[UA] Entropomancer charging

[Kevin Elmore]

--- "Heaver, Paul A." <paul.heaver at baesystems.com> wrote:
> The entropomancer in my party is having some difficulty
> telling where the
> line between minor and significant charge gathering is. 
> I'm not as much
> help as I'd like to be, so I'm coming to you all for
> help.
> 

A very good question!  I can't blame you for asking others.
 That can be a fuzzy area for some people.  

BTW, check out www.irishgaming.com and download Fall of a
Sparrow (not sure if that's the exact title).  There's an
interesting method of getting a sig charge.

> So far, she's tried charging in different ways, and I've
> been determining on
> the fly, "If this goes bad, can the repurcussions maim or
> kill her?"  If so,
> I give a sig charge.  

Yeah, I'd say that sounds like a good litmus test.

> Walking across a tightrope set up between two neighboring
> 4th story
> apartment windows.  (Sig)

Yeah, definitely a sig.

> Giving another PC a pistol, blindfolding both of them,
> and having the
> character try to shoot her based on sound.  (Sig, but the
> other PC felt bad
> and was trying to "narrowly miss", so I downed it to a
> minor)

Since the PC was trying to narrowly miss, I can see why
you'd assign only a minor charge.  Basically a combination
of intent and reality (like the pornomancer example always
cited).  In fact, you could go one farther and give no
charge.  Except, that she could accidentally walk into the
bullet that wasn't supposed to hit her.

I also question how risky that is.  But that is a pretty
tough area.  If you put one bullet in a six-shooter, that
is a significant charge.  What if you had a hypothetical
200-chamber gun and insert one round?  Sig charge?  It's
not too risky anymore. Should someone get more charges for
leaving only one chamber of a gun empty?  

If the room is small enough, then I'd say that a sig charge
is worthwhile as long as the other PC doesn't wimp out.

> Taking over a subway train by force and guile :) and
> flipping switches
> randomly trying to get some speed and drive around NYC. 
> Hopefully not ram
> into another subway train.  (Major, since she'll have
> innocents' lives on
> the line too.  She was thinking of jumping off the train
> partway through
> after charging up and letting the train go off on its
> own, but I think
> she'll break taboo if she does that.)
>

Risking innocents definitely constitutes a major charge. 
And jumping off the train would earn her nothing.  The
taboo, IIRC, is that she allows someone else to take a risk
that she wouldn't take.  I'm not sure if jumping off would
break taboo.  It's not like she's letting someone else stay
in the control booth in her place.  Still, as a GM, I'd say
that risking the lives of others and chickening out
yourself should break taboo, even if the book doesn't
specifically say so.  

And leaping off a train while innocents die by your hand is
worth at least a Violence check.  Very likely a Self check
unless she's one cold bitch.

You've read the story in the beginning of Lawyers, Guns, &
Money, right?  Nice bit of bodybag major charge involved
there.  

And if you want to give her a possible stepping stone, you
ought to introduce a love interest.  Maybe she falls in
love with another duke or even a PC (if any of the PCs have
redeeming qualities *grin*).  Then there is a possible
storyline there.  Should she risk the life of a loved one? 
The results can be catastrophic.  

One thing I did with my NPC bodybag was to incite the PCs
into attacking.  The first time they met him, they were
looking for a little girl.  When they mentioned it, he
merely turned his back on them and made up a story about
how delicious she was and cried as he raped her.  This
infuriated one PC who walked up behind him and shot the
bodybag.  Okay, so it wasn't a very good risk, but the
group did a good job of not looking too intimidating


Just some ideas.  

Kevin


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Beavis & Butthead do not cause fires; stupid people do.  Role-playing games do not cause mass cultish suicides; stupid people do.  Homosexuality does not lead to societal and moral decay; stupid people do.  God does not condemn or place false blame on these things; stupid people do.
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