Morality, Reputation, and Renown are three rulesets that exist on the world of Etof. These three sets of rules are meant to increase player awareness of the world and give their actions and choices meaningful impact. Positive and negative consequences are placed on the players as they traverse and interact with the living world surrounding them.
Morality
Morality is a ruleset that works in tandem with the alignment system already present in 5th Edition. While individual members may have their own personal goals and motives as they adventure across Etof, the party as a whole operates as a singular unit and makes choices in a group effort. The morality system extends itself to a scale, ranging from Notorious (the lowest point) to Honorable (the highest). Party interactions with NPCs, factions, towns, and sometimes the world as a whole will be partly based on their morality scale. Unlike Reputation or Renown, Morality is not based on subjective parameters set by certain groups, but are instead founded on a global understanding of right and wrong.
Morality Scale
The Morality Scale is a numerical scale ranging from 0 to 100. The Scale is here divided into three sections: Notorious, Neutral, and Honorable.
Notorious ranges from
1-39 on the Scale.
Neutral ranges from
40-60 on the Scale.
Honorable ranges from
61-100 on the Scale.
Examples of Honorable Actions
- Refusing or reallocating quest rewards
- Non-violent resolution
- Sparing fallen enemies
- Completing honorable quests
Examples of Notorious Actions
- Committing crimes (theft, assault, murder, etc.)
- Not saving innocents
- Unnecessary or excessive violence
- Completing notorious quests
Maintaining Neutrality
Parties that may not wish to go too far in either direction have options to maintain neutrality. More notorious parties may opt to find quests that involve clearing bandit hideouts or stopping evil threats, even if only for their own personal gain. More honorable parties may find that although good deeds can be spiritually rewarding, there is less money to be made; opting to persuade or threaten for better rewards will help maintain neutrality.
Effects of Morality
Morality primarily affects the disposition players have with the world that surrounds them. For instance, morality may influence shop prices, quest rewards, diplomacy, skill checks, and the way NPCs behave towards the players. This applies regardless of the party's relationships with factions.
Reputation
Reputation is a system that regards the disposition of factions towards individual party members and the party as a whole. Reputation, like Morality, plays a large role in how the players will feel the consequences of their choices. Each faction keeps track of the party's reputation, and members of these factions will reflect on this.
Reputation is based on the amount of choices made that help (resulting in Fame points) or hurt (resulting in Infamy points) these factions. Players and parties alike may earn both Infamy and Fame points for the same faction, resulting in mixed reputations.
Fame and Infamy
Fame and Infamy both have 3 primary levels that can be gained by players.
Fame's 3 levels are Welcomed, Loved, and Idolized.
Infamy's 3 levels are Shunned, Hated, and Vilified.
Below is a table that reflects the levels of Fame (presented on the header) versus the levels of Infamy (presented on the side). It is possible for the party to accumulate levels in both Fame and Infamy, and this table reflects these resulting reputations. Bold reputations indicate a good relationship with a specific faction, whereas italicized reputations indicate bad relationships. Neutral reputations are normal.
|
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| 0 |
Neutral |
Welcomed |
Loved |
Idolized |
| 1 |
Shunned |
Mixed |
Troublemaker |
Well-Meaning Punk |
| 2 |
Hated |
Ne'er-Do-Well |
Unpredictable |
Antihero |
| 3 |
Vilified |
Grinning Bastard |
Reda-Spawn |
Force of Chaos |
Most often, players will start off as neutral with factions prior to engaging with them. Some character backgrounds may include changes to reputation, such as Faction Members.
Accumulating Reputation Levels
Etof is a large world with lots of toes to step on, so Reputation with a faction is increased as players interact with the world around them. Like Morality, there is a numerical system for attributing points to either Fame or Infamy. Similar to an experience bar, each level of Reputation has a threshold of a certain amount of points. They are the following:
Level 0 ranges from
0-149
Level 1 ranges from
150-499
Level 2 ranges from
500-999
Level 3 is reached at
1000
Some actions accumulate more Reputation points than others, for instance murdering a member of a faction will raise Infamy more than stealing would. Many quests that are completed in favor for a specific faction raise Fame, however, this may result in raising Infamy points with opposing factions.
Effects of Reputation
Reputation influences player interaction with almost all of the people they will meet on Etof. The farther they dive into the world, the more these people will acknowledge and reflect on the party's actions.
Being Welcomed or Loved by a faction will often result in better rewards, discounts, and more opportunities for quests. Being Idolized will often bring major support of the faction to the party in their endeavors.
Being Shunned or Hated by a faction will often result in worse rewards (if any), raised prices, fewer opportunities for quests, and negative dispositions towards faction members. Being Vilified by a faction will often result in faction members placing bounties on the party, and perhaps instructing kill-on-sight orders.
Remaining neutral with a faction will bring only very few positive or negative interactions with a faction, but increased levels of neutrality (i.e. Reda-Spawn or Antihero) will often have faction members call into question the motives of the party.
Limiting Reputation Gain
Players may need to reduce the amount of Reputation points they acquire, especially if they need to complete an objective in a subtle way. Disguises are an option to conceal the identity of players that will not only limit the amount of Reputation points gained by their actions, but will also directly affect their interactions with a faction. For instance, players that have levels of Infamy with a particular faction may disguise themselves as a member of that faction, concealing their identity and therefore negating the effects of Infamy. However, this works both ways: a player that wears the disguise of a faction may be targeted by members of that faction's enemy even if the player has good reputation with that faction.
Note: disguises do not influence Morality.
Another way to limit an increased Reputation in either direction is to ensure that some acts aren't witnessed
(wink wink) by members of the faction. Assassinating an enemy who is alone and hiding the body, or even implicating someone else, would drastically reduce the reputation gain compared to killing the enemy with several witnesses. Witnesses are quick to report the deeds and misdeeds of others, and word spreads fast!
Renown
Renown is a system based on Tiers of Play that influences the level at which the players are known throughout the world of Etof. Renown is tied directly to player level and influences the overall impact that they have on the world. As player level increases, they cross new thresholds of Renown that have direct impacts on how the world views the party, connecting the tissue between Morality and Reputation.
The Local Rabble (Levels 1-4)
You have to start somewhere. The Local Rabble are up-and-coming adventurers ready to prove themselves on the world stage. Their journeys often begin with small-fry jobs and quests that eventually tie into greater opportunities to hone their skills. While these inexperienced whelps are eager to prove themselves, they know that there are some jobs best left for the professionals.
These adventurers are expendable and gain the standard amount of Reputation points.
The New Heroes (Levels 5-10)
We're getting to the big leagues. The New Heroes are adventurers that have made a bit of a name for themselves in a region. They've fought and bled for a cause that has them recognized as big fish in a little pond. And as that pond continues to shrink, these experienced adventurers must venture out for bigger and better opportunities. A young dragon? No problem.
These adventurers hold some sway, and gain a
5% increase to their Reputation points.
The Badasses (Levels 11-16)
Pity the fool that even thinks of crossing your path without acknowledging you. The Badasses have reached a level of fame sought by many but attained by few. They've defeated foes across an entire region, and are a household name in other parts of the world. These weathered veterans stood up to odds so insurmountable that they're practically immortalized in myth.
These adventurers are influential, and gain a
10% increase to their Reputation points.
The Titans (Levels 17-20)
The gods tremble, for they know their world is next to be conquered. The Titans are the pinnacle of their craft, and are no longer seen as adventurers but manifestations of the gods themselves. All around the world, the names of the Titans are known and spoken equally in praise and in fear. Für help whomever they set their sights on.
These BAMFs have the world in the palms of their hands, and gain a
15% increase to their Reputation points.
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