Guests at the Blancmange & Thistle v2
Guests either add a service or a possible problem or a bit of colour.
Roll 2d6:
- 2 - Rival Roll again, this is what they present themselves as.
- 3 - Colour
- 4-5 - Academic
- 6-8 - Vendor
- 9-10 - Follower
- 11 - Trainer
- 12 - Agent
Rival
Someone who wishes for your downfall and will insert themselves into your events and adventures in any way they can. When rolling again, if Rival is rolled a second time they are true Enemies and will seek significant harm. A third time or more and they are a Mortal Enemy and present a serious, motivated, mortal threat to the party. Their non-rival identity is real and they will fulfill and possibly hide behind it.
Colour
A local character. They don't hate you, but they do nothing useful and take up air and time. Either lovable or delightfully irritating.
Academic
Someone who knows a lot about a specific subject. For instance, "Astrology" is too broad but "the breeding habits of star vampires" is just right. Academics will answer questions on their subject but have a x in 6 chance of not knowing the answer, with 1 being common knowledge in their sphere and up to 5 being truly arcane or bleeding edge research. Costs 100pxlevel of complexity (0-5) per question.
Distinct from the Trainer in that they might not be willing or able (5 in 6) to teach you.
1 in 6 chance to be a fraud. Roll now an permanently increase all their chances to not know something by 1d6
Vendor
Someone who sells a selection of goods or services. Either bank some vendors for use or else roll.
1-4 Goods
- Food
- Arms
- Books
- Medicine
- Clothes
- Tools
5-6 Services
- Money lending
- Information
- Construction
- Religious
- Clerical
- Legal
Specificity Scale 1-6 - Generalist -> One specific thing. Example: Greengrover -> Artisnal vat-grown apple seller. If in doubt, add one adjective for every 2 points of specificity.
Fanciness Scale 1-6 - Poor -> Fancy. Quality Scale 1-6 - Terrible -> Best in town.
Follower
Will accompany you in exchange for money. Money up front, and they don't carry it with them when they leave.
On wages: 100-600p per trip (assuming the trip is one session). Choose or roll d6x100p
Again, bank some or roll below.
Job
- Assistants and porters
- Mercenaries and killers
- Survivalists and outdoors experts
- Interpretors and guides
- Aspiring adventurers and generalists
- Cooks, medics and specialists
Mien
- Friendly
- Stoic
- Enthusiastic
- Surly
- Professional
- Cowardly
Loyalty
Starting loyalty 1d6+6 Loyalty works similarly to Luck. Roll and reduce. However it is rolled when:
- you ask a follower to do something clearly dangerous or outside of their job description. Failing means they refuse.
- someone in your party dies. Failing means they sneak off at the earliest convenient opportunity.
- something truly horrifying happens. Failing means they immediately run away.
- a follower is reduced to half their starting Stamina. Failing means they immediately run away.
NOTE ON RE-CAPTURING COWARDLY FOLLOWERS: If you manage to stop or capture a follower who has run away in fear, you may roll one last time; on a success they go back to work, on a failure they run away immediately or at the earliest possible opportunity. Followers who calmly slip away cannot be convinced.
Loyalty can be increased during a job by committing to paying them double when returning to town. Recover by 1d6. Can only benefit from this a max of three times per trip. EXAMPLE: If a follower costs 100p to bring along, then you would have to promise an additional 100p payable when you get back to the hotel. When back in town, test loyalty: if they pass they recover fully, if they fail they leave. +1 max loyalty each consecutive time they are hired, which resets if they leave your service.
Word spreads about employers. If a follower is mistreated, misused, or doesn't return from a job, all current and potential followers are at -1 Loyalty per incident for the next session. Anyone reaching 0 Loyalty leaves between games. Non-payment of promised bonuses results in that follower leaving, -1 loyalty to all current and prospective followers, and that character being unable to benefit from promising bonuses, for 1d6 sessions.
Trainer
Someone who will teach you a skill (as per the rules) if paid.
1 in 6 chance they teach a spell, otherwise it's a regular skill. They can function as an Academic in the specific skill they teach.
Agent
Either a professional provider of jobs, possessor of problems needing solving. Bank up some scenarios or side objectives to issue to the party.
1 in 6 chance they also provide another service (roll again)