Death by Purple Prose!

Bailywolf

Mongoose
Vivid (and often lyrical) descriptions are as much a part of a Conan story as any other esential element, so by borrowing from such sources as the most excelent DONJON rpg(http://www.anvilwerks.com/index.php/Donjon/Donjon) I have cooked up a simple mechanic-based and reinforced player description system. It works like so:

When a roll beats the DC by 3 or more points, the player who rolled it gets to make one fact-based declaration about the outcome of his roll which is then writ into the setting. Ever full 3 points by which the DC is exceded adds 1 additional Fact.

Each Fact = a +1 or -1 to a single type of roll which persists for at least the rest of the immediate scene. These fact-based modifiers are cumulative up to a max of +5 or -5 to one type of roll.

Alternatly, the fact can be a simple addition to the scene or a special effect unrelated to dice rolls which then becomes part of the scene.

Here is how it could work.

On Attack:

Sergus the Outcast leaps to his feet after being insulted beyond all tolerance by a Nemidian knight while calmly drinking himself into oblivion in his favorite inn. He wins initiative, and rolls a total of 24 to clout the arrogant noble about the head with a joint of mutton. The knight's Dodge is 12, and Sergus's roll beats this by 12 points- this equates to 4 Facts.

Sergus's player than narates these facts:

"The joint of meat catches him underneath the chin and snaps his head back" (+1 to the damage)

"Hot fat and juices splash into his eyes" (-1 to the knight's Attack)

"He stumbles backwards, off ballance" (-1 to Attack)

"He bites his tongue so badly he can hardly form coherent words" (can't speak coherently).



In addition to the damage, the Knight would then be at -2 to hit due to being off ballance and having eyes filled with grease.


thoughts?


-B
 
I like it. One of the things I was wanting to make more of but ran out of space was a descriptive combat section that offered examples to GMs on awarding situational, small circumstance modifiers to characters actions depending on the description or tactics used by the player.

Such things as -2 to your opponent's attack rolls for a well-described account of turning your enemy to face the sun.

Might go into a future book.
 
Hmmm.....


I know that at least one of my players would love this!

I know that I would not let him use the descriptor more than once in each combat though.

Have to keep the imagination running heh. :lol:
 
Actually, after thinking about this, I'd also limit the modifier to one single roll. So such modifiers don't stack round-to-round but are used once the next time such a roll is made.

I can see a sorcerer using Intimidate to break the will of his victim (imposing Will save penalties) before laying the mojo on him...

-B
 
I'd really dig seeeing this, myself. And perhaps with a nice list of descriptive terms that can be mined; something akin to the wacky Lovecraft description generator I seem to recall seeing in one of the Call of Cthulhu books.
 
MongoosePaul said:
I like it. One of the things I was wanting to make more of but ran out of space was a descriptive combat section that offered examples to GMs on awarding situational, small circumstance modifiers to characters actions depending on the description or tactics used by the player.

Such things as -2 to your opponent's attack rolls for a well-described account of turning your enemy to face the sun.

Might go into a future book.

Was this ever put into any book?

I like it, and I'm going to try a variation on this theme in my game. Just curious if it made print.
 
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