Question: Hey, in your Elohim writeup in the Birthright section, you have what appear to be magic lions called Labayu, which while they sound awesome I have a few questions about. What is the difference between having 3, 4, or 5 dots spent on your Labayu? More importantly, while the description makes them sound amazing, how does that translate into stats? (A quick write up of their stats would be much appreciated.)
Creature stats can be difficult. They can be very difficult to balance. I'll go over each dot of Labayu through Legend 5. Because of how powerful they can become, we require an upgrade relic cost for creatures if you wish them to continue advancing with you at Demigod and God. For this, we'll assume that the upgrade cost was paid. Also, if there is a plus after an attribute, the following number is the auto successes to that attribute (Epics). The Legend listed on the left is the character's Legend; follow our house rules to figure the Legend of the creature. (Followers and creatures gain in power along with their controller. One to two followers are 2 Legend behind their Scion; 3 to 4 followers are 3 Legend behind, and 5 or more followers are 4 Legend behind.)
Labayu (000) 3 Lions (combat support):
Legend 2: Str: 5 Dex: 4 Stam: 4 Char: 4 Manip: 1 App: 3 Perc: 3 Int: 1 Wits: 4
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 4 Athletics: 4 Comm: 1 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3
Soak: 4B DV: 4 Claw or Bite dmg: +3L Move: 4 Dash: 15 7Health
Legend 3: Str: 6 Dex: 5 Stam: 4 Char: 4 Manip: 1 App: 4 Perc: 4 Int: 1 Wits: 5
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 5 Athletics: 4 Comm: 2 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Invest: 1 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3 Pres: 1
Soak: 4B DV: 5 Claw or Bite dmg: +4L Move: 5 Dash: 16 7Health
Legend 4: Str: 6 Dex: 6 Stam: 5 Char: 4 Manip: 1 App: 4 Perc: 4 Int: 1 Wits: 5
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 5 Athletics: 4 Comm: 2 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Invest: 1 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3 Pres: 1
Soak: 5B/3L DV: 6 Claw or Bite dmg: +8L Move: 6 Dash: 17 7Health
Legend 5: Str: 8+1 Dex: 6+1 Stam: 6 Char: 6 Manip: 2 App: 5 Perc: 6 Int: 3 Wits: 6
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 5 Athletics: 5 Comm: 2 Fort: 4 Integ: 2 Invest: 1 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3 Pres: 1
Soak: 6B/3L DV: 8 Claw or Bite dmg: +8L Move: 7 Dash: 19 7Health
Jagged Hide: Once per scene an enemy who hits a Labayu with a brawl or short range melee attack takes 7 armor ignoring lethal damage.
Labayu (0000) 1 Lion Mount
Legend 2: Str: 4 Dex: 5 Stam: 5 Char: 4 Manip: 1 App: 3 Perc: 3 Int: 1 Wits: 4
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3Brawl: 4 Athletics: 4 Comm: 1 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3
Soak: 5B DV: 5 Claw or Bite dmg: +3L Move: 5 Dash: 16 7Health
Legend 3: Str: 4 Dex: 6 Stam: 5 Char: 4 Manip: 1 App: 3 Perc: 5 Int: 1 Wits: 4
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 4 Athletics: 5 Comm: 1 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Invest: 1 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3
Soak: 5B/3L DV: 6 Claw or Bite dmg: +3L Move: 9 Dash: 23 7Health
Legend 4: Str: 6 Dex: 8+1 Stam: 6+1 Char: 6 Manip: 2 App: 4 Perc: 6 Int: 1 Wits: 6
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 4 Athletics: 5 Comm: 2 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Invest: 2 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3
Soak: 7B/4L/3A DV: 9 Claw or Bite dmg: +4L Move: 12 Dash: 27 7Health
Plainstriding: Whenever the Labayu isn't moving through difficult terrain (forests, cities, mountains, etc), its dash speed is doubled.
Legend 5: Str: 8 Dex: 10+2 Stam: 8+2 Char: 6 Manip: 2 App: 4 Perc: 8+1 Int: 2 Wits: 6
AnKen: 3 Aware: 4 Brawl: 5 Athletics: 5 Comm: 2 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Invest: 2 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3
Soak: 10B/6L/4A DV: 11 Claw or Bite dmg: +4L Move: 15 Dash: 31 14 Health
Leonine Charge: If you make a melee or brawl attack after charging on your Labayu for 5 ticks towards an enemy, the attack does +10L if it connects. The Labayu must not attack during the charge as it must focus on perfect paw placement and maneuvering.
Plainstriding: Whenever the Labayu isn't moving through difficult terrain (forests, cities, mountains, etc) its dash speed is doubled.
Labayu 00000 1 Lion, monstrous combatant:
Legend 2: Str: 6 Dex: 5 Stam: 4 Char: 4 Manip: 1 App: 4 Perc: 4 Int: 1 Wits: 5
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 5 Athletics: 4 Comm: 2 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Invest: 1 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3 Pres: 1
Soak: 4B DV: 5 Claw or Bite dmg: +4L Move: 5 Dash: 16 7Health
Legend 3: Str: 6 Dex: 6 Stam: 5 Char: 4 Manip: 1 App: 4 Perc: 4 Int: 1 Wits: 5
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 5 Athletics: 4 Comm: 2 Fort: 3 Integ: 2 Invest: 1 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3 Pres: 1
Soak: 5B/3L DV: 6 Claw or Bite dmg: +8L Move: 6 Dash: 17 7Health
Legend 4: Str: 8+1 Dex: 6+1 Stam: 6 Char: 6 Manip: 2 App: 5 Perc: 6 Int: 3 Wits: 6
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 5 Athletics: 5 Comm: 2 Fort: 4 Integ: 2 Invest: 1 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3 Pres: 1
Soak: 6B/3L DV: 8 Claw or Bite dmg: +8L Move: 7 Dash: 19 14 Health
Jagged Hide: Once per scene an enemy who hits a Labayu with a brawl or short range melee attack takes 7 armor ignoring lethal damage.
Legend 5: Str: 10+2 Dex: 8+2 Stam: 6+1 Char: 6 Manip: 2 App: 6 Perc: 6 Int: 3 Wits: 6
AnKen: 3 Aware: 3 Brawl: 5 Athletics: 5 Comm: 2 Fort: 5 Integ: 2 Invest: 1 Stealth: 3 Surv: 3 Pres: 1
Soak: 7B/4L/3A DV: 10 Claw or Bite dmg: +8L Move: 10 Dash: 23 14 Health
Jagged Hide: Once per scene an enemy who hits a Labayu with a brawl or short range melee attack takes 11 armor ignoring lethal damage.
Battlelust: Whenever the Lubaya attacks the same target on the same tick you do. The target gets -2 DV against both of you, and you both get +2 accuracy. This bonus stacks with perfect partner if you have it.
So there they are... I forgot how huge a load of work those are. They would continual evolving like that as the character gained Legend throughout their career.
Very cool.
ReplyDeleteSo, on a spin-off note, how do y'all handle upgrading traits other than Legend? Is it an XP system or something?
I hand out two different types of XP in my game: EXP and MXP. EXP is for anything and MXP (Mundane XP) is for non-Legendary traits like Attributes, Willpower, Abilities, etc. Every session, the PC's get their EXP and then about 30% of that amount in MXP as well.
Creatures (we don't have any Followers at the moment) get their master's MXP to spend on whatever they want. Legend for the Creatures, as with the players, is assigned by the ST and not purchased. I also keep them about 1-2 Legend behind their masters.
That sounds super complicated, and I cant figure out the reason for it. What is the reason for it?
DeleteCreatures dont get xp in our games. When their owner legends up, they just get an upgrade to several of their stats and sometimes a special power.
For normal xp, they just get normal xp, they can spend it on whatever they want.
MXP is how I address the issue of non-Legendary stats feeling like a waste. Who wants to spend their XP on buying Brawl up to 10 when instead they could just buy more Epic Dexterity and get a better return?
DeleteAt Hero and Low Demigod, there's rarely ever a point to increase your mundane Attributes, so that leads to a similar problem. Buying anything that isn't a Boon, Knack or Epic feels like a waste of XP because there's such a low return. To avoid this, I started designating a certain amount of XP as MXP and I give it out as a reward for various things. It's still a fun reward, but it doesn't let anyone get TOO much more powerful because the returns on it aren't as nice as the ones on regular XP.
When our PCs started to really outstrip their Creatures, I was looking for a way to model the creatures improving and decided that since I was already giving out a reduced XP pool, that the Creatures (and whatever) would just get that amount every session. So while the player might get 15 EXP and 5 MXP, their creature just gets 5 XP. That way they aren't left behind in the dust, but they don't turn into Hulks either.
But...if you just gave them one xp pool, couldnt they spend it how they want to? Just combine the two and allow freedom? Thats just very confusing for me. I mean, whatever works for you guys, but seems like an extra step for what is essentially the same thing. It only seems to limit choice for no return.
DeleteIs this something your players complained about(i mean of course at legend 7-8 they all complain about buying normal attributes, but i mean REALLY complained?)?
re your 2nd paragraph: so can they spend normal xp on mundane stuff if they want to as well? And so you dont give MXP out to everyone every session just as bonuses randomly?
That seems to give players with creatures and followers a lot of leeway above and beyond what anyone else got that spent their points on normal relics. A few points in creature and I get what basically amounts to 5 extra xp per game I can use to fill in the things my character cant do. Can the creatures buy legend? Can they outstrip the pcs legend?
Ehhh. If they could spend MXP on Epics and Boons and Knacks, it'd still feel like a loss. With MXP, they don't feel like they're losing anything by spending the points on mundane traits. It's essentially 'extra' XP that has to go into normal traits. Right now they're generally banking it for the costly high-level Attributes or occasionally using it to buy their way up to 10 in an Ability so they can get the Ultimate Expression of that Ability.
DeleteThey CAN spend normal EXP on mundane things, but they don't LIKE to. Mostly they'd prefer to just wait and save their MXP for mundane traits.
Each Story has a 'default' amount of both EXP and MXP per session. Right now it's at 17/7, with bonuses for extra-badass sessions. So each session of this Story, the PC's all get 17 EXP and 7 MXP. Their Creatures all get 7 XP (undifferentiated).
Creatures cannot buy Legend and cannot exceed the Legend of their master, except when they're initially granted. Then you could end up with a Legend 4 Creature being given to a Legend 3 Hero, for example.
Without giving Creatures and Followers some way to advance their own stats and develop mechanically as the game progresses, they'll fall behind. Their flexibility is offset by them being independent entities who may not always agree with whatever their master wants. Your Relic Sword, generally speaking, is going to do what you tell it and not bargain for permission to eat three people before it decides to carry you across the world.