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08:48, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Character Allies / Good Stuff / Bad Stuff.

Posted by ShadowgmFor group 0
Shadowgm
GM, 7 posts
Mon 24 May 2021
at 07:21
  • msg #1

Character Allies / Good Stuff / Bad Stuff

CHARACTER ALLIES

   Your character enters the Amber Universe complete with background, family, and a history. For a few points you can arrange to have some of the character's prior history include staunch allies, friends and even doting relatives.

An Ally in Amber - 1 point
   While not a family member, an ally will be a familiar face in Amber. Examples are Court retainers, the royalty of nearby kingdoms, servants, sea captains, or soldiers in the forces of Amber. In any case, an Ally is always someone with the power to influence affairs. The Ally will be loyal to the character no matter what the current political situation and will always be willing to share information, and assist in any reasonable plans.

Demon Friends - 2 points
   Demons are the Courts of Chaos equivalent to the servants, retainers, and military officers of Amber. One or more demons have a commitment to the character that obliges lifetime servitude. The demon friendship was either an inheritance, set up by some ally of the character, or possibly because a family of demons decided to back the character's chances.

Court Friend - 2 points
   Court Friends are among the powerful in either Amber or the Courts of Chaos. Usually a Court Friend is an elder Amberite (from Benedict to Random), or an elder Lord of Chaos (from Duchess Belissa Minobee of House Hendrake to Suhuy, Master of the Logrus). Friends like these will look out for the character's best interests and will attempt to arrange for the character to get needed information or support.
   While players can't name their Court Friend (they may not know who it is), they can request a Court Friend from either Amber or the Courts. It's a good strategy for Amberites to ask for Court Friends from the Courts of Chaos and vice versa.

House Support - 3 points
   One of the Noble Houses of the Courts of Chaos actively supports the character. If the character is a Lord of Chaos, the character will likely be related to that House. Note that House Support does not mean that everyone in the House supports the character - there are always political factions, and some will break with the official policy of friendship.
   Amberites can also have House Support, making it easier for them to visit the Courts of Chaos. They'll be honored guests, their case will be represented in the royal court, and a wide range of resources will be made available for any endeavors at the Chaos end of things. Another possibility is that an Amberite who gains House Support could be the subject of a shrine in that noble house.
   It's up to the GM to decide whether or not the player character knows the identity of the supporting House.

Chaos Devotee - 4 points
   Although a Chaos Devotee is just as loyal as one from Amber, they are unlikely to be able to help the character quite so much, because of their lesser influence and power in places of Pattern. On the other hand, a Chaos Court Devotee is an outstanding asset should the character ever visit the Courts of Chaos. As with a devotee from Amber, this gives the character the heritage of the Logrus. Therefore, a character with a Chaos Court Devotee will be able, when the points are available, and the opportunity comes up, to become a Master of the Logrus.

Amber Court Devotee - 6 points
   Same category of relatives as "Family Friends," except they don't just like you, they love you. Which means they go to an awful lot of trouble for you. For example, they will be likely to observe you secretly, and may appear when your character's life is in danger. Devotees will risk their own lives, betray others, or even change sides in a conflict, if necessary, to help your character. An Amber Court Devotee also means that your character is a direct descendent of someone with the blood of Amber. This is important as a "place holder" for a character without Pattern. It means that the character may eventually be able to Walk the Pattern, once the required points become available.

GOOD STUFF, BAD STUFF, & ZERO STUFF

   In Amber, characters make their own luck.
   Or, to be more accurate, they buy their own luck.
   As a player, you use "Stuff to determine the character's luck, and karma. Stuff works in three ways. First, Stuff can be used by players to adjust their character's points. Extra points can be spent on Good Stuff, while point shortages can be made up by accepting Bad Stuff.
   Second, Stuff determines the character's luck. Good Stuff makes the character lucky, Bad Stuff unlucky, and, with Zero Stuff, the character has no particular advantage or disadvantage.
   Third, Stuff is used as a way of declaring the "karma" or "alignment" of the character's personality. Good Stuff characters are in harmony with the universe, and tend to be friendly and loyal to their families. Bad Stuff characters are self-centered and tend to use those people who care about them. Zero Stuff characters are neutral, walking a middle way.

   Stuff Quantity. What is a large amount of Bad Stuff or Good Stuff, how many points? It's relative, and there is no absolute answer. It depends on how many points all the players spend on Good Stuff and Bad Stuff. If you take all the players' Stuff scores, and end up with an average of six points of Good Stuff, then five points of Bad Stuff will be a lot, but eight points of Good Stuff might be only a relatively small amount.

   Characters with Good Stuff will tend to have good luck. In combat, when characters take risks, Good Stuff will mean they are more likely to succeed. The more Good Stuff, the luckier the character. Anytime an event has a "chance" element, Good Stuff will push the result to the advantage of the character.

   Bad stuff. The only advantage of Bad Stuff is that you get points for taking it.
  Bad Stuff Warning! You never run out of Bad Stuff. As long as the character "owes" points, the Bad Stuff will just keep coming and coming. It doesn't matter that ten minutes ago your character just had three outrageously bad breaks, because Bad Stuff doesn't get used up and the Game Master can apply it all over again. Second, don't forget that Bad Stuff is also an indicator of how bad a wound can be. Enough Bad Stuff, at the wrong time in a combat, and the character could end up dead.

   Zero stuff. Neutrality is kind of a strange topic, isn't it? But, if you've avoided getting Good Stuff, or Bad Stuff, that makes you Neutral, a Zero Stuff character. Zero Stuff characters tend to be very well balanced, and are often the most Power-oriented characters in the game. All well and good, but remember that Zero Stuff characters have also set themselves up with a certain attitude, a kind of "wait and see" approach.

CHARACTER FREEBIES

Physical Description. Height, weight, hair color, appearance, heraldic colors/device, clothing style - it's all up to you. Remember that Amberites live for thousands of years, so be sure this is a body you want to be in.

Absolute Age. More than just a number, picking your character's age says a lot about their persona. Picking a young age, under 30, is best if you want young and brash. Middle Age, between 30 and 70, is a time of seasoning and learning for Amberites.

The older the character, the more cynical, more cautious, and more worldly they become. Older characters are less likely to have Elder Amberites make allowances; a younger character has a 'puppy' factor and is likely to be treated better and even protected by the elder generation.

Absolute means this is the time a character has actually lived through. With fast and slow time shadows, a character may be a lot older or younger than their Amber birthdate may indicate.

Skills. Skills are plentiful and easy to come by for an Amberite. Expert surgeon? Master locksmith? Computer programmer (useful in shadows with computers)? By finding the right shadow, you can live as many lives and learn whatever you wish. But don't try to create an exhaustive list of skills; tell us you spent ten years as a soldier.

Equipment. Laughably easy to come by. Find a shadow where diamonds lay sparkling on a beach where DeBeers never existed. Want to live in mansion in the UK? A collection of rare automobiles? Have a business empire spanning the globe? It's yours.

WHAT YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE

Your Amber Parent. You can express a preference, but the final choice is up to the GM. Also, remember that the GM's version of an elder Amberite may not be the one you remember from Zelazny's books.

Your Friends & Devotees. You may never know who they are. Just as you never know who put the chocolate on your turned-down bed. An Amber Devotee will do what they think is best for you, not necessarily what you want.

Your Age in Amber. You say you're twenty, but what if you grew up in a slow-time shadow far from Amber? Oberon changed wives every other year. The crown changed hands three times last week. Or, you left the shadow where you grew up at age 18, spent a weekend in Amber, and returned home to find 2,000 years have passed. The family estate is owned by your snot-nosed nephew, a business rival is now the governor, and so on.

Items/Creatures That Contain 'Real' Power You create a background where you have a beautiful wife and capable son, perhaps even spending points to make them real. Somehow, your son walks the Pattern. He's no longer under your control, he's an NPC controlled by the GM, with independent goals and desires.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:33, Tue 25 May 2021.
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