I have had a bit of a problem with the dynamic between
Allies, Patrons and Contacts. An ally, who is a fully realized, potential
adventuring companion cost less on general that a contact that is only good for
a single skill. With this system I’ve tried to unify the two systems into something
that will cover all three in a logical manner.
Power
Power is what percentage of the character’s points the ally or
patron is built on. Point total is the percentage, while cost expresses the
base CP points for them. If the cost falls between two benchmarks, use the
higher.
A note on Patrons: Some Patrons won’t fit neatly into any of
them. The GM’s word is final. Also note that the base cost to have a deity as a
Patron is comparable to that for a powerful mundane Patron, but divine power
requires the Special Abilities enhancement (see below), which will greatly
increase the final cost of a divine Patron!
Point Total
|
Cost
|
Note
|
Ally of 25% pts
|
1 pts.
|
May also be a dependent
|
Ally of 50% pts
|
2 pts
|
May also be a dependent
|
Ally of 75% pts
|
3 pts
|
May also be a dependent
|
Ally of 100% pts
|
5 pts
|
May also be a dependent
|
Ally of 150% pts
|
10 pts
|
May also be a patron
|
Patron of 150% pts
|
10 pts
|
Individual or a fairly powerful organization (assets of at
least 1,000 times starting wealth for the world)
|
Patron of 200% pts
|
15 pts
|
Individual or a powerful organization (assets of at least
10,000 times starting wealth) Examples: a limited manifestation of a minor
god, a billionaire, or a big-city police department.
|
Patron of Unlimited
pts
|
20 pts
|
ultra-powerful individual or a very powerful organization
(assets of at least 100,000 times starting wealth). Examples: a super, a
limited manifestation of a major god, or a big city.
|
Patron Group of Unlimited
pts
|
25 pts
|
An extremely powerful organization (assets of at least 1
million times starting wealth). Examples: a large corporation or a very small
nation.
|
Patron Group of Unlimited
pts
|
30 pts
|
A national government or giant multinational organization
(net worth basically incalculable), or a true god who appears personally to
intervene on your behalf
|
Exception: The progression above extends indefinitely for
nonsentient (IQ 0) Allies; each +50% of the PC’s starting points costs a
further +5 points.
Ally Groups
There is no limit to the number of Allies you may purchase
so long as you have the points. Normally they are treated as separate entities,
but you may treat a group of related Allies as a single trait.
For a group of individuals with their own unique abilities
and character sheets, add the cost of the individuals to find the cost of the
group and adjust for frequency and special modifiers.
For groups of five or move identical and interchangeable
ones, (they share the same character sheet), find the point cost to have one
member of the group as an Ally, and then multiply that cost as follows to find
the cost of the group:
Size of Group
|
Multiplier
|
6-10
|
X6
|
11-20
|
X8
|
21-50
|
X10
|
51-100
|
X12
|
Add x6 to the multiplier per tenfold increase in number (e.g.,
100,000 Allies would be x30).
The GM has the final say if they will allow hordes of
allies. It may very well require an Unusual background or be limited to taking
them as a Patron.
Maximum Skill
Another concern is the effectiveness of the Ally. This is
reflected in their point cost, but also the maximum skill total they may have.
Max Skill
|
Cost
|
12
|
0 pts
|
15
|
1 pts
|
18
|
2 pts
|
21
|
3 pts
|
24
|
4 pts
|
This is added to the Base Power Cost before Frequency is
determined.
Reaction Roll
For strange, unusual or dangerous requests of you Ally the
GM may require a reaction roll. Your base reaction roll modifier is an
indicator of their usual disposition towards you. The better it is the less
likely they are to refuse or lie to you.
Reaction
|
Cost
|
+4
|
+2 pts
|
+2
|
+1 pts
|
+0
|
+0 pts
|
-2
|
-1 pts
|
It is added to the Base cost along with the Maximum skill
rank before determining frequency.
Money Talks
Bribery, either cash or favors can improve their reaction
roll. Cash bribes should be the equivalent to one days income for a +1, one
week’s income for a +2, one months income for a +3 and a years income for a +4.
Favors should be of similar worth, and generally something played out in game.
Over dependence on the Allie can actually give penalties on
their reaction rolls. They have lives of their own too.
Frequency of Appearance
Regardless of their attitude towards you Allies and Patrons
have their own concerns, and may not be available all the time.
The GM rolls 3d at the start of the adventure. The Ally in
question is available if the roll is under their frequency score.
Frequency of Appearance multiplies the point cost for an
associated Ally.
Frequency
|
Roll
|
Cost
|
Notes
|
Constantly
|
no roll required
|
X4
|
The NPC is always present. This level is reserved for NPCs
– usually Allies – that are implanted, worn like clothing, or supernaturally
attached.
|
Almost all the time
|
15 or less
|
X3
|
|
Quite often
|
12 or less
|
X2
|
|
Fairly often
|
9 or less
|
X1
|
|
Quite rarely
|
6 or less
|
X1/2
|
Special Enhancements
Access: You can attempt to contact your Ally at any
time not just at the start of the adventure. You must have a method of reaching
them, and the GM will still make a Frequency test to see if they are available.
+10%.
Available: You may contact you Ally more than once
per adventure. It tacks on an additional +5% for every time past the first.
Equipment: Your Ally has access to supplies and
useful equipment that you can use for your own purposes. It is considered yours
after you take possession of it. +50% if the equipment is worth no more than
the average starting wealth in the campaign, or +100% if it is worth more than
that.
Minion: Your Ally continues to serve you regardless
of how well you treat him. This might be due to programming, fear, awe, or lack
of self-awareness. Examples include robots, zombies, and magical slaves. You
are free of the usual obligation to treat your Ally well. Mistreatment might
result in an inconvenient breakdown (mental or physical), but the Ally will not
leave. See Puppet (p. 78) for additional options. +0% if the Minion has IQ 0 or
Slave Mentality (p. 154), as the benefits of total loyalty are offset by the
need for close supervision; +50% otherwise.
Special Abilities: Your Ally wields power out of
proportion to his point value. Perhaps he has extensive political clout or
access to equipment from a TL higher than your own; perhaps he grants you
exotic powers. Don’t apply this enhancement simply because your Ally has exotic
abilities. If his powers are very uncommon, you will already be paying extra:
your Ally requires an Unusual Background, which raises his point total and his value
as an Ally. +50%.
Summonable: You conjure your Ally instead of rolling
to see whether he appears at the start of an adventure. To do so, take a Concentrate
maneuver and roll against frequency of appearance. On a success, your Ally appears
nearby. On a failure, you cannot attempt to summon him again for one full day.
Dismissing your Ally is a free action, but you may only dismiss him if he is physically
present. +100%.
Special Limitations
Secret: Your Ally prefers to work behind the scenes. You may
not know them by anything other than a code name. It’s a convoluted process to
call on them for aid and when you get it, it may not be exactly what you asked
for. This type of ally may differ radically in their opinion on what is good
for the character, so be careful. -50%.
Service Only: Your Ally is not the adventuring type. They
will help in whatever way they can, primarily through information, favors, and
technical help, but prefer to stay safely at home. -80%
Sympathy: If you are stunned, knocked out, mind-controlled,
etc., your Ally is similarly affected. The reverse is also true, so you should
take special care of your Ally! -25% if the death of one party reduces the
other to 0 HP; -50% if the death of one party automatically kills the other. If
your wounds affect your Ally, but your Ally’s wounds don’t affect you, reduce
these values to -5% and -10%.
Unwilling: You have obtained your Ally through coercion
(e.g., blackmail or magical binding). You do not have to treat him as well as
you would a normal Ally. However, he hates you and is likely to act
accordingly, reducing his overall reaction level by -2. If you endanger such an
Ally or order him to do something unpleasant, he may rebel (GM’s option) if the
consequences of doing so would be less severe than those of doing your bidding.
An Ally who rebels is gone, along with the points you spent on him. -50%.
