Luck rules et all

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Deadhorse
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Luck rules et all

Post by Deadhorse »

As the luck rules stand, you spend luck to bonus rolls. preforming heroic deeds earns luck points.

Since halflings and thieves both regenerate luck spent, do you award them luck for heroic deeds?
It would seem if they get luck awards they could potentially have incredibly high luck eventually assuming they live....

Accomplishing certain objectives that are important to the Eternal Balance between law and
chaos and favored by powers greater than man. In game terms, this represents the objectives
of individual adventures, and Luck provides a way to reflect that characters are on the right
(or wrong) path. In general, actions that strongly support a character’s alignment provide a
positive modifier to luck. Specific examples could include: righting a great wrong, aiding on
an important quest, defeating an evil creature, etc.

+1 to +3, awarded at end of adventure.
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GnomeBoy
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by GnomeBoy »

Assuming Thieves and Halflings have spent no Luck during an adventure, then indeed their Luck reward will push them higher. But since Luck expenditure is part of their strength as characters, they are liable to spend some in an adventure that's worth a Luck award at the end. So it basically means they don't have to wait however many nights to get all of their spent Luck back, a chunk comes back quickly.

However, over time, their Luck can increase -- if they spend only 2, but get an award of 3, then they are up 1 Luck!

My personal approach is that 18 is the max for any character's stats, unless something very heavy duty has intervened. And Thieves and Halflings with 18 Luck can happen anyway, so it's nothing for a Judge to fear. Something to address in play, yes, but not to fear.
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Deadhorse
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by Deadhorse »

I have always played stats a bit fast and loose. guess stat cap will handle it.
Jim Skach
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by Jim Skach »

I'm not sure I understand the question. The way I read the 7-9 table in the judges section does not apply to permanent Luck scores, but to current Luck scores. Yes, this means that for Halflings and Thieves, the reward at the end of the adventure may not seem as great - because they can achieve the same effect by just waiting a day or two or seven and letting their luck replenish. But, as pointed out, they are more likely to spend Luck throughout an adventure and may find the instant recovery of several points a boon.

Off the top of my head, if they are granted a bonus at the end of an adventure and it takes them over their permanent Luck score, I might provide any overage as Fleeting Luck (see Lankhmar) to be provided at the beginning of the next session. This keeps them from adjusting their Luck score but gives them a little Luck padding - subject to all of the issues that come with Fleeting Luck. A nice balance, IMHO...
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by Deadhorse »

I must be in minority, my players do not seem to want to burn luck. The halfling would to so extent to help others, but the majority dont do it.
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GnomeBoy
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by GnomeBoy »

Deadhorse wrote: Fri May 22, 2020 7:17 am I must be in minority, my players do not seem to want to burn luck. The halfling would to so extent to help others, but the majority dont do it.
That's something that happens with some groups. And some of those some groups eventually see the benefit and fun to be had by spending Luck and start doing it...
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GnomeBoy
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by GnomeBoy »

Jim Skach wrote: Fri May 22, 2020 5:58 am ...if they are granted a bonus at the end of an adventure and it takes them over their permanent Luck score, I might provide any overage as Fleeting Luck (see Lankhmar) to be provided at the beginning of the next session. This keeps them from adjusting their Luck score but gives them a little Luck padding...
My take:

If any character had, say, Strength damage, they could heal back to their previous number -- they can't heal back to a higher number.

When Luck awards come in for anybody, it takes wherever they're at and they now have a higher number, just as an XP award takes them higher.*

Awards are not healing.

Awards can raise your stat.

You're free to declare a cap on that, or not.

My default cap is 18, which is what's expressed at the front of the book as the top of the range for character stats.


______
* A Luck award when somebody has not spent Luck, which they don't actually get is not a reward; they should get the Luck, even if they spent none.
...
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Vanguard
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by Vanguard »

When giving out Luck as an award, I treat those bonuses as restorative for Thieves and Halflings. Anything that would bring them over their max is temporary luck.
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by Jim Skach »

GnomeBoy wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 6:59 am
Jim Skach wrote: Fri May 22, 2020 5:58 am ...if they are granted a bonus at the end of an adventure and it takes them over their permanent Luck score, I might provide any overage as Fleeting Luck (see Lankhmar) to be provided at the beginning of the next session. This keeps them from adjusting their Luck score but gives them a little Luck padding...
My take:

If any character had, say, Strength damage, they could heal back to their previous number -- they can't heal back to a higher number.

When Luck awards come in for anybody, it takes wherever they're at and they now have a higher number, just as an XP award takes them higher.*

Awards are not healing.

Awards can raise your stat.

You're free to declare a cap on that, or not.

My default cap is 18, which is what's expressed at the front of the book as the top of the range for character stats.


______
* A Luck award when somebody has not spent Luck, which they don't actually get is not a reward; they should get the Luck, even if they spent none.
Interesting.

So a Lawful Warrior with 10 Luck spends 3 Luck during an adventure. At the end of that adventure, the Legion of Law presents a boon of 5 Luck to all survivors who are Lawful. So now the Warrior:
a) has a current Luck score of 7, but a new max of 15?
b) has a current Luck score of 12 (7 + 5)?
c) has a current Luck score of 15 (10+5)?
d) has a current Luck score of 10, but a new permanent Luck score of 12?
e) another combination I haven't thought of?
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GnomeBoy
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by GnomeBoy »

When he got the boon he was at 7.

7+5=12

It's that easy. He's now got 12 Luck to play with...

For all cases, the award takes you from where you are now, to a new number. That new number is only capped if you have a default cap on ability scores.

For the Halfling and the Thief, they have to keep track of their "normal" score, because they can heal back up to it.

If they are at their current "normal" score, and they get an award, they have just achieved a "new normal". Same thing happens if they are below their "normal" score, but the award takes them past their existing "normal" score, which then defines the "new normal" (current + award = new normal).
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jblittlefield
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by jblittlefield »

Using Table 7-9 ...

I consider all awards from the first entry to be "restorative", i.e. they can only bring you back up to your "normal" Luck score. No permanent increase is allowed, so 18 is the maximum and any awards that would push you over that number are ignored.

I consider all awards/penalties from the remaining entries to be "permanent", i.e., they shift your "normal" Luck score up or down permanently, so values above 18 and as low as 0 (see p.96 of DCC for effects of 0-level Luck) are possible.
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Re: Luck rules et all

Post by Jim Skach »

jblittlefield wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2020 6:44 am Using Table 7-9 ...

I consider all awards from the first entry to be "restorative", i.e. they can only bring you back up to your "normal" Luck score. No permanent increase is allowed, so 18 is the maximum and any awards that would push you over that number are ignored.

I consider all awards/penalties from the remaining entries to be "permanent", i.e., they shift your "normal" Luck score up or down permanently, so values above 18 and as low as 0 (see p.96 of DCC for effects of 0-level Luck) are possible.
I like this general approach....a lot...
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