Carousing Mechanics

What is Carousing?

The Goals

1. Remove gold from the game
2. Award additional experience in an interesting, game-y fashion

Mechanical Overview

There are two die rolls associated with carousing: One determines the presumed expenditure, and the other the success or failure of the carousing attempt. The expenditure roll determines the amount of gold (and thus XP gain) at risk in the attempt. We have traditionally associated variable risk with settings, under the idea that spent money can make more trouble in urban areas:

Setting	Die
Provincial	d6
Metropolitan	d8
Cosmopolitan	d12 (?)

… with the expenditure result determined by the die roll and a campaign-specific multiplier.

The success roll, or save, is a 2d6 roll. This roll may be modified according to a relevant ability score, as negotiated with the GM. The results are as follows:

2d6 roll	result
10+	success
7-9	partial success/failure
2-6	failure

Ability Score	3-12	13-15	16-17	18
2d6 modifier	—	+1	+2	+3

Partial successes indicate one of the possible goals for the attempt was met; success indicates that the goal is met up to the limits of the expenditure; failure presumably needs no explanation. Examples of re-usable carousing attempts are listed under Standard Moves below. The general structure is to propose a type of effort (the move), and 3 or 4 positive outcomes with possible negative implications. The latter are used in the event of partial success: the player chooses one of the possible outcomes. For example:

Throw a Big Party: Roll against your favorite attribute. On a 7-9 choose 1, on a 10+ choose 3. In any case you earn XP equal to the spend. Be sure to have a story about how your favorite attribute came to bear on the celebration.

• You befriend a useful contact
• There's gold left over when all's said and done
• You gain a reputation; +1 to a future roll related to this carouse
• Gain useful information
• You do not do or say anything you might later regret while in your cups
• Neither you nor the locale of your carousing is worse for wear in the morning

Because social maneuvers like this are less specifically mechanical, the negative implications of possible results are in the exclusion of other results:

You befriended a useful contact, but gained no useful information from them while spending all of your budgeted money. You are terribly hung-over, and you appear to have offended the local clergy with your revelries.

A maneuver more closely tied to game mechanics may be more straightforward in its partial outcomes:

You have made progress in your spell research, but at a rate of just half your research expenditure.

Previously, the campaigns used entirely different house rules for carousing; these are linked/outlined in the house rule section below. The system outlined in this page grows out of conversations here and here.

Standard Moves

Lore

Delve into Occult Secrets

Roll against your wisdom to delve into occult secrets. You earn XP equal to the spend. On a 10+, you can choose 3; On a 7-9, only 1.

• You learn a fragment of truth without the context that makes its meaning clear.
• You gain two bits of lore; one is true and one is false, but you don't know which.
• You test the truth of your theories; the DM asks you five questions, and then either confirms the truth of all your answers or supplies a disproof of one.
• You discover what you already know that is relevant to the object of your search.
• You decide what you most want to know, and identify where you'd have to go to learn it.

Hunt for Information

Roll against your wisdom to hunt for information. You earn XP equal to the spend. On a 10+, you can ask 3 questions of the DM; on a 7-9, ask 1.

• Who knows the most about this?
• What source of useful knowledge about this is the most accessible to me?
• Who wants to keep this from being known?
• Who else is looking for this?
• What do those who know this want that I could supply?

Spell Research

Research a Spell

Roll against your intelligence to make progress researching a specific spell. You earn XP equal to the spend. On a 10+ your spending counts towards the spell you are researching. On a 7-9, choose 1.

• You overcome a false start: half your spend counts toward the research of this spell.
• You back out of a blind alley, with no research but half of your spend intact.
• You get distracted, and your full spending goes toward the research of an entirely new & different spell.
• You learn from failure, and gain a +1 bonus to all future rolls to research this spell.

Read Between the Lines

Roll against your intelligence to begin researching a random spell from an arcane text. You earn XP equal to the spend. On a 10+ your spending counts towards a random spell. On a 7-9, choose 1.

• You overcome a false start: half your spend counts toward the research of a random spell.
• You have a moment of clarity: Half your spend counts towards research for the spell or activity described in the text.
• You back out of a blind alley, with no research but half your spend intact.
• You have the seed of an idea, and gain a +1 bonus to your next Between the Lines attempt.

Plan the Enchantment of a Magic Item

Roll against your intelligence to begin researching the item enchantment. You earn XP equal to the spend, and your spend counts toward the cost of the item. On a 10+, all three: on a 7-9, choose 1.

• Beast part collector: You have all the components necessary.
• Friend to wizards: You have a contact who can create the item to your specifications.
• Savvy inventor: The item will perform exactly as you designed, free of unexpected quirks.

You can repeat this move to iron out any quirks; before the item can be made, you must repeat this move or perform another move to find a crafter and gather the components. (The same person may have both.)

Social/Work-for-Hire

Commission a Wizard to Create a Magic Item

Roll against your charisma to begin work on a previously planned item enchantment. You earn XP equal to the spend, and your spend counts toward the cost of the item. On a 10+, all goes smoothly, and if your cumulative spend equals the cost of the item, it is ready for delivery on the expected date. On a 7-9, choose 1.

• The need for a new component delays further progress or delivery.
• Pressing matters distract the crafter from further progress or delivery.
• Progress goes smoothly, but someone has taken an interest in the crafting.
• Progress goes smoothly, but a minor entity has become bound in the item.

You must make another move to address the first two complications (which may justify spending more to reach the limit), and you may make another move to defuse the second two (which may justify the extra weeks of waiting after you reach the limit).

Seek Out a Skilled Henchman

When you seek out a skilled henchman, roll against your charisma. You earn XP equal to the spend. On a 10+, you can choose 3; on a 7-9, choose 1.

• The henchman is loyal to you.
• The henchman is neither cowardly nor reckless.
• The henchman has the skillset that is expected of him or her.
• The henchman lacks troublesome personality quirks.

House-Rules

Whitebox

• Bonus from additional spending
• Expenditure multipliers by setting

Redbox

Redbox Expenditure Multipliers by Setting

Setting	Multiplier
Provincial (Malinbois)	x1
Metropolitan (Glantri City)	x1.5
Cosmopolitan (Wizard's Hill)	x2

Note: Wizard's Hill has not yet been opened as a carousing setting in Glantri.

Previous Redbox System

Previously, the Redbox campaign used the expenditure table and multipliers already outlined. When the expenditure die roll is greater than character level, roll a d20 saving throw versus Death Ray. Failure indicates partial success/failure. 20 indicates dramatic success; 1 indicates a critical failure. Results for criticals and partial successes were all determined by the GM.