I try to go through life with my senses open.
Do za'akier have antennae? Probably.
When I read or hear a certain word or phrase, it sometimes triggers my pineal gland, giving fruit to inspiration.
Today's post was inspired by a video by The OG GM's Adventures, specifically this one over here.
He mentioned negative karma pools, and that jarred something in me... and now I'm blogging about it.
It took me a few minutes to decide what "negative karma pools" might mean. And this is what I came up with...
Extra GM dice for when the players take direct action deemed culturally, ethically, or morally egregious, according to the campaign setting.
This could be anything from naming your character Bob, throwing personal artifacts contained in a mausoleum on the ground so you can bone an attractive woman (Just watched Broken Lizard's Club Dread), shitting in a S'kbah oasis, or stabbing a faithful guide in the back just to save a few gold pieces.
The first time it happens, the GM earns a bonus d4 to use as he will against the PCs. The second occurrence earns him a d6. The third, a d8. Then a d10, d12, and finally d20 [edit: these dice are cumulative, that's why it's called a pool]. GMs don't need to spend these bonus dice; they may reserve them for a later date. Whatever result is rolled may be added to any dice the GM rolls, such as to-hit, damage, NPC or monster saving throw, etc.
Let me know what you think of this idea, if you have suggestions, questions, or comments... I want to know. Give me feedback, hoss!
VS
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I have been looking at it the opposite way. How about granting the players an additional die to roll in exchange for activating a crazy power on a creature their fighting? Here is a d20 you all can use to make a roll with advantage during this fight, Lord Deathskull will now summon 3d4 minions to aid him.
ReplyDeleteIt's a thought, but too meta-game-y for my tastes. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteThere are some D14, D16, and D18 on the market. Why not allow them too? :-)
ReplyDeleteIf you want, sure. I have some DCC dice, but they're not my favorite.
DeleteAlso, if the PCs are fucking up THAT much, may as well have rocks fall; everyone dies.
Honestly, given it will fall to the GM to adjudicate when they get the dice... And if it happens enough to give dice that also means the players will bitch about it... It's probably gonna degrade into GM fiat anyway.
DeleteAlso: need to give the GM multiple dice, not just a single upgrading die... More dice in hand is always more satisfying
Oh, was that not clear? The dice in the negative karma pool are cumulative. So, by the session's end, GMs might have a whole set at the ready.
DeleteYes, it's rather subjective with the potential for abuse. But if it keeps the PCs self-conscious, maybe that's for the best...
The important thing to do is let the players know that the karma dice are in play. Otherwise, there is no lesson learned. Actually, if I were to use this, I would have a black set of negative karma dice AND a white set of positive karma dice. I might even put them in a bowl and allow the players to pull good or bad karma dice from the pool.
ReplyDeleteHmm... a yin-yang type of karma pool. Yes, that could work. I might develop that further in another blog post, assuming you don't mind. Thanks for the comment, hoss!
DeleteAlso, yes... the players should know the negative karma pool is in effect.
DeleteI'm more of an instant karma kind of guy... If a player is being a buzzkill for the whole group I warn and then kick. I don't punish for players being fun.. cause we are there to have fun. The game isn't sacred.
ReplyDeleteI don't punish players for having fun, but I do treat the game as sacred.
DeleteThe first edition of 7th Sea had an optional rule that functioned as an automatic failure for any stunt a player was planning to do. 7th Sea is more of a narrative system so a "black die" would result for poor Role-playing. It could be used at any time. On the other hand, great Role-playing could lead to a golden die that is placed in the collective dice pool to be used to help a player succeed. I liked it. It encouraged role-playing and allowed me to shape the narrative when someone was acting like a jackass at the table.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound cool, but difficult to implement in a virtual session.
Delete