Guild of San Marcos Forum

[b]EDIT: I'm merging a couple of different threads all asking for Heroes of Altamira Rules Clarifications into this new thread.

Mark[/b]

I've been going through the player's guide to get a better feel for the game and I came across this on page 179: "The Vestenmannavnjar refuse to use Guilder for religious reasons."
That's a cool role playing detail, but then how does a Vesten hero in a Castillian tavern pay for his drinks? This is more than idle curiosity. My character (which I will be posting soon) is Vesten and I'm wondering how to properly handle the issue of money for a character who should properly turn his nose up at the coin of the realm.

And right you are that a good Vesten would refuse to use guilders (stinking paper money anyway). Now it could be that your particular character isn't really all that concerned with the whole Vendel/Vesten schism but hey, that'd really be cheating right? So, the easiest way to handle this is by using all the other monies available.

The Avalons have Pounds and Shillings
The Castillians, Doubloons and Maravedis
The Eisens, Marks, Florins, and Pfennigs
The Montaignes, Sols and Pistoles
And the Vodacce, Senators and Seats

All of the above have various exchange rates as it applies to the Guilder (which you can see for yourself on the GM's Screen, if you're interested). And as a bonus all the above are good, old fashioned coin money made of gold and silver.

But if all else fails, never fear, the good people of Alatamira (one of the premere trade capitals of Castille) are familiar with the Ussuran concept of barter, and will accept chickens, cows and the like in trade (and as a bonus, they'll give fair price for your barter).

Mark

EDIT: But I would add that your Vesten has some reason to leave his countrymen behind and travel all the way to Altamira in the search for... something. It would seem he or she is a bit more worldly than we'd initially think.

You're right in that he left...for something. I suppose he will have had to become accustomed to using currency over barter. But only coins of precious metals. Pieces of paper aren't valuable. They're what you use in the privy.

BLAMM! wrote:Pieces of paper aren't valuable. They're what you use in the privy.

If you're a gussied up, perfumed Montaigne, you mean. What's wrong with twigs and leaves?

Mark

It has as much to do with the guilder being a Vendel thing as it does with them being paper. Actually, it is probably more about it being a Vendel idea than anything else. I would think a Vestenmanavnjar boldly going forth (or stranded after his raiding ship sank) would have little qualms about paying his debts in local money. (unless he owed a vendel).

My understanding of "coin of the realm" is that it's just that: coin. Aren't guilders the only paper money?

So, anything else would be find, and I'm sure most folks would be happy to accept hard coin in payment.

EDIT: I am moving this over to the Welcome and stickying it so anyone can ask questions about rules for HoA.

Mark

I saw this:
•Only official Swordsman Schools originating in one of the Mainland Thean nations are allowable.

When you say "official" do you mean "in an AEG published book" or "sanctioned Swordsman School?" There's a difference and one that affects my character.

Thanks!

In an AEG published book. No homebrews. Why, what did you have in mind?

My character is taking Cappuntina.

Capputina is fine

Okay, having a moment...are there any rules about taking two swordsman schools? reduction in cost or anything? Thinking I've seen that somewhere but not finding it.

There are a couple of schools where taking one reduces the cost of the other (Desaix gives a discount if the PC already knows Valroux). But the discount I think you are referring to (-5 XP for each overlapping School Knack and -10 for overlapping Mastery bonuses) was never made official. Thus there are no books where it's ever mentioned (and it wouldn't count at character creation anyway).

Mark

Okay that must be it. Thanks. It won't really apply to my character at character generation but thinking about it during the campaign.

I think Aleksei is almost ready to go, so will be posting him soon.

Cool, can hardly wait.

Mark

PS moved this to the more appropriate forum.

I think I will spare you the 8-10 page background I originally wrote for this character and try to summarize it in about 2-3 paragraphs instead Though if you're ever interested, let me know. It was created for a game that was going to be run by a man named Thwak (Should ring a bell for some).

What kind of action does it take to use Sorte magic? I've never been able to figure it out, since so many of the abilities key off of other people taking actions. Do you have to save up an action and try and interupt someone doing an action, or can you automatically try and affect any action whenever you want?

It really depends on what you want to do. Blessings/Curses? I let one of those go off in one action. Twisted Blades? Significantly more time. But I am always willing to listen to creative uses of any magic.

Mark

With regards to starting funds - if we do not take an Advantage that grants funds (Noble, Merchant, Commission, etc.), do we start with any funds at all? Will starting characters be granted equipment that would make sense to their skill set (appropriate weapons for a Swordsman school, etc.)?

Ah Starting Cash. Believe it or not, there's actually a rule for this. Check out the PG p. 122 or the Base Handbook p. 43

Basically you start with clothes, one weapon, and 3x your monthly income (which is based on occupation, nobility or advantages). If you get to the bottom and all you get is 1d of Guilders, give yourself the max.

Mark

ZombieTonyBlair wrote:What kind of action does it take to use Sorte magic?

As it happens, I came up with a detailed "explanation" and rationale several years ago as to how Sorte works .

There is the general explanation, which explains everything that those with Sorte at all levels can sense. This would be of limited use to apprenctice player characters, other than in determining the Arcana of (or providing limited information on) PCs, NPCs or other things. If Mark has any higher level NPC Fate Witches written into his adventures, I can discuss this with him.

And, of course, when the rest of us begin writing for HoA, my adventures may have some time spent in Vodacce, and there will be lots of Sorte manipulation behind the scenes.

Then there are the advanced applications, which only the Adepts and Masters can do, like tugging, stretching, creating, and cutting, the good stuff. Some of these, as when several Witches link in order to create and reinforce bridges and buildings, can become complicated. These are going to require an Adept level, or higher, and probably a Resolve of 5 or 6, so they are beyond what most will ever be able to do.

Unless your character is dying, it's a waste of time to consider blessings or curses IMO. And, if a PC starts slowing the action down for everyone by looking at strands with every action, GMs have been known to overload the PC with useless information and other tricks.

Otherwise, an action for a FW is the same as that for any other character.

Black Jack Rackham wrote:It really depends on what you want to do. Blessings/Curses? I let one of those go off in one action. Twisted Blades? Significantly more time. But I am always willing to listen to creative uses of any magic.

Mark

I'm thinking more along the lines of twisting strands once you can do that.

ZombieTonyBlair wrote:I'm thinking more along the lines of twisting strands once you can do that.

Since it's Mark's campaign, that sort of thing would be up to him.

But I hope it should be clear that increasing the strength of an existing strand from 1 to 2 would be relatively simple compared to increasing it from 9 to 10- assuming that the Strega is strong enough even to consider it. Read pp. 220-223 in the PG carefully.

Sister Sonya wrote:

ZombieTonyBlair wrote:I'm thinking more along the lines of twisting strands once you can do that.

...increasing the strength of an existing strand from 1 to 2 would be relatively simple compared to increasing it from 9 to 10- assuming that the Strega is strong enough even to consider it. Read pp. 220-223 in the PG carefully.

See my read of that is, well lemme quote the passage first...

Player's Guide wrote:In order for the witch to increase or decrease the strength of a strand, she must make a Simple Resolve + (the Knack corresponding to the Suit of the strand) roll with a TN equal to 10 for each point she wishes to alter the strand’s strength up or down. If she were trying to change a strength 10
strand to a strength 8 strand, her TN would be 20.

So my read is a 1 turned into a 2 would be exactly the same as a 9 turned into a 10 (Both would be TN 10).

I picture this as more of a non-combat kind of activity, BUT I have played it through with a fate witch who did this during a combat. She simply stayed on the sideline of the fight, and I had her search for strands, find the one she wanted, tugged/pulled, and then during the next round the effect took place.

I did the same for a Fate Witch who wanted to help out a Swordsman during a duel. While they were posturing, she did her stuff (added Blessing Dice to the Swordsman) and then watched the Swords Strand during the combat.

But, I want this to be fun for every player no matter what they are playing, so I will always entertain a creative use for any magic (though I will reserve the right to block things when they get abused, or change my mind about any one particular use).

Mark

Black Jack Rackham wrote:So my read is a 1 turned into a 2 would be exactly the same as a 9 turned into a 10 (Both would be TN 10).

Yeah, I forgot that some instances need tweaking here and there with additional mechanics.

The obvious problem is that it's too easy for Strege to screw things up stepwise, tugging 10 times with ten successive actions on a loving couple's Heart Strand, turning it from 0 to 10. Sorte shouldn't be that easy.

There are two ways to go: permit only one tug per strand per day, or make the TN harder to succeed on the stronger strands.

If the former, one could tug at TN 10 but the strand would go back the next day and one would never make any progress. If tugging at TN 20 it would take 9 days to go from 0 to 10. If tugging at TN 30 it would be 5 days, and at TN 40 it would be 3 days, etc.

If the latter, it gets more complicated. Usually, I think it's better to alter the AEG mechanics as little as possible, but sometimes it can't be helped.

The biggest single problem with AEG's System using a comparson of Tarot cards to Sorte Strands is that it ignores the possibility of inverted Strands. Either inverted Strands exist, as inverted Arcana do, or the scheme breaks down. And, why shouldn't inverted Strands exist?

Does one treat Sorte as an artificial magic like D&A and the like does? Or does one try to have it make some sort of sense?

One simply follows the Vatacine procedure and burns the practitioner at the stake for having made an attempt. I would have thought you all would have noticed that the problem mechanics only exist in areas of the game that should not be included. (sorcery, exploit weakness, ship to ship fighting, mass combat)