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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 00:19:27
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I'm curious as to if we will get any books that mention affiliations in the Realms, or if any of my fellow scribes are interested in affiliations (first mentioned in the Player's Handbook II).
In general, affiliations are a way of tracking if you are part of a group, and if you do certain things in the course of your career, your affiliation score goes up, and you start being able to call in favors from your group. Its kind of a cool way, for example, to encourage say, fighters to be affiliated with a church (for example, a fighter that might be a member of the Everwatch Knights of Helm).
Its too bad the concept didn't come up before Champions of Ruin/Valor, as it would have been a natural for those books.
I would love to see a web enhancement that tackled these in the future.
And for the record, when I read about them in the Player's Handbook II, I didn't think much about them, but then when I saw what they had done with them in Dragon related to the Savage Tide campaign, they suddenly seemed a lot more interesting for an ongoing campaign.
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Sanishiver
Senior Scribe
USA
476 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 06:39:39
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Would you believe I haven’t bought the PHB II?
Not to drop a negative note on the scroll, just to say that I don’t have the book, but am now thinking about getting it when I go to pick up The Twilight Tomb.
Curious: are affiliations strictly individual PC benefits, or can the be earned/spent as by a group of PCs as a unit? I imagine if as a group this mechanic might help encourage group planning and communication.
I could also see PCs using this rule (individually or as a group) during real times of trouble (like needing resurrection magic or maybe a gaining access to a spell/magic item to help them get past an obstacle in the campaign).
I’ll have to take a look, then.
J. Grenemyer |
09/20/2008: Tiger Army at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. You wouldn’t believe how many females rode it out in the pit. Santa Cruz women are all of them beautiful. Now I know to add tough to that description.
6/27/2008: WALL-E is about the best damn movie Pixar has ever made. It had my heart racing and had me rooting for the good guy.
9/9/2006: Dave Mathews Band was off the hook at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
Never, ever read the game books too literally, or make such assumptions that what is omitted cannot be. Bad DM form, that.
And no matter how compelling a picture string theory paints, if it does not accurately describe our universe, it will be no more relevant than an elaborate game of Dungeons and Dragons. --paragraph 1, chapter 9, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 07:20:47
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| its sort of similar to what the Favored in Guild feat does except you dont just get the benefit by taking a feat you have to earn Affiliation points with the group the more points you have the better the "reward" |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Reefy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
892 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 12:19:04
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| Presumably the opposite is true and players often win 'disaffiliation' with other groups? Although I doubt such a measure exists to track 'points'. The concept is interesting, I might look into what suggested rewards are, but I would think many players track things like that anyway, albeit a little more loosely. |
Life is either daring adventure or nothing. |
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Halidan
Senior Scribe
USA
470 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 13:53:43
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We've used a 3.5 version of the 2E character reputation rules for many years now. The rules first appeared in the 2E Complete Book of Bards, and were used for determining how famous or imfamous a bard was in a given loction. We expanded the rules to work for all character classes and have been using them ever since.
Basically, each good or bad deed that is publically know to have been caused by an individual PC or group of PC's adds or subtracts a modifier to their PC's base reputation. The full reputation is good for a single city or dale, and decreases as you travel further from the area were the incidents take place.
My previous campaign was set in Daggerdale during the liberation of the dale from the Zhents in DR1367 & 68. Among the PC's there were characters who built up various levels of reputation with the Freedom Riders (Randal's rebel troops), Clan Brightblade (dwarves living in southern Daggerdale), the Circle of Seven Daggers (a druidic circle in Daggerdale), the Harpers, the rebels of Teshendale, the Church of Lathander, and the Green Elves of the Border Forest. The reputation system helps track how willing NPC's will be to go out of their way and help the PC's.
I haven't bought the PHBII yet, but I'll have to take a look at this affiliations system and see if it works like the 2E reputation. Thanks |
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied,
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Allen Poe - 1849 |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 15:11:05
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| I would love to see something come out with all this info for new organizations and info for if you are with the Harpers, Zhents, etc... |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 15:11:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Reefy
Presumably the opposite is true and players often win 'disaffiliation' with other groups? Although I doubt such a measure exists to track 'points'. The concept is interesting, I might look into what suggested rewards are, but I would think many players track things like that anyway, albeit a little more loosely.
Actually it the system does include negatives, if you work for an enemy group then theres a negative to your affilation score with the other group |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Kalin Agrivar
Senior Scribe
Canada
956 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 15:15:03
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I havn't read much about this, yet another optional rule/resource...it sounds like another way of giving a PC more abilities on top of the feats, PrCs, templates, etc. but it also sounds like one of the better ideas...
I need to take a week off and review all these good (and not-so-good) ideas  |
Kalin Xorell El'Agrivar
- High Mage of the Arcane Assembly
- Lore Keeper of the Vault of Ancestors
- 3rd Son of the Lord of the Stand |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 15:33:53
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| My brother has been using his own system of "Affiliation points" to keep track of the parties standing with various groups in the Eberron campaign he runs. I was thinking of using a system similar to the one in Star Wars D20 in my Waterdeep campaign but I may just use a modified version of the PHB2 system |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 16:14:09
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quote:
Originally posted by kalin agrivar
I havn't read much about this, yet another optional rule/resource...it sounds like another way of giving a PC more abilities on top of the feats, PrCs, templates, etc. but it also sounds like one of the better ideas...
I need to take a week off and review all these good (and not-so-good) ideas
Its not too bad because the benefits are usually things like getting the use of a magic item worth X for a given mission, that must be returned. More like tracking a system of favors. Some of the nastier affiliations have the ability to call in markers to ask their group to assasinate individuals that are a pain in their backside, for example. |
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EvilKnight
Learned Scribe
USA
162 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 18:29:39
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I haven't read either the PHB II or the Savage Tide article yet, but this discussion reminds me of a Affilations/Circles mechanic used in Burning Wheel (http://www.burningwheel.org/wiki). Check out some of the reviews that talk about it. I have picked up books on this and am impressed with the system. I've been keeping it in the back of my mind as a possible system (with changes for high fantasy/heroics) for Forgotten Realms play.
EvilKnight |
Danali Index |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2006 : 18:55:00
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Oh, I forgot to note that affiliations that have to do with religeons that I have seen have also listed the titles in the church that you would have depending on your ranks in affiliations. In other words, you can determine what your "title" rank is based on your affiliation score in your church.
For an affiliation like this, a cleric gets 1/2 of their level in points automatically, so you could have a lackluster career and still get a few titles, but if you do some "affiliation" related work that the faction likes you might shoot up to, say, Watchknight, at a relatively low level. |
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Affiliations and Forgotten Realms
