| Some additional rules on Luck. |
[May 11 2008|01:07:00 AM] |
 As previously described, Luck has three types: Characteristic Luck, which is the character's starting amount, and Functional Luck, which the character can buy up with Option Points. Functional Luck does recover up naturally over time, but it only "heals" up to twice the level of Characteristic Luck (assuming the character bought levels of Extra Lucky as part of his Perks). The rate of recovery is up to the Storyteller. It is suggested that one point every two weeks is fair, but if the Storyteller wants to run a particularly grim setting, one point every month or even two months is possible. If the character wants to regain the lost Luck points more quickly, he can roleplay his Nature and Demeanor. If the player is running an Epic Spirit, they regain Luck at the rate of two points per month if they have a Master who can give them Mana, and one point per month if they do not.
Luck points can be represented by poker chips, life stones, or whatever the Storyteller wants. The player can pass one to the Storyteller when he wants to expend a Luck point. If the player roleplays his Nature and Demeanor well, consider passing another chip, stone, etc. to him.
Luck points can be spent to reduce damage taken from sources. The Storyteller has several options and can use his own judgment in determining the mechanics of that, but from the author's perspective, spending a Luck point to reduce an incoming wound by 10 hit points seems fair. Thus if a player takes a wound worth 30 points of damage, he can spend a Luck point to make it a 20 point wound. This gives players more of a fighting chance but does not interfere with the gritty darkness of Tsukihime or Higurashi.
If the Storyteller wants to run a more fantastical game setting such as Fate Stay Night. If the Storyteller wishes, the Luck points can be spent to accomplish cinematic feats. Here are some suggestions:
Only a Flesh Wound. If the player spends a Luck point, the damage from in incoming attack is halved. He can then halve that wound's loss in life points again by spending an additional Luck point in the following round.
Plot Twist. For some reason, you happen to be in the right place at the right time while dramatic lighting is on you. Maybe the monster is full and doesn't feel hungry enough to eat your character. Or the killer dropped a vital clue at the crime scene. Once per session, a player can spend a Luck point to get a Plot Twist. If the Storyteller doesn't feel it's appropriate, the player isn't able to spend the Luck point but doesn't lose it either.
Combat High. If the player spends two Luck points, he can enter a state of righteous fury. If he is in that state, all attack rolls (including magic use and using Noble Phantasms!) he will make for an entire fight are at +5. After the fight is over, he will experience a powerful comedown from his Combat High. There must be a legitimate reason to evoke this Combat High. Being peeved about a parking ticket or global warming just isn't enough. Seeing your family gunned down is enough. Combat High is appropriate for non-heroic settings such as Higurashi and Tsukihime. In Higurashi's case, murderous rage can easily be represented by Combat High.
Back from the Grave. In a supernatural setting death isn't as permanent as it is in less fantastical environments. If the player expends a Luck Point, he can reappear in the following Story (not this campaign, but the next one). Reappearing in the next Chapter of the Story requires the expenditure of five Luck Points. There are many ways one can roleplay this:
Miracle at the ER. Surgeons got your heart pumping again. Because your character flatlined, he should probably have some profound mystical experience.
Dead Rising. Although your character died, he is back -- as an unliving thing. Ghosts, vampires, liches, etc. are all possible. If the Storyteller wants to equip the character with new Perks, the player will have to pay those down with experience points.
Twin Sibling.
"She's my cousin. But doesn't she look almost exactly like Laura Palmer?" - The Man From Another Place, Twin Peaks.
Although it looks like you, it isn't. It's your clone, twin, reploid, etc. The Attributes and Skills must be adjusted somewhat to represent the different life lived.
And finally, an additional optional rule can be added for normal mortals without supernatural abilities. One might think that these types would end up getting the short end of the stick in this game, so here's an optional rule:
Put It All On The Line. If the character is doing something that directly relates to the drama of the Story, once per game session he can bet a point of Luck (same as spending it, but if the roll succeeds he gets the Luck point back). The key is that the situation must relate to overcoming a supernatural enemy. Trying to uncover information about the beast in the library, or disarming his security system, sneaking up on a target, rolls to interrogate or torture a henchman, or resistance rolls against evil magics, being tortured by a monster, and evil powers all qualify.
Rolls to save vs toxins, starvation, fatigue, and anything mundane does not qualify.
Rolls to use magic, hypertechnology, relics, or supernatural powers do not qualify.
If the roll does not earn any or enough successes , the Luck point is lost and it is treated as a Critical Fumble. There is a price involved for Putting It All On the Line. It is best used if the player thinks his character is between a rock and a hard place.
Conclusion: As shown here, Luck is an important part of any Story . Because player characters must expend Luck to activate Noble Phantasms and other particularly powerful knacks, Luck is also a way to manage Players' use of powerful items and special abilities. It is also a controlled way to keep the Cast alive within the confines of a storytelling environment.
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