Noble possessions

[K Peterson]

Hello. I need some clarification on the possessions the Noble occupation gains during chargen. In that section in the Core, where it lists an heirloom weapon, fancy clothing, jewelry, etc., the Noble can choose to take armor protecting d6 armor points.

Is that a full suit of armor with each location protected by d6 AP? Or is it a combination of APs that you distribute out to individual locations?

 

[ThatGuy]

I've been playing it as 1 suit of armor with all AP the same.

It just makes sense. Nobles tend to turn their noses up at mismatched armor.

 

[Loz]

I've been playing it as 1 suit of armor with all AP the same.

It just makes sense. Nobles tend to turn their noses up at mismatched armor.

Yep, that's precisely what it is.

Of course, the armour may not fit, but rusted to buggery and covered in dents...

 

[PhilHibbs]

The 1d6 is a bit of a lottery, especially if you leave it to the end of character creation. You could well end up with a noble warrior on horseback with a lance but only soft leather armour, or a second-storey-man in full plate mail.

 

[ThatGuy]

Of course he could always sell the Plate, and buy...well, a lot more stuff.

And if you get the soft leather- you're stuffed. :wink:

 

[gran_orco]

The 1d6 is a bit of a lottery, especially if you leave it to the end of character creation. You could well end up with a noble warrior on horseback with a lance but only soft leather armour, or a second-storey-man in full plate mail.

But it is funny. We enjoy it, and my players must create a satisfying background story to fit what they have, and how they acquired their initial equipment.

 

[K Peterson]

I made a deal with one of my players that generated a Civilized Noble Warrior. Rather than roll and risk either extreme (the barely-there, Soft Leather, or the seriously-encumbering Plate), I let him choose a midpoint of a suit of AP3.

 

[Titus]

I had a chance to do an intro to MRQ2 session last weekend for a couple of players in my d20 game because we didn't have a quorum. This was the second time we did this.

The player who didn't participate the previous time created a character with the Noble Warrior background. I decided this was a "noble" for the purposes of starting equipment. That might have been wrong, but oh well, too late now.

Anyway, looking at it, we realized that a full suit of armor can be worth a fortune. Far more than anthing else on the list of choices for a starting noble character. I decided he had a ringmail coat (worth 800 silvers) and he was fine with that. It fit the background of the son of a dead Orlanthi thane or weaponthane. More so than a full suit of plate armor would have been if I randomized it.

Maybe in a well developed setting, this wouldn't be a big deal. Either the characters wouldn't automatically be able to choose a noble background, or choosing a noble background would come with the built-in social duties the setting imposes. But this was just a generalized Orlanthi clan setting which I put little thought into because we are just tinkering with MRQ2 for now.

The good news is that the players have liked what they have seen. They would like to continue doing this when we don't have a quorum for the D&D game. They have a lot invested in their current characters and aren't ready to quit it yet. However, it looks promising that I will be able to get this group to play Runequest when the D&D wraps up.

 

[Loz]

The 1d6 is a bit of a lottery, especially if you leave it to the end of character creation. You could well end up with a noble warrior on horseback with a lance but only soft leather armour, or a second-storey-man in full plate mail.

Perhaps it is. But I don't see that as any detriment - and I'm not entirely sure why leaving it to the end of character creation makes any kind of difference. The idea with chargen in RQII is to create characters with interest that are roughly (but not completely) balanced.

If it doesn't suit your campaign, then don't use the 1D6 random armour and assign 4 points. Or none at all.

 

[ThatGuy]

1d4+2 would work in societies where a noble would have better armor.

Personally, this is what I love about Runequest. Roll the dice. If the roll doesnt work for your game, fiat it. I think the GMs involvement solves all char gen issues. A nomadic culture's noble might need to roll 1d4-2 to adjust for their culture. And building the back story around the rolls is fun and can help define the PC's personality.

 

[soltakss]

That might have been wrong, but oh well, too late now.

Nothing wrong with that. If it works then stick with it.

Don't forget the rules are guidelines, not necessarily to be followed slavishly. If you don't like something then change it.