Extra Attribute Help: Luck

[Kesendeja]

This is an attribute that I’ve been tinkering with for some time now, but I need help in implementing it. I’m not quite so good at balance…. Any comments are welcome.

I did do a search of the Forum but didn't find anywhere this was discused, but I may have missed something..

Karma (abbreviated KR)
• Cost 15 per level, normal attribute caps applied (if you use them)
• Starts at 10
• It can be seen as a measure of how much the fates like you. When random things happen, and even with some advantages/disadvantages, like Intuition, you would roll against it. (I think it would fundamentally change how Luck and Bad Luck would work.)
• Rolling can be either under or over the score as needed and modifiers for probability would apply.

Karma Points (abbreviated KP) are renamed Impulse points.
• Cost 5 per level. Normal game limits apply. 1/3 to 1/2 of Karma score
• They start at either KR-10 or KR-5, haven’t decided yet. Input would be appreciated.
• A negative score would give the GM points to use against you.
• A positive score gives you the points.

Luck: Gives a bonus of +2 to the attribute rolls, for each level you have in the Advantage.
Bad Luck: Gives you a penalty of -3 to the attribute rolls, for each level you have in the disadvantage.

Intuition now uses luck, as does Serendipity.

In the case of “once per session” abilities, each use could subtract 5 from the roll, if more use was desired.

Are there any more abilities that would be changed to use the Attribute?

[Shuckster]

So while Luck, Extraordinary Luck, Ridiculous Luck, Super Luck, Unluckiness and Cursed are all traits characters can take, there's also Serendipity, Daredevil, Intuition, Danger Sense etc. Traits like these are why most people don't include a luck stat and typically choose Quintessence as the fifth basic attribute for a catch all supernatural stat.

However if Luck was a basic attribute that either means that I'm required to invest more points into it in order to make the most of the advantages I already bought for my character, or even that I require some of those advantages to make full use of my higher than average Luck level.
If everyone sometimes gets free "good random things" from a luck stat than that's basically just a weaker version of Serendipity from rolling well on even an average Luck level, which makes advantages like serendipity a lot less worth it for players.

Leaving these "random events" vague, with no real way of knowing when they would happen and having them be entirely up to the GM can be a conflict of interest in certain groups. There is however something similar to this that already exists that we can base this system on, specifically Divine Favor.

So in GURPS divine favor can be accomplished either through Power Investiture (the cleric/warlock version of Margery) or the Divine Favor advantage. Basically when you want divine intervention you make a reaction roll to see if your deity hears you and wants to intervene and divine favor gives you bonuses to the roll. If you get a good enough reaction then things will go your way and the powers will intervene. Get a bad enough reaction and you might be punished or penalized.

Ignoring the gods part of divine favor and saying good karma counts as favor and bad karma counts as the opposite (a penalty to the reaction roll) we can create a modified corruption system around this idea.

Luck and Karma as a favor/corruption system
Basically characters by default would start at 0 Karma and you would come up with a list of actions they could take that would add to or subtract from this number.

Good Karma:
Giving to the needy (+1 KP per $1000 involved during the whole period, rounding up)
Traveling to holy places (+1d-2 KP)
Penance/Prayer/Meditation for a full day (+4 KP)
Truly good or "Meritorious Action" (up to +25 KP in extreme cases, like taking a bullet meant for someone else, GM's discretion)

Bad Karma:
Stealing/Blood Money (-1 KP per $1000 involved during the whole period, rounding up)
Entering forbidden/cursed/haunted places (-1d-2 KP)
Breaking a just and fair law that isn't covered under vile actions (-4 KP)
Truly evil or "Vile Actions" (up to -25 KP in extreme cases, like killing and eating a sacred cow, GM's discretion)

As the game goes on you would keep track of Karma Points gained or lost this way and at a certain pre-arranged time (the corruption system in GURPS Horror does this once every in-game month, but a week also works) You would look at each character's score and shift the Karma level up once for every full ten Karma points they have earned or down one for every full negative Karma points they have earned. Those KP are then spent and deducted from their scores.

Maybe once per in game week the GM makes a reaction roll modified by their karma score and for example:

0 or less: Crippling Karma
You suffer the disadvantage "Cursed" until next week. If you already have this disadvantage then they suffer "Divine Curse" instead (the GM stipulates what this divine curse is).

1 to 3: Disastrous Karma
Make a Karma roll to get through the day without something co-incidentally going wrong for you. This is like a negative version of Serendipity with rules for Klutz.

4 to 6: Poor Karma
You suffer from the "Unluckiness" disadvantage until next week, if you are already unlucky than the you become Cursed instead (as per Crippling Karma)

7 to 9: Bellow Average Karma
At some point this week the GM is aloud to have one thing go co-incidentally wrong for you, this is like a one-use version Disastrous Karma that shouldn't be more punishing than a failed DX rolls from Klutz.

10 to 12: Average Karma
Nothing good or bad happens at all.

13 to 15: Good Karma
At some point this week the GM is required to have one thing go co-incidentally right for you, this is like a one-use version of Serendipity.

16 to 18: Great Karma
You get your choice of either +1 level of Serendipity or +1 level of the Luck advantage this week.

19 or better: Transcendent Karma
You enjoy the benefits of the Super Luck advantage for the week.