1001 Nights variant: character stories
Game rules - homebrew
For information on my purposes and guiding principles behind these rules, please see my 1001 Nights variant summary and analysis: '1001 Nights' system variant.
You may no longer have an obvious destiny or may just be going through a moment of doubt whilst you work out what lesson you needed to learn to stay on your path. At this time, you gain an extra personal problem for the GM to trigger - so you lose the ability but become more involved in the plot. You and the GM can agree a new, temporary personal problem or you can take a generic one - listlessness:
Realigning your stars
The temporary personal problem stays until it can be resolved. The solution can be part of the design between you and the GM or it can be an in-the-moment success. You could actively search for an answer or a success that would get you back on track or the GM could offer one and, if you succeed at a challenge, you're back on track: the new problem goes away and you regain your extra dice option. JUMP TO CONTENTS
...An 'Icon Fate' or 'Personal Blessing'
The religious think of it as their fate, a gift from the Icons. Those with a more secular bent think of it as a skill they have honed or a natural talent of their genes. Make it not as wide-reaching as 'my story'
It will need to be something much more specific than technology as a skill or "cool under pressure", which could be applied in any game situation needing dice. The GM and player should agree on a specific skill area and/or circumstance, for example:
When you're in a situation that would be affected by the thing you're good at you get a free re-roll, as if you had made a preparatory prayer for it. If you succeed, praise the Icons. If you still miss though, then you lose the benefit until you can regain your confidence. Regaining your confidence
The GM and the player can agree what will allow the character to regain their confidence or the character can complete any one of the following:
The Icons have marked the players out as worthy of extra help and the so the Dark Between the Stars will challenge them to make them prove this worth (see the 'Nature of the Dark Between the Stars' paragraph of my GM style summary). Under the gaze of The Dark Between the Stars the PC has a problem that dogs them constantly
...A 'Dark Fate' or 'Personal Problem'
The religious would think of it as their fate, but a constant challenge from the Dark Between the Stars. Those with a more secular bent think of it as something that 'always happens to me', simply because of who they are - their social status or their genes, perhaps. Personal Problem
This is just the existing personal problem in Coriolis but I'll be better at guiding the player to choose something that can be activated in everyday situations, and so in every session, irrespective of the greater plot (something I've made the mistake of not doing in my first games). JUMP TO CONTENTS
My story
Based on Forbidden Lands' pride system Everyone in the Third Horizon has been raised on stories. Moreover, everyone is well aware that they will have their own story to tell at the end of their life. To some this is a burden but to others it's exciting possibility. To some it'll be the story of their achievements and how they overcame trials and tribulations, to others it was their destiny. In all cases it is the story that their family will tell of them for generations thereafter. During character-gen, the player writes one sentence describing the long-term goal or aspiration, or even fear, of the character, something will happen to them in their future. It could be an end-of-life perspective but would be better as something that could be tackled during a campaign, generating plot. It's likely too big to be resolved in a single scenario, but could still influence role-playing choices throughout a campaign. You don't usually fail a roll that's important for your story- Once per session, when you fail a roll, if you think success in an action is vital to your story then you can choose to roll a d20, looking for that important success
- 75% of the time you will then succeed and this will also confirm you're on the right path
- But where you still miss the roll, your future has suddenly become less clear to you
You may no longer have an obvious destiny or may just be going through a moment of doubt whilst you work out what lesson you needed to learn to stay on your path. At this time, you gain an extra personal problem for the GM to trigger - so you lose the ability but become more involved in the plot. You and the GM can agree a new, temporary personal problem or you can take a generic one - listlessness:
| Listlessness | You are distracted by self-doubt or by something that reminds you of the destiny perhaps lost and somehow wander into danger, for example:
|
|---|
The temporary personal problem stays until it can be resolved. The solution can be part of the design between you and the GM or it can be an in-the-moment success. You could actively search for an answer or a success that would get you back on track or the GM could offer one and, if you succeed at a challenge, you're back on track: the new problem goes away and you regain your extra dice option. JUMP TO CONTENTS
Under Their Gaze
Under the gaze of The Icons the PC has a blessing, a gift, skill or knowledge that sets them apart...An 'Icon Fate' or 'Personal Blessing'
The religious think of it as their fate, a gift from the Icons. Those with a more secular bent think of it as a skill they have honed or a natural talent of their genes. Make it not as wide-reaching as 'my story'
It will need to be something much more specific than technology as a skill or "cool under pressure", which could be applied in any game situation needing dice. The GM and player should agree on a specific skill area and/or circumstance, for example:
- "I'm better when there's an audience to show off to", with agreement that the party doesn't count as an audience at all times - there has to be some manner in which you're going to impress the watchers
- Hairdressing - which is not going to come up too often but in a game of courtly politics could be judiciously used by the cunning player
- Fixing engines
- Playing chess
- Duelling with pistols
When you're in a situation that would be affected by the thing you're good at you get a free re-roll, as if you had made a preparatory prayer for it. If you succeed, praise the Icons. If you still miss though, then you lose the benefit until you can regain your confidence. Regaining your confidence
The GM and the player can agree what will allow the character to regain their confidence or the character can complete any one of the following:
- Succeed again at your chosen skill without the Icons' help
- Complete a prayer in a chapel
- Complete a prayer session with a priest, missionary, preacher or pilgrim
- Rediscover your first inspiration that awakened the skill in you years ago
- Train with a master
- ...or other things that seem appropriate and are agreed with the GM
Under Its Gaze
Prove your worthThe Icons have marked the players out as worthy of extra help and the so the Dark Between the Stars will challenge them to make them prove this worth (see the 'Nature of the Dark Between the Stars' paragraph of my GM style summary). Under the gaze of The Dark Between the Stars the PC has a problem that dogs them constantly
...A 'Dark Fate' or 'Personal Problem'
The religious would think of it as their fate, but a constant challenge from the Dark Between the Stars. Those with a more secular bent think of it as something that 'always happens to me', simply because of who they are - their social status or their genes, perhaps. Personal Problem
This is just the existing personal problem in Coriolis but I'll be better at guiding the player to choose something that can be activated in everyday situations, and so in every session, irrespective of the greater plot (something I've made the mistake of not doing in my first games). JUMP TO CONTENTS
Main: 1001 Nights variant overview
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Contents
- 1001 Nights variant overview
- 1001 Nights variant: character backgrounds
- 1001 Nights variant: skills
- 1001 Nights variant: combat
- 1001 Nights variant: birr and resources
- 1001 Nights variant: the ship as a character
- 1001 Nights variant: re-rolls
- Analysis: '1001 Nights' system variant
- GM style: Darkness Points
- GM style: Narrative games and rolling dice
- House rules summary
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