This was the last book listed in my previous poll that hasn't been run yet, so I figure I might as well make it the next LP. As mentioned in the poll topic, this was one of the books that I wanted to experiment with the "extra lives" mechanism, and for each one I try to match it with either an existing mechanism in the book (Hero points for Appointment with F.E.A.R, Tabasha's aid in Chasms of Malice), or in the case of this book, the general theme.
While the PCs in many of the FF books (especially earlier ones) tends to be, or at least has the opportunity to act like, a murderous psychopath, there are only a few books where they're actually cast as someone of an officially illegal profession, and this is one of those books, where we play as a member of the Thieves' Guild in the notorious Port Blacksand (or at least, a newly-graduated apprentice looking to become a full member). The objective of the quest in the book is to steal a specific item to pass a pro test to qualify as an official member, but of course, this wouldn't stop him from doing a bit of additional thieving on the side.
With that in mind, I'm linking the extra life mechanism to the gaining of gold and treasure, which can be "traded" for the chance to continue playing if the playthrough comes to an untimely end. (So yes, we're basically like Super Mario picking up gold coins for extra lives. Not green mushrooms available in this book, though.)
This is the system I'm implementing - each time we hit a Game Over, we may spend:
1) 2 gold - this gives us a full STAMINA restore if we die via combat or STAMINA loss, and redo whatever battle or stat-test we may have failed, OR let us rewind to the last section where we were given an option (usually just 1 section back, but can be more) if we hit an insta=fail section.
2) 5 gold - this gives us a complete restoration of all stats if we die in combat/failed a stat or random test, and continue as if we won or passed said battle/test. Alternatively, you can also use it to rewind to any point or your own choosing. However, I will not indicate whether or at which point you may have made a wrong turn that makes the book impossible to complete.
3) 10 gold - if you choose to spend this amount, I will rewind you back to the last point where you made a "wrong" decision that will lead to delayed Game Over later. Note that you have to decide whether or not to spend the amount before I reveal whether or not it's necessary. If you were in fact already on the right path and just died to some unlucky dice roll, then you will just waste 10 GP and continue from where you were - but I will not inform you whether that is the case beforehand, so it's a risk you need to decide whether it's worth taking.
Any gold spent in the above manner will NOT be regained if you rewind back and then pass through the same sections where you picked up the gold a second time (other equipment or items regained in this manner will, however, be reset). Also keep in mind that there may be other things in this book that gold will be useful (and possibly vital) for, so it's always a gamble to decide whether or not to spend any (at least there's no long shopping lists like so many other FF books).
Now, let's proceed with the (non-house) rules:
Standard FF Boilerplate Rules:
Skill, Stamina, & Luck
[spoiler]SKILL score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result.
STAMINA score: Roll two dice. Add 12 points to the result.
LUCK score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result.
SKILL score reflects your expertise in combat, your ability with weapons, and your dexterity. STAMINA is your general constitution and "Life points" . LUCK score shows how lucky you are. None of them may exceed their Initial score unless specifically stated.
Eating a meal restores up to 4 points of STAMINA; you may only eat one meal at a time.
Testing your Luck: When instructed by the book to Test your Luck, roll two dice. If the result is equal to or less than your current LUCK score, you are Lucky. If the result exceeds your current LUCK score, you are Unlucky. Whatever the outcome, you must deduct one point from your current LUCK score every time you Test your Luck. The more you use your LUCK, the less likely you are to be Lucky.[/spoiler]
For this book, I will rolling 4 dice and letting players assign/distribute them to whichever stat they prefer later.
Combat:
[spoiler]SKILL and STAMINA scores are given in the text for each adversary that you face.
The combat sequence is then:
1. Roll two dice for your opponent. Add the total rolled to its SKILL score. This is the Attack Strength of your enemy.
2. Roll two dice and add the total to your own current SKILL score. This is your Attack Strength.
3. If your Attack Strength is the higher, you have wounded your opponent: deduct 2 points from your opponent's STAMINA..
If your opponent's Attack Strength is higher, it has wounded you: deduct 2 points from your own STAMINA.
If both Attack Strengths are equal, you have avoided each other's blows.
4. Begin the next Combat Round, starting again at step 1. This procedure continues until either you or your opponent has a STAMINA score of zero. If your opponent's STAMINA score reaches zero, you have killed it and can continue with your adventure. If your own STAMINA score reaches zero, you are dead.
Using Luck in Combat
You can use your LUCK in combat to inflict a particularly serious wound, or to minimize a wound that has been inflicted on you.
Whenever you wound an opponent, you may Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, you have inflicted a severe wound: deduct an extra 2 points from your opponent's STAMINA. If you are Unlucky, you have merely grazed it, and you deduct 1 point less than normal from its STAMINA.
If you have been wounded, you can Test your Luck in exactly the same way. If you are Lucky, the wound upon you was only a glancing blow and you can deduct 1 less point of STAMINA than usual. If you are Unlucky, the wound is serious: deduct 1 extra point from your STAMINA.[/spoiler]
Now, for the New Stuff in this book:
Special Skills:
There are 6 "thief skills" from which we may pick 3. There are no detailed explanation for any of them, but I'm pretty sure they're self-explanatory:
PICK POCKET
PICK LOCK
CLIMB
SNEAK
HIDE
SPOT HIDDEN
SECRET SIGNS
The only one that might warrant a bit of explanation is Secret Signs, which is basically the special signs that all thieves in the guild learn and use to communicate with each other (although if we don't choose this skill, I guess it means our character didn't manage to absorb these particular lessons). It's the kind that's drawn out (so can be left as messages for someone who sees it later), not hand-signs.
Equipment:
This is one of the few FF books with a limit on items we can carry. Our backpack as only 6 slots, so we can only pick up to that amount of items that need to be carried in it. However, not all items will be considered backpack items. Stuff like our weapon, gold, armour, anything that is worn instead of carried, or are small enough not to take up space in there can be freely carried. The book will specify whether an item counts as backpack item when we find it. I think there may be a few of those that the author may have neglected to specify, and in those cases, I will use my own discretion to rule on whether they count as such.
Our starting equipment include:
Backpack items: 1) 10 Provisions (count as a single item), 2) a potion (we get to choose from 3).
Non-backpack items: Shortsword, leather jerkins and leggings, torch, hand-lamp (gives less light than torch, but also less risk of being spotted), tinderbox, 5 gold pieces (equivalent to 1 free rewind or complete stats restoration)
So now, before I proceed further, please vote on the following:
1) Which 3 Special Skills do we start with?
2) Which potion do we start with (this is the classic option: Skill, Strength & Fortune, restoring SKILL. STAMINA and LUCK respectively. Potion of Fortune also adds 1 to Initial LUCK).
3) Rolling for our stats, I've rolled the numbers 2, 2, 4 and 5. Please distribute these between your SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK to determine their Initial scores.
4) And as usual, while this is not compulsory, you may proceed to pick a name for our PC. This can also wait till you've read the Background or later, of course.
