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Spending Action Points

Page history last edited by 1nfinite zer0 13 years ago

Action points are a way for players to modify the outcome of the game.  In the way that you spend money or effort to get something you want, action points represent additional attention, desire or dedication from your character.  You can spend them in essentially three ways:

 
  1. To change the effects of dice rolls
  2. To affect the scene without character action
  3. To increase an ability permanently

 

You can even write the use of action points into your narrative.  Maybe it's coming from your character's need to risk hir life but must absolutely succeed, so you spend all the action points you can to boost the roll.  Perhaps there was a magical chance happening that befell your character, and you write it as if the action points gave you fortune but came from elsewhere.  Or maybe, you are not really concerned with dispatching the intruders because you consider them weak, so you pull your punches to gain some extra points while humiliating them.

 

odify Rolls

Based upon the core mechanic, you an ability level rank when you approach uncertain situations.  You can spend action points to change your own rank.  This will change the probability that you succeed when rolling, but if you change the situation with action points that you would not have rolled before, you must take that roll/risk.

How to read the table below to make that change?  If you are Great at archery, but you want to be sure to hit the claws of a giant bird flying away with your livestock, which will take a Superb shot!  So, you'd like to upgrade 2 ranks to ensure your chances, and maybe even get a result where you're livestock is completely unscathed.  Looking at the left on the chart, you find Great, and then trace along till it intersects with Legendary above.  The result is -3, which means you'll have to spend 3 action points to roll at a Legendary ability for this shot.  But you're certain, you spend those points and draw your bow...

 

Action Point cost to modify rank for a test

 

 

Outcome Rank ⇀

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

#

⇃ Initial Rank

Terrible

Poor

Mediocre

Fair

Good

Great

Superb

Legendary

Godly

-2

Terrible

0

-1

-3

-7

-15

-31

-63

N/A

N/A

-1

Poor

1

0

-1

-3

-7

-15

-31

-63

N/A

0

Mediocre

2

1

0

-1

-3

-7

-15

-31

-63

1

Fair

3

2

1

0

-1

-3

-7

-15

-31

2

Good

N/A

3

2

1

0

-1

-3

-7

-15

3

Great

N/A N/A

3

2

1

0

-1

-3

-7

4

Superb

N/A N/A N/A

3

2

1

0

-1

-3

5

Legendary

N/A

N/A N/A N/A

3

2

1

0

-1

6

Godly

N/A

N/A

N/A N/A N/A

3

2

1

0

To say it another way: Use the lookup chart to calculate the change in action points from the existing characteristic rank (attribute or ability = initial rank) to the rank you will actually use to roll (outcome rank).

 

xternal Changes to the Scene

 

Supposing you want to change what is happening in the story but it involves a non-player character or twist of fate?  Something that your character doesn't directly do, but could happen and would really change what comes next?  These are called Drama Mechanics, and will be detailed in the next section. Essentially though, if all players agree then that change can happen with little or no point expenditure. If it is an unlikely change, then you will have to do a rainbow roll and can spend points to modify that roll. If not everyone likes the idea, they can bid against you to modify the opposing rainbow roll.

 

ncreasing Character Ability Permanently

 

Action points can also be used to upgrade your abilities permanently.  Every 6 action points can be converted into a single Character Creation point.  From there, it takes a different number of Character points to buy upgrades of abilities, characteristics, etc.  Changing your character often also requires role-playing of how you achieved that. If you learned a new spell, you must've found it in an old library or learned it from a master. This is a big topic, and advancement is fun, so it's split across two related sections:

Character Design - The spending of character creation points to choose starting attributes, abilities and descriptions. Left over creation points become 6 action points for play. This section also has the summary of point costs.

Advancement - Action points are earned when you accomplish your goals and spent during play to make yourself lucky, or change the plot. The storyteller gives them out during the course of play for cooperative behaviour, creative solutions, and effort beyond what is expected. Other players can also give you their action points if they like what you did. They are also earned by the winning side in the resolution of plot twists (drama mechanics).

 

What's with the number 6 being everywhere?

Well, it's not just because of the 6 sided dice, the Shashnimyn are obsessed with the number 6.  They have 6 fingers on each hand (Our number system is base 10 because of ten fingers, theirs is base 12).  The number six is both the sum and the product of its factors, there is 360 degrees to a circle, their compass has 6 primary directions... there are many things that make it a number of sacred geometry to them.
 

 


Navigation

Next Section (#5) - Drama Mechanics - ways of affecting the narrative in addition to story-telling, with the use of points

Previous Section (3) - Dice Mechanics

Mechanics - index to all rules

 

Clarifications

Action Point - full details of the action point system and rules discussion

 

Image CC

Paul Brekke, colouration by RABall with permission

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guppiecat/365417543/sizes/m/in/photostream/ - burrowing owl is watching you suspiciously

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