DFRPG Specific Perks

[benz72]

Had a few things bubble up in the brain and thought I'd share. These are meant to add a little dynamic range to PC interactions in Town. Corresponding quirks would only be appropriate if aligned to a PC's role (A beggar-thief who can never find good stuff while mudlarking is interesting, a haughty chevalier, not so much)


Gossip Magnet - for whatever reason, people want to tell you the latest gossip rumors. Whenever you roll Carousing or Current Affairs to learn interesting tidbit you get MoS/2 (min 1) instead of just one. These are no more accurate than normal rumors.

High Roller - When Gambling, you get invited to tables where the stakes are one level higher than the normal skill level progression would suggest. You don't have to bet that high, but it is an option.

Streetside Spotlight - Whenever using the skills in Bumming, Busking, and Haranguing your ability to find good acoustics and interested passers by means that you receive $3 time MoS instead of the normal $2.

Sewer Synchrony - You know where the valuable things wash up, and how to keep others from following you there. While using Urban Survival to gather coins you recover $2 time MoS instead of the normal $1.

Cross Reference Crusader - Whenever you discover something with Research, you gain an additional, potentially related bit of info. GM rolls twice so that neither, either, or both pieces of information might be accurate.

Favorite Fence - When selling a particular kind of merchandise using Streetwise (e.g. weaponry, art, evil monster bits), treat your Wealth level as one category higher.

Please add or comment.

[JulianLW]

I think all of these are awesome! But I'd like to hear from some of the other folks on here about the balance. Streetside Spotlight, especially, seems cool, but if you consider that it's a multiplier of 1.5 for MoS, that could easily be the equivalent of buying a couple or even several levels of the skill - and that's the only use of that skill! Even if it's only a few bucks! I mean, there would never be a reason not to buy that perk, if you had even one point in Panhandling. It would be far more valuable than putting that second point into the skill itself....

So I'm wondering what other folks think.

[Balor Patch]

With Streetside Spotlight, a highly skilled character who always made an MoS of 10 would make $500 in just 17 weeks. On the other hand, he could just use the point to start with $500. So, how long is this campaign going to last, how much other loot is the character expected to find, and what MoS are they really likely to have?

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by JulianLW

I think all of these are awesome! But I'd like to hear from some of the other folks on here about the balance. Streetside Spotlight, especially, seems cool, but if you consider that it's a multiplier of 1.5 for MoS, that could easily be the equivalent of buying a couple or even several levels of the skill - and that's the only use of that skill!

I think that speaks more to the fact that Panhandling should never have been a skill in the first place. It's a legacy skill that often comes up in discussions of skill bloat, or traits that ought to be eliminated, in GURPS. It probably ought to be based on Fast Talk and/or Acting in the same way you'd base the busking on Musical Instrument. You could then make it a technique if you really thought it needed a way the improve separately from any other use of Fast Talk.

But yes, a multiplier on something that depends on MOS is often going to be problematic relative to increasing your skill. Especially for a perk. How about increasing your MOS by 1 if you succeeded? That's effectively a +1 to skill, for this particular task, only if you make your success roll, which seems well within the range of a perk even for a pretty major chunk of a skill, though it's still problematic for a skill that *only* does that one thing.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by benz72

Gossip Magnet - for whatever reason, people want to tell you the latest gossip rumors. Whenever you roll Carousing or Current Affairs to learn interesting tidbit you get MoS/2 (min 1) instead of just one. These are no more accurate than normal rumors.

I'd think hard about this one too, not for balance issues but for practical ones. Coming up with good rumors has always been a fair amount of work - yeah outright nonsensical ones aren't too hard, but crafting ones that actually hint at something worthwhile without spilling too much is fairly difficult for me, and I think most everybody else. And the Return on Investment is typically pretty low - I very much doubt most groups of players ever follow up on all, or even most, of the good ones they get now, so handing out more, adding yet more low return hard work to for the GM, doesn't seem all that great an idea.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by malloyd

How about increasing your MOS by 1 if you succeeded? That's effectively a +1 to skill, for this particular task, only if you make your success roll, which seems well within the range of a perk even for a pretty major chunk of a skill, though it's still problematic for a skill that *only* does that one thing.

Panhandling Bond

[benz72]

Originally Posted by malloyd

I'd think hard about this one too, not for balance issues but for practical ones. Coming up with good rumors has always been a fair amount of work - yeah outright nonsensical ones aren't too hard, but crafting ones that actually hint at something worthwhile without spilling too much is fairly difficult for me, and I think most everybody else. And the Return on Investment is typically pretty low - I very much doubt most groups of players ever follow up on all, or even most, of the good ones they get now, so handing out more, adding yet more low return hard work to for the GM, doesn't seem all that great an idea.

This might help you. http://donjon.bin.sh/fantasy/inn/
Every time you refresh the page there is a new list of random rumors at the bottom. If you need to grab some false ones quickly that might come in handy. Alternatively, it might generate random side quests.

[benz72]

Originally Posted by malloyd

I think that speaks more to the fact that Panhandling should never have been a skill in the first place. It's a legacy skill that often comes up in discussions of skill bloat, or traits that ought to be eliminated, in GURPS. It probably ought to be based on Fast Talk and/or Acting in the same way you'd base the busking on Musical Instrument. You could then make it a technique if you really thought it needed a way the improve separately from any other use of Fast Talk.

But yes, a multiplier on something that depends on MOS is often going to be problematic relative to increasing your skill. Especially for a perk. How about increasing your MOS by 1 if you succeeded? That's effectively a +1 to skill, for this particular task, only if you make your success roll, which seems well within the range of a perk even for a pretty major chunk of a skill, though it's still problematic for a skill that *only* does that one thing.

In general I agree. In this case I figured the game wouldn't become unbalanced because:
1) Most of the time isn't in town anyway
2) The values involved are really low to begin with
3) By the time a PC could make any headway with even a high skill (and high and boosted MoS) the others in the party could make more money doing more interesting things.
YMMV though so if you want a different multiplier, change the numbers to suit.

[benz72]

Quest reward perks -
Anyone want to add some potential perks for completing appropriate quests?

Spare Room - When staying in this particular town you are welcomed into a household. You pay half the normal Inn rate to keep from wearing out your welcome (contributing to meals, hostess gifts, &c.). If you don't have the money they will put you up for two weeks then send you on your way; remove this perk. Similarly, brining trouble to the host's door is a good way to lose this perk.

Friendly Guard - After doing that favor for The Watch word got around. When The Watch comes to investigate trouble you have an extra second or two to make yourself scarce before people get rounded up for questioning. Getting into a fight with the guard removes this perk. A similar perk exists for The King's Men.

Nose for Business - Saving that merchant's bacon paid off. Whenever you are haggling over the price of one particular type of good in this town your gain a +1 bonus to your Merchant skill because you know the local market so well.

Made Man - The Outfit has spoken. Local footpads leave you alone, mostly because they still like having pads on their feet. If someone is going to get mugged, pickpocketed or have their room pilfered by local lowlife miscreants it isn't going to be you.

Everybody Knows Your Name - When you use Carousing at this particular establishment (or in this section of town depending on how big town is) receive a +1 bonus.

Favorite Customer - Whenever you have one particular type of merchandise made, altered, repaired or enhanced your order gets preferential treatment. Reduce time to complete the order by 1/3.

Reserved Table - You can always get room and board at this establishment, even if the proprietor has to vacate other guests. If there were no other guests inconvenienced then he offers you a $25/wk or 25% discount (whichever is less) instead.

Thoughts?

I'm considering allowing the skill bonus perks to be used as partial payment for buying up their skills as well.

[martinl]

All of these are fine, but are also material that moves the focus from the dungeon to Town. Dungeon perks would be more my jam.

Orc-Friend - You ignore up to -5 points of "delver vs. monster" reaction penalties for greenskins only. Not available to elves or dwarves for historical reasons.

Torcherur - If one of your hands is empty and you have a torch and a way to light it you can have a lit torch in that hand or not at your discretion with no prep time or GM interaction required.