thing I'd consider letting you buy for a character point or two. You want the power of your heroic sacrifice, true love, pure hatred or indominable anger to alter the world? Spend more character points than you could possibly gain from the scene to prove the power of your feeling and it can. I used to think of it as sort of like retroactively incorporating this scene into your backstory, rather like buying a Reputation in play, but you can conceptualize it other ways too. There are now some rules for that sort of thing in the Player Guidance section of Power Ups 5: Impulse Buys, if you need an official reference of some sort. __________________ -- MA Lloyd

02-01-2016, 03:51 AM	#5
Ji ji Join Date: Feb 2012	Re: Rolling for True Love If the charm has a limitation like "can be broken by true love", then the mechanic is in the limitation's construction itself. If not, true love cannot dispel it.

02-01-2016, 05:24 AM	#6
GodBeastX Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Behind You	Re: Rolling for True Love Ironically I was speaking to someone about the nebulous nature of love. True love even more nebulous on the emotional level. The idea of it being quantitative is sort of difficult to relate to values. If I wasn't tracking things from Social Engineering stand point, I would treat this as a will roll to resist an outside mental influence. I would treat "True Love" as an on/off switch, not a slider. It's certainly a powerful perk in some scenarios in mythical settings. I think the modifier for it would be up to the GM. +1 being nuisance to those trying to dominate (Eh, she's in love, I'll just try harder). +5 being very potent (Nnngh, all this pesky love! This is difficult!). +10 being insurmountable (TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL!). I would still say it's a perk because it'd be resistance to very specific phenomena. Something that would mentally be used to break your love apart. This probably happens once in a campaign if at all. If it's something that'll be done a lot, True Love resistance is probably worth more. You might want to price it as some sort of Magic Resistance, with a limitation to "Will rolls to resist broken hearts!" Resistant might work as well. Or you might want to use bonus Will with a limitation modifier if it works on mundane sources too "Sorry, you can't Sex Appeal me, I have true love!" __________________ RPG Jutsu.com - Ninjas Play GURPS

02-01-2016, 09:37 AM	#8
~~NineDaysDead~~ Banned Join Date: Aug 2004	Re: Rolling for True Love For reference "True Love" can be a type of Higher Purpose, see Pyramid 31 page 33.

02-01-2016, 12:48 PM	#10
simply Nathan formerly known as 'Kenneth Latrans' Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Wyoming, Michigan	Re: Rolling for True Love True Love is a Cosmic power that can override otherwise-permanent curses. The point isn't that the curse powers are written with True Love as an intentional loophole, it's that True Love is a more powerful and fundamental force in the universe. __________________ Ba-weep granah wheep minibon. Wubba lubba dub dub.