Prestige
Most fantasy adventurers are “free agents” with no boss but themselves, usually out on the edge of civilization with few allies they can call on in a pinch. In this game, though, you and your fellow PCs may want to call in favors from the RHC, the local police, or other power groups. The Prestige mechanic provides a quick guideline of how
much clout the party has, whether they’re calling in a mage to perform a ritual too high-level for them, or trying to get their hands on a rare battle wand before assaulting a criminal stronghold.
The party may gain Prestige with five groups:
* Flint. The citizens of the city of Flint.
* Risur. The RHC, the police, and the greater Risuri government and military.
* The Unseen Court. The lords of the fey who rule in the Dreaming
* Criminal. A criminal group, the identity of which is secret at the start of the campaign.
* Philosophical. An ideological group, the identity of which is secret at the start of the campaign.
As with any rules for social interaction, these are just guidelines, and I will be exercising judgment when adjudicating them.
The party as a whole can call in one favor per day from a given allied group. For example, a party with Risur Prestige 2 might call on a soldier for back-up (Favor 1) and get someone to show up in a few minutes. The next day they might call for a 3rd-level druid to cast some healing spells for them (Favor 2), and he’d show up in a few hours. If the next day they wanted a 5th-level wizard capable of casting remove curse (Favor 3), he would arrive the next morning unless the party pulled some strings or yelled a lot (e.g., a successful Persuasion check).
If the party needs to call in more favors, one PC needs to make a Charisma (Persuasion) check (DC 8 + 2 per level of the favor + 2 per each previous favor beyond the limit in the same day). For instance, if on day two the party above also needed a squad of four police to stake out a wharf for a night (Rating 3), they would need
to make a check (DC 14) to even get the favor, plus also another check (DC 14) to round up the squad in time for that evening.
If they failed the first check they’d have to wait until the next day to call in that favor. If they failed the second check, the squad might be willing, but wouldn’t be able to get their schedules together until the next day.
All the above favors would be based on the party’s Prestige with Risur, and wouldn’t count against the limit if the party wanted to call on favors from the people of Flint. If they wanted some street urchins to tail a suspect for a week (Level 3), and needed a group of technologists to spend a few hours testing the air in various districts
for traces of a particular chemical (Level 4), it wouldn’t make the police any less likely to help the party out.
The Favor Ratings below are just guidelines. The GM can and will impose modifiers at his discretion, or state that certain favors are impossible. For instance, if you call in back-up to a crime scene, and all the officers are killed because you screw up, the police force will be less inclined to send you back-up next time. If you just saved the
police chief’s life and need a dozen men to track down the assassin, you’ll have an easier time of that.
Using Prestige.
In addition to acting as a handy track of your notoriety, your Prestige lets you call in favors, usually to acquire special gear or to get help from allies. The higher your Prestige, the easier and faster you can get what you want. Use the following guidelines to determine the Favor level of what you want. Then compare that rating to your Prestige to see how fast you can get what you want. You can make a Charisma (Persuasion) check (DC 8 + 2 per level of the favor) to increase the speed of your favor one step, from a week to a day for instance. Calling in a favor represents the party expending its resources and good will to find people who are both able and willing to help, so there are limits to how often the party can take advantage of the Prestige system.Favor Wait Times
| If the Favor level is... | Then your favor gets fulfilled in... |
|---|---|
| Less than your Prestige | As little time as humanly possible |
| Equal to your Prestige | A few hours |
| Your Prestige +1 | A day |
| Your Prestige +2 | A week |
| Your Prestige +3 | A month |
| Your Prestige +4 | Never |
Time and Money.
As a default, favors can get people to help you for up to half an hour. If you want someone to help you for a few hours, increase the level by 1. If the favor requires working for a day or more, increase the level by 2; and if a week or more, by 3. Particularly with large groups, you’ll usually need to factor at least a 1-level increase to give the group time to gather and travel to wherever the party needs them. Even the king needs a few weeks to march an army to war.Inconsequential Requests.
The party can request any number of favors that are of a level less than their Prestige without counting toward their daily limit. For example, a party with Unseen Court Prestige 2 is respected enough by the fey that they could easily have sprites delivering messages around the city, as long as it doesn’t put any of the fey into danger. Likewise, PCs with Risur Prestige 2 or more can pretty much always get a local police officer to provide backup or go look into something for them.Flint Favors.
Here are some sample favors, provided by Flint’s citizens. * Level 0. Urchins to watch a street for you. A secretary to look through documents or handle your paperwork. A carriage driver to provide you discreet passage around a district. * Level 1. A ferry-man to give you discreet passage around the city. A craftsman to make a custom non-magic item for you (you still pay the normal price). A minor bureaucrat to bend the rules for your sake. A journalist to run a story. * Level 2. A docker to create a distraction that will probably get them beaten up or arrested. A journalist to run a false story that could have serious consequences. A major public figure agreeing to talk with you for a few minutes. * Level 3. A gang of thugs to commit some violent crimes for you. A small group of concerned citizens to rally and protest somewhere. A journalist to print an exposé on a powerful political figure. * Level 4. A large crowd of protesters to block off a whole building or street. A class of university students to come out and use their skills for the common people. A ship captain to smuggle in something for you. * Level 5. A politician to take a stand for something that might cost them their office. A city-wide search for a missing person. A local celebrity to put on a private show. * Level 6. A city-wide protest. A call for all citizens to take arms against a threat.Risur Favors.
And here are some examples of help provided by the RHC, the police, or the military. * Level 1. An officer to provide back-up or investigate a lead for you. One soldier to fight alongside you. * Level 2. Four officers or soldiers. A spell cast by a 3rd-level spellcaster (the PCs pay for any expensive spell components). * Level 3. A squad of twelve officers, or a unit of twelve soldiers. A spell cast by a 5th-level spellcaster. * Level 4. A precinct-wide alert for all officers to assist. Four 12-soldier units. A spell cast by a 7th-level spellcaster. * Level 5. A city-wide alert for all officers to assist. A company of one hundred soldiers. A spell cast by a 9th-level spellcaster. * Level 6. Four companies of soldiers. A spell cast by Principal Minister Harkover Lee, the king’s court wizard.Unseen Court Favors.
It’s always dangerous to ask for help from the fey. Any favor must be repaid in kind, a bargain which can be magically compelled at any moment. * Level 1. A tiny fey to deliver an item to a specific house without being seen. A dryad to hide someone on the run from the law. * Level 2. A pixie to kill a person’s pet and eat everything but its head. A nymph to lure someone off into the Cloudwood. * Level 3. A hag to provide an uncommon illegal magic item (you still pay for the cost). A young treant to sneak into the city and observe a target. * Level 4. A vekeshi mystic to abduct a factory owner and threaten him. * Level 5. A fey lord (though not one of the Unseen Court) to meet and provide information. * Level 6. A member of the Great Hunt to chase down and kill a target in the wilderness.Tools of the Mission.
In addition to a constable’s salary, which supports a comfortable lifestyle, the RHC provides its agents three types of resources for their missions. First, the RHC quartermaster might provide constables with technological devices or magic items from the royal coffers. Government technologists need a testbed for their inventions. Meanwhile, the fey of the Unseen Court would often trade enchanted items for favors, with the requirement that those items be used every so often or else returned. Second, before each mission the constables will be granted a stipend for purchasing mundane weapons and tools, paying off contacts, travel expenses, and the like. Third, each unit of constables can requisition equipment from the royal magic item vaults, though their Risur Prestige will determine how many items the government is willing to trust them with. These items should be returned when no longer needed (not counting things like potions that are consumed upon use). Losing items means the RHC might not provide any more.Requisitioning Equipment.
The party’s Risur Prestige determines how many enchanted items the RHC will trust them with. If there’s a few weeks’ downtime between missions, the constables can generally call upon the following sorts of items. * Party Risur Prestige 0. No magic items granted. * Party Risur Prestige 1. One Common item per constable. * Party Risur Prestige 2. Two Common items per constable. Two Uncommon items for the unit. * Party Risur Prestige 3. Three Common items and one Uncommon per constable. Two Rare items for the unit. * Party Risur Prestige 4. Four Common items, one Uncommon, and one Rare item per constable. One Very Rare item for the unit. * Party Risur Prestige 5. Five Common items, one Uncommon, one Rare, and one Very Rare item per constable. * Party Risur Prestige 6. Six Common and two Uncommon items, one Rare, and one Very Rare item per constable. One Legendary item for the unit. Please note that RHC’s items have a diversity of backgrounds, and that sometimes you won’t get exactly what you want. If the party wants to request a magic item during an adventure, they need to call in a favor using their Risur Prestige. Use the Favor levels listed below as a guideline to determine how long it would take to receive the item. * Level 3. Requisition a Common magic item. * Level 4. Requisition an Uncommon magic item. * Level 5. Requisition a Rare magic item. * Level 6. Requisition a Very Rare magic item. * Level 7. Requisition a Legendary magic item. Regardless of the relative rarity, the RHC will rarely grant a group of constables more than one item apiece beyond the limits described above. This abstraction represents what would realistically be a complex system involving paperwork and arranging collateral for whatever government agency previously had the item. If the level of the favor is too high, that might mean the party isn’t trusted enough, or simply that such an item doesn’t exist and would need to be crafted. Please remember that these are just guidelines. If a PC declines to get a rare item but wants a dozen potions of healing, the RHC will probably be fine with that.
Prestige Rating
The Prestige rating represents how prominent the party is, either as an ally or enemy. If the party thwarts several criminal plots but anger Flint politicians in the process, the criminals might view them as a significant threat (Prestige 3), even though they’re pariahs to the Risuri establishment (Prestige 0).
Your level of Prestige influences how easy it is for you to call in favors from your allies, and how much effort your enemies will put into defeating you.
••Rating 0: Viewed with disdain, as buffoons or pariahs. The group will not take the party seriously.
••Rating 1: The party is relatively unknown to the group.
••Rating 2: The party has done a few noteworthy things, but most in the group don’t know them or assume they won’t do anything else interesting.
••Rating 3: The party has distinguished itself, and most members of the group know about their actions and talents.
••Rating 4: The group pays close attention to the party, either viewing them as a powerful ally or a dangerous enemy.
••Rating 5: The party is one of the top priorities of the group. A lot of resources are devoted to either helping them out or taking them down.
••Rating 6: The party has the ear of the leader of the group (or actually is in charge), or they’re viewed as the face of the enemy.
Comments