Monday, December 21, 2015
Orenger's Ossemble!!!
One of other cool concepts for Earthdawn magic is the idea of creating a Group True Pattern. We come up with our group name and symbol and create a pattern that we can weave threads into that give us bonuses. You can see more details starting on p.233, but I just wanted to put this out there to get people thinking about some group names and symbols as we go through our adventures.
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I was looking at that when looking at ways to spend my Legend Points. Was not 100% clear as to how this benefits the group and the individual.
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ReplyDeletePutting aside the roleplaying/plot benefits, the practical benefit is that once a group pattern is created, members of the group can weave threads into it to give them plusses. So you could use War Weaving to weave a rank one thread that would improve your Mystic Defense by one. I could weave a rank two thread that would improve my Spellcasting by two. Or one that improves my Physical Defense by two.
ReplyDeleteTo create and use a group pattern we would each have to sacrifice two health points to the blood oath and designate an item as Symbolic (carve the group symbol in), which makes it a minor pattern item for the group.
Forming a group pattern is a way to boost talents/stats when acting with/on-behalf-of the group. I'd have to double check the details, but I believe once you form a group pattern, you can weave up five rank five threads to it. Each thread adds +1 rank/stat-point per rank to whichever talent/stat it's woven to. (E.g. Taurba might have a rank three thread woven to TOU (+3 to Toughness) and a rank 1 thread woven to Melee Weapons (+1 rank). That leaves three more possible threads to weave, and room to boost the two woven threads to rank 5.)
ReplyDeleteThinking about forming a group pattern is fine idea, but let me suggest you don't implement it immediately for the following reasons:
1. Your characters have, effectively, only known each other for 3 weeks. Some may consider it premature to talk about making lasting oaths and magically binding True patterns together.
2. Obsidimen are, traditionally, particularly cautious about entering into group patterns, since they usually consider their first allegiance to be to their Liferock and are loath to make oaths that could interfere with that. That isn't to say they can't or won't, but it often requires more time and deliberation for them.
3. The PCs are first circle on the verge of second. Bang-for-the-Legend-Point-wise, it's probably better to raise your talents or stats at this point. When talent raises start getting more expensive, then it makes more sense to look to something like a group pattern. There's a good chance your best choice is to devote your LPs to going up Circles right now: it adds Durability, it gives you access to more talents and for at least half the group, access to more/better spells.
Still, at the end of the day, it's a choice for the players/characters. I have no rules-based objection to what you propose.
How does increasing a thread's rank work? Do you pay the difference between thread ranks as you increase them or is the cost cumulative? i.e. a thread rank 1 costs 300 LP and rank 2 costs 500 LP. Do you pay an additional 500 LP when raising to rank 2 (800 LP total)?
ReplyDeleteOther than the blood magic and the LP cost, is there a down side to weaving threads to a group pattern?
BTW, I can totally see waiting some before the group would undertake the effort.
ReplyDeleteThe cost is cumulative, so it would be 5000 LP to weave a rank 5 thread.
ReplyDeleteThere are potential downsides. There are consequences to breaking a blood magic oath that you may want, need or be forced to violate at some point. Also, once you create the group pattern, the possibility exists that enemies will weave threads to it, getting bonuses against your group.
To put it in Champions terms, it's somewhat like a disadvantage. You're usually told during character creation, "You get 100 points free, and you can get 100 more if you take disads." I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone say, "Keep the points. I'd rather not have disads." Points are more advantageous, but you know the disad will probably come back to bite you some day.
I do like the mechanics of it though from a plot and roleplay standpoint. Disadvantage, sure. But the kind of disadvantage that while epic arcs can be written around. Also the naming and symbology is a great prompt to think more about who we are collectively and who we want to be.
ReplyDeleteAlso, everything Jon said, particularly about current costs and value of this. I believe in the earlier versions you couldn't even try this until fourth circle. Blogger ate my first three detailed replies and I didn't have time to add another. My goal was more to plant seeds of these ideas for future use.
ReplyDeleteIn prior versions, non-spellcasters didn't get Threadweaving until 4th Circle, so groups were effectively barred from group pattern until then, explicit rule or not.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Glance away for 2 weeks and there's a posting explosion. I hope to catch up before our game. At minimum I'll do my assigned "homework", I promise. Happy Holidays all!
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