Goals
- Remove gold from the game
- Award additional experience in an interesting, game-y fashion
- Develop elements of character and story that may not be suited to resolution at the table
- Replace the older systems: The "moves" system becomes overly complex for players and DM, the "saving throw" system arbitrarily rewards certain classes and trivializes the risk of carousing at higher levels.
Carousing Rules
The carousing system allows players to convert their gold to XP in between sessions. Note that the primary point of carousing is to spend gold to get XP. If you just want to get a specific thing done, carousing is a risky and sometimes nonsensical way to do it.
Things that directly benefit your PC are not counted as carousing. For example, hiring an armed escort to Glantri City gives you the direct benefit of not facing dozens of wilderness encounter checks as you travel overland. Carousing can indirectly aid your PC's fictional status. Investing in real estate gives you a place to stay and establishes you as a respectable land-owning member of society. Conducting drinking contests makes new friends and establishes you as a lusty adventurer of great largess and fortitude.
A good guide to whether something is carousing is: could you continue to throw limitless sums into it and still get more of the same benefit? Buying a keg of holy water isn't carousing because it has a discrete limit; at some point you have what you need. Buying ornaments for a church is carousing because you could go on making the temple more ornate indefinitely.
If you don't have enough gold to cover your expenditures, you earn XP only for what you do actually spend, and go into debt (presumably to an NPC) for the remainder. If you fail to pay the debt, bad things may happen.
How to Carouse
- Declare the intent of your carouse.
- Roll one or more variable-sized dice to determine expenditure.
- Roll a 2d6 to determine relative success of your carousal.
- DM adjucates results and assigns gold, xp, and secondary results.
Expenditure
The "expenditure" role is a variable die, depending on the location of the carouse:
| Setting | Die | Gold Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Backwater (Fortune's Hole) | d4 | x50gp |
| Provincial (Malinbois) | d6 | x100gp |
| Metropolitan (Glantri City) | d8 | x150gp |
| Cosmopolitan (Wizard's Hill) | d12(?) | x200gp |
(Please note, the current system removes the previous ruling that "If the first die is equal to or less than your level, you're home free - the d20 is used for general randomization" as this tends to trivialize carousing for higher level players.)
Resolution
The "resolution" roll, is a 2d6. Carousing results are adjudicated by the DM. A player MAY suggest some potential upsides, downsides or considerations in a feeble attempt to color the DM's adjucation. Carousing results will generally not be fatal. The following results provide a general guideline for the adjudication of results. The DM may chose to adjust the results according to the carouse and degree of failure/success:
| 2d6 roll | result |
|---|---|
| 13+ | Astounding success: Full GP spend, full XP. Player goal is achieved. Beneficial secondary effect. |
| 8- 12 | Success: Full GP spend, full XP. Player goal is achieved. |
| 7 | Neutral Result: No gold spent, no XP gained. Possible secondary effect. |
| 3-6 | Failure: Full GP spend, no XP. Negative secondary effect is expereinced |
| 2 | Spectacular Failure: Full GP spend, no XP. Horrible secondary effect is experienced. |
(NOTE: "Snake Eyes" is always a Spectacular Failure, your bonuses cannot save you)
Bonuses
The results roll may be modified in a few ways (additional options at DM's discretion). One or more of the following bonuses may apply, however this bonus may never exceed +2.
Joint Carousing: Two or more characters may collaborate on venture for a bonus of +1. A single statement of intent is declared, and a single expenditure/resolution role is made. Both players spend the amount described, and both gain the bonus result.
Reduced XP: A player can opt to receive 50% of the potential XP bonus in exchange for a +1 to resolution roll. The full GP expenditure will still be spent.
High Ability Score: Players with a 13+ in a relevant stat may gain a +1 bonus as follows:
- Intelligence: Researching spells, information or other "intellectual" pursuits.
- Charisma: Attempts to charm, cajole or deceive.
- Wisdom: Acts of faith or piety. Use of instincts, gut feeling, or common sense.
- Dexterity, Constituion, Strength: "Physical" statistics are more rarely applicable to carousing results. Some examples might be a player competing in a pit fight (strength), drinking contest (constitution) or a knife throwing competition (dexterity).