Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Wasting Treasure for Experience (and some tangential points of interest)

The Value of Silver

D&D has had a gold-based economy forever.  A hyper-inflated crazy dungeon-based economy that got out of control (bad to begin with, worse with each edition).  HackMaster attempts to remedy this with a silver-based economy, but even this is madness ... at least in terms relating to HMAEE and the Eradu setting.

A treasure trove of 1000 brass bits should be cause for celebration.  Gear and loot are often going to be more valuable than treasure because actually finding someone who can sell a sword is tricky.  Eradu isn't a place where the local smith has time to kick out 100 short swords over the year.  Most villages a character will be lucky to find even a poor quality blade going or three times what the asking price should be. 


Treasure Per Level

Replace the suggested treasure per level table with the one below (values in silver).  At first level, the party is going to get quite a bit more than the original, but after that, things get thin very quickly.  HMB lists at 30/character/level; a 5th level party of 5 would get $750, but in HMAEE that same party would be scraping by with $365, which is $73 each, of which $24 can be spent on wasting for experience.  $50 in change isn't much for a 5th level character.  HMAEE is not a game of gathering wealth into vast piles ... easy come, easy go.



Party Members
 Level  34567
1135180225270315
2155206258309361
3174232290348406
4197262328393459
5219292365438511
6245326408489571
7270360450540630
8296394493591690
9324432540648756
10 353   470   588   705   823 


Party Members
 Level  34567
11384512640768896
12416554693831970
134475967458941043
144826428039631124
1551969286510381211
1655473892311071292
1759479299011881386
18635846105812691481
19675900112513501575
20 719   958   1198   1437   1677 


What Can I Spend?

In a village, roll 1d6.  In a town, roll 1 or 2d6.  In a city, a player may roll up to 3d6.

On each die, pip 1 - 5 indicates that treasure has been spent and experience gained.  Per pip, the treasure cost and the experience gain are shown in the table below.  For each 6 rolled, count it as a 5 having been rolled, but before gaining any experience roll on the consequences table.

If any pips go over the 15 "allowed" per level, automatically roll on the Consequences chart for each die (or partial die) PLUS any 6's rolled.  Any pips over the 15 only contribute half (truncated) of the listed EP/pip.

 Level   EP/pip   $/pip   $/level 
18$1.0$15.0
216$1.1$16.5
320$1.2$18.0
424$1.4$21.0
529$1.6$24.0
635$1.9$28.5
742$2.2$33.0
850$2.5$37.5
959$2.9$43.5
1069$3.3$49.5
 Level   EP/pip   $/pip   $/level 
1181$3.8$57.0
1295$4.3$64.5
13111$4.9$73.5
14129$5.5$82.5
15149$6.1$91.5
16171$6.8$102
17195$7.5$113
18221$8.3$125
19249$9.1$137
20279$10$150


Consequences

Jeff Rients came up with the carousing rules (and consequences) that swept the internet.  They are simple and awesome and everyone uses them.  Attempting to find some additional resources to plunder, I found this blog.  That was about it though ... people just kept reposting the same thing over and over.  I compiled what I liked, added what I felt it needed, and made the following tables.  Eventually I need to add these in because they are great results (and like the blog).  Eventually I want to make each of these d20 rolls rather than d6, but tackling too much at once is a recipe for disaster.

Consequence Type [d10]

1. Reputation [1d6]
  1. Make a fool of yourself in public.  The money is spent, but no experience is gained.  Make a Charisma Check (vs d20+15) or gain the reputation of a Drunken Lout.
  2. You are known as the Life of the Party!  All carousing in this location costs double due to hanger's on.
  3. Wake up naked in a local temple.  (1-3) the clergy is majorly pissed off (4-5) the clergy smile and thank you for dropping by (6) You are now known as a zealot in the Area and roll on The Gods consequence table.
  4. They all said dressing in silly costumes was a stupid idea, but everyone is talking about it.  You gain a reputation for throwing great parties.  Gain +10% EP next time you carouse in this town.
  5. You did something dubious and have the reputation as a lecherous lush.  Social interactions are now awkward at best.
  6. You pick up the reputation as a mean drunk.  No one will party with you in this town, and you gain the reputation for the Area.  People are frightened of you.
2. Fighting [1d6]
  1. You were involved in a brawl.  Pass a Feat of Strength check (vs d20) or start the day with 1d4p wounds of 1d3hp each.  
  2. Your shenanigans got a bit out of control and you started a fire.  Were: (1-2) you burnt down your favorite inn (3-4) a den of ill repute is burnt to ash (5-6) a big chunk of town is ablaze.  Who: (1-2) No one knows it was you (3-4) your fellow carousers know it was you (5) a probable blackmailer or tattletale knows (6) everyone knows.
  3. That brawl last night put you in a badass mood!  You have 1d3 wounds of 1d3 hp and a black eye, but are +1 to attack rolls for the day.
  4. You got beaten pretty badly.  Black eye, lose 1d4p teeth, 50% chance of a broken nose, and you are +3 FF for the next 1d6 days.
  5. You remember being challenged to a duel, but not by who, when, or over what.  This is probably going to end badly.
  6. Your duel starts in a few minutes when the sun comes up.  Everyone is watching.  It is (1) to the death (2-3) to first blood (4-5) an honor duel (6) a setup and you are about to get royally humiliated.
3. Misunderstandings [1d6]
  1. A minor misunderstanding with the authorities.  Pass an average Diplomacy skill check.  Success means a 1d6 x $2 fine.  Failure (or the inability to pay) means that many days in jail.  
  2. You insulted a local person of rank.  Time for some difficult Diplomacy to get the offended party to be amenable to a public apology and reparations.
  3. Major misunderstanding with the law.  1d6 weeks in jail and a fine of 2d4px$5 and all weapons, armor, and the like are confiscated.  25% chance of a criminal tattoo.  5% chance of a jailhouse tattoo per week of incarceration.
  4. Apparently someone that ugly can be married to a local magistrate.  You've been given an unpleasant task or difficult quest to make up for your cruel slurred words.
  5. You somehow swapped backpacks with someone.  Lose your backpack gear and gain an equal amount of other gear (GM's choice, probably random, and a good chance of something criminal).
  6. What seemed like a hilarious practical joke turned out to be in very bad taste.  You have made an enemy of a moderately powerful local personality.  Things might get hairy if you stick around.
4. Romance [1d6]
  1. Save vs Poison (2d20p) because in the candlelight, you didn't see the rash.  Fail and you've got a nasty itch (-1 to everything) for the next 2d6 weeks.  Save again each week to see if it gets better or worse.
  2. The target of your lewd and advances was a witch.  Seduction skill check (vs 1d100+15).  Succeed and you have a witch that is now obsessed with you.  Fail and you have to make a saving throw vs magic (d20+11) or are turned into a swine.
  3. Despite the best of intentions, you have fallen madly in love with someone and want to impress them.  75% chance they are married.  25% chance they return your affections. 100% chance other adventurers make fun of you.
  4. Last night was out of this world ... literally.  Having taken up with some sort of extra planar creature you had a wild night and picked up a little gift.  You have until next season to rid yourself of the parasite (pregnancy?) or the results will be spectacular and utterly lethal.
  5. You wake up next to someone who is (1-2) crazy (3-4) ugly (5-6) or both.  Let the antics ensue.
  6. Someone you dallied with has fallen for you big time.  They are (more or less) sweet an innocent and want to follow you everywhere.  They are more of a hanger-on than a henchman.
5. Finance [1d6]
  1. You were robbed of everything - cash, weapons, armor, gear.  Everything.  In fact, you are only wearing some dirty underwear and a strange look of defiant pride.
  2. You gambled a damn lot.  Make a gambling skill check (vs d100p+50).  If you lose, make another carousing roll (same dice) to see how much cash you lose (no EP gained).
  3. You invested all your spare cash in a smooth talking merchant scheme.  (1-3) it is bogus and you are going to lose it all (4-5) it is a scam but the local authority think you are in on it, adventurer scum! (6) holy crap - it is a real investment.  Next season you'll get your investment back plus 5d20p% more.
  4. You somehow got stuck with a bar tab that wasn't yours.  Pay 30% more to cover the costs or end up spending some time in jail to think about what you did.  A skill check might get you out of jail, but not the tab.
  5. You were robbed and have only your armor and favorite weapon (50% chance of keeping a shield if you had one).
  6. Apparently you upset some merchants  Everything in this settlement is now 25% more expensive for your entire party.  10% increase in prices for you and your kind across the Area.
6. Painful Reminders [1d6]
  1. You have the most powerful hangover ever - and a permanent low level headache.  -1d20 fractional points each to WIS and INT.
  2. Might be sprained, probably broken.  -1d20 fractional points each to DEX and STR.
  3. You are utterly exhausted.  +1d6 Fatigue Factor, it gets better by 1 point every week.
  4. You have become addicted to something ... something terrible.  Add the addiction quirk, but it is for something worse than on the table.
  5. You've broken knuckles from punching someone in the face (or a wall, or possibly yourself).  Lose the ability to fight with your (1-4) right (5-6) left hand for 1d6 weeks.
  6. You stink of exotic spices, booze, and rich food.  Good luck gaining surprise on anyone for the next 2d3 days ... and be prepared to fend off hungry monsters a bit more often.
7. The Gods [1d6]
  1. In a drunken stupor you begged a god for help resolving some situation.  They heard and responded.  Of course now you must complete a really hard quest before gaining any additional EP.  Also, you'd better convert or your Karma will take a hit.
  2. Holy men in the Area will shun you ... apparently there are some things that all gods find irritating and you, my friend, nailed it.
  3. A boozed offer to a cleric "pay you back later" is being taken up.  You have 1d12 orphans (age 2d4 each) that you need to take to the Orphanarium.  It isn't particularly close by.
  4. Waking up in the temple, you blurrily review your signed document to give alms.  Give away all of your things to the poor and tithe 10% of your future wealth to the temple for the next 3 adventuring seasons.
  5. You have displeased the gods ... or at least one of them.  You are probably the target of random effects, healing spells only half work on you, and if you are a cleric you'll need to atone before you can get any spells again.
  6. The temple is trashed.  (1-3) You are going to get run out of town and hunted by the clerics (4-5) no one cares, but holy men may shun you in this Area (6) you get an award from the people for removing the shackles of religious oppression ... which means orgy time.
8. Mark of Shame [1d6]
  1. You got a tattoo.  (1-3) It is lame (4) it is pretty cool (5) it could have been cool except for the misspelling or obvious mistake (6) it is incredibly crude and/or insulting.
  2. An evil wizard has a hunk of your flesh and hair.  In addition to a bad haircut, be prepared for the worst.
  3. You have a new henchman.  A jester.  He steals treasure from everyone except you and tells really terrible jokes.  You like him, but the others in the party ... not so much.
  4. You have been infected with a double shadow.  Animals are terrified of you.  Children cry when they see you.  In 1d6+2 weeks the shadows will merge and murder you.
  5. Your flesh starts to crack and slough.  You need to wear bandages all the time to keep it together.  Also a permanent  -1 Con and -1d4 HP.
  6. For some reason, you are now a ghost magnet.  If in a haunted area, you attract ghosts like the dickens.  In a non-haunted area, you are generally considered spooky and no one really wants to hang out with you except other spooky people (who you don't like).
9. New Friends [1d6]
  1. Apparently you joined or were at least initiated into (1-3) a cult (4-5) a secret society (6) a fraternity.  Make a spell cognition roll to see if you remember the signs and phrases.
  2. While completely hammered you spent some time with some of the local servants and servers.  They like you, so gain a new follower!  Unfortunately, the followers former boss is less than pleased about the situation.
  3. You win a bar bet and have the services of two henchmen for a month.  They have really shitty morale and are trouble makers.  
  4. You have an amazing time with an adventurer from another party.  He told you something really important ... Cognition check to see if you can remember.  You are also pretty sure you told him something that was supposed to be a secret.
  5. A gluttonous drunk boorish friar (kind of like a 1d6th level cleric) joins your party until he loses a morale check or you have another carousing expedition.
  6. You lose your favorite follower ... but now have a mangy mutt that follows you around.
10. Dungeon Bloom [1d6]
  1. You felt the call in your dreams.  You've woken up in an alley covered in blood with chunks of flesh under your fingernails.  It is (1-3) morning (4-5) dawn (6) noon and you are (1-3) being started at by a street urching (4-5) alone (6) being prodded awake by the local authorities.
  2. Someone (you?) scratched a map onto your forearm of a dungeon you have never been in before.  The lower levels are going to be trickier to carve...
  3. There is a new dungeon nearby.  You can feel it trying to hide an artifact from you.  You know where it is.  Convince the others to come with you if you can ... but you will find what you are after.
  4. Being in the daylight makes you kind of uneasy ... -1 or 5% to everything while you are in the sunlight.  This permanent affect lasts for 1d6 days after you leave a dungeon.
  5. Roll for an physical aberration as though you received Backlash from a Spell Mishap.  No matter what the others think, you like it.  Makes you look mysterious and dangerous.  Heck, it might even be useful.
  6. You saw a vision while in your carousing haze.  Of things dark and dreadful, of the underworld spreading across the cosmos, of your fate.  Gain 1 mulligan only to be used to avoid some dungeon hazard.  Until you use it the paranoia is almost overwhelming.

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