Amorous Pursuits
Human Companionship
Relationships are central to the human experience, and companionship (be it romantic, platonic or merely convenient) is a universal need. Failing to meet this need carries consequences in self-image, confidence, and social standing. A character who fails to seek out Human Companionship (or HC) during a given month will lose one Status Point, and (so long as that lack continues) a cumulative SP each month thereafter (i.e., -1 SP the first month, -2 the second, -3 the third, and so on). Ordained clergy are assumed to be celibate, and thus accrue no penalties (although nothing prevents them from having paramours and gaining the benefits).
There are two ways to meet this need: spending time with a Paramour, or visiting a Bawdyhouse in the Red Light District.
The Paramour
Paramours are, as far as DBD! is concerned, the primary source of Human Companionship and potentially other useful assets. They can be of any gender, age, culture, or religion, as these attributes are irrelevant in the context of the game. Each one is assigned a name (often somewhat bawdy or pun-related), but the gender identity is intentionally ambiguous despite any apparent gendered name. Cross-dressing was a feature of the age among the enlightened upper classes, and we are not here to judge. To secure a paramour, a character must Court them as a Primary Action. After a successful courtship, the paramour wll be available to accompany that character to social venues and events as desired.Paramour Attributes
Paramours have one necessary attribute and four possible ones. These are: Social Level (necessary), Beauty, Influence, Muse, and Wealth. Each paramour has at least one, and potentially all five attributes. Paramours are randomly generated with SL by rolling three dice, then a single die being rolled for each attribute in turn. On a die result of 1 or 2, they have that attribute.
A brief description of these attributes are warranted.
- Beauty speaks for itself. A character with a Beautiful paramour gains one additional Status Point per month in which the two are seen together. Beautiful Paramours are often highlighted in some way in the Gazette.
- Influence is an indication of the social connections of that paramour. An Influential paramour bestows an additional favor (in the form of a Gift) each year.
- Muse is an undefinable quality of the paramour to inspire great art or thoughts. A protagonist with a Muse as a Paramour gains a bonus when attempting the Fine Arts.
- Wealth indicates great financial resources possessed by the paramour. A Wealthy lover will give the protagonist a monthly sum equal to twice the difference in their SLs, if the Paaramour's is higher. At any rate, no upkeep is necessary.
Courtship
Courting a paramour is, as previously noted, a Primary Action, and may not be combined with any Secondary Actions. If a duel ensues, it is considered a Free Action.When courting another, one must take not only the time to do so, but also effort into looking and smelling one's best, presenting thoughtful gifts and offering tempting refreshments. These inducements cost money; specifically, three times the paramour's Social Level in crowns. Attempting courtship without this payment is considered an automatic rejection (and possibly an insult).
The chance of a successful suit is determined by the difference in Social Level between the character and paramour, as detailed on the Courtship Table:
Courtship
Difference in Social Level |
Die roll needed or higher |
|---|---|
-6 |
6 |
-5, -4 |
5 |
-3, -2, -1 |
4 |
0, +1, +2 |
3 |
+3 or more |
2 |
It is possible to improve one's chances at successfully courting a paramour. By spending crowns equal to (3 * the paramour's SL), the protagonist gains +1 to the roll of the die; however, a natural roll of 1 is always a rejection. Also, this method has no effect on a paramour with Wealth, as they are not impressed by such gestures.
Courting takes one week of time, therefore counting as an action. A character who unsuccessfully courts a prospective mistress may try again in a later week, but must pay the courting cost again too. If two characters discover each other at the doorstep of the same young lady in the same week, there may be difficulties. Either character may withdraw in favour of the other. If a character withdraws in favour of a character of a lower Social Level than himself, he loses Status Points equal to the difference in Social Levels between them. If neither character withdraws, a duel is required to settle the issue. Both players have spent the money before courting, regardless of what happens. A player may court the mistress of another player, but he has an automatic die roll modifier of -1. Courting another player's mistress is obviously cause for a duel if discovered. A character is caught if he attempts to court another player's mistress while the other player is with her, or if he courts, fails to win her and commits an indiscretion (described below) in the process. Characters are permitted to have only one mistress at a time. A player who has a mistress may court another, however. If successful, he must give up the first mistress. If unsuccessful, he must roll one die. On a roll of 1 through 5, he has been sufficiently discreet and his mistress does not find out. On a roll of 6, he has committed an indiscretion and his present mistress throws him out on his ear. Once a character wins a mistress (i.e. successfully courts her) he must pay crowns equal to three times her Social Level once per month for her support. If a player has a wealthy mistress, he need not pay her support; indeed, she will pay him crowns equal to twice the difference in their Social Levels (little gifts and what not) if hers is higher. A character receives one Status Point per month for having a mistress, regardless of her attributes or Social Level. If his mistress is of a higher Social Level than he is, a character receives additional Status Points equal to the difference in Social Level between himself and his mistress. Beautiful mistresses give an additional Status Point to their lovers. All mistresses have a certain amount of influence, depending upon their Social Level, and influential mistresses have additional influence. Influence Table C lists mistresses' favours (see Influence for their uses). A character need only visit his mistress once per month to satisfy his need for female companionship. Visiting a mistress counts as an activity unless the visit is combined with a visit to a club. Mistresses accompanying their lovers to a club count in lieu of the monthly visit. Naturally, the character is expected to purchase her liquid refreshment.
Characters in Death Before Dishonor! are required to have some sort of human companionship (HC) each month. If the character has a paramour for any portion of the month, it counts even if the character does not visit them. A character may also visit a Bawdyhouse in the red light district and obtain companionship there, or have an indiscreet liaison to satisfy this requirement. For each month the character does not have human companionship he is penalized -1 SP; this penalty is cumulative. For example, the first month would result in -1 SP, the second month would have a -2 penalty, the third -3 and so on.
Human companionship is not assumed to be required for clergymen.
Human companionship will be satisfied if you court a paramour but do not step down, regardless of success of your courting attempt. If you step down you do not get credited for HC. It is assumed you will step aside unless you say otherwise.
If you court someone else's paramour and don't encounter anyone, then there is a 1 in 6 chance your liaison is indiscreet and the world finds out about it. This counts for HC. It is also cause for a duel. But if you are discrete, then it doesn't count if you don't succeed in wooing them away. You can be indiscreet if you choose to be so, but you take a -1 penalty to the success roll.
If you encounter competition on the paramour's doorstep then a duel will occur to decide who gets the privilege of courting them. Winning the duel gains you the privilege of courtship and satisfies your HC requirement. The loser must satisfy his HC requirement someplace else, and can go to the Red Light District instead. You may only court one paramour at a time in any given week.
Contents
Chapter III: Social Life
- Social Climbing & Status
- Influencing Others
- Amorous Pursuits
- Love & Family
- The Club
- Social Events
- Competitions
- Titles & Orders
- Disgrace & Dishonor
- Lackeys & Menial Work
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