To do:

• SETTING EXPLAINATION
  • Story: You will be playing characters (to be revealed at a later date) closely involved in the politics of the Amaranthum Noble House Tetrus. There is an election soon, and House Tetrus aspires to gain the throne, but the road to success is narrow and treacherous.
  • What is Amaranthum?
    • Previously an Empire, now a sort of democratic monarchy. Every 10 years a new monarch (called 'Emperor' or 'Empress' is elected. Every citizen can vote, but citizens of higher social status are allowed to cast multiple votes - citizens without a noble title can cast one vote, noble citizens can cast one-hundred, the emperor can cast ten-thousand. TETRUS HOUSE aspires to next hold the throne in the upcoming election, but a rival Noble House 'Dauphin' currently holds the throne. However, the only Dauphin candidate that has a chance of winning is unwilling to seek a second term. The election will happen this year.
    • Amaranthum's political structure is complex. While the Noble Houses hold a lot of politcal power and public support, their grasp on that power is tenuous, and will weaken if their rich supporters switch sides. There are three major noble houses in Amaranthum: Tetrus, whose sigil is four blue rhombuses on a white background; Dauphin, whose sigil is a leaping white dolphin on a black background; and Marrowless, whose sigil is a gold, crescent moon over a gold leafless tree over a purple background. House Dauphin currently holds the throne and prefers a business-based economy. House Tetrus aspires to the throne and prefers a military-based economy. House Marrowless also aspires to the throne, and prefers a racial-rights-based economy.
• MECHANICS EXPLANATION
  • Injury
  • Inspiration
  • Success & Failure
  • Complications
• Player-character backstories
• Player-character professions, roles, and specialties
• Fifth player-character
  • Rogue with the heart of gold? Steal from the rich and give to the poor? Career burglar?
• NPC's
  • Non-Player Characters Chart
    • Name
    • Description
    • Relationships (most should have at a link to least one, if not 2 or more player characters)
    • Goals, Needs, & Wants (has to have at least one of any)
  • Armand
  • Scapegoat
  • Gala/ball attendees
• Scene backdrop descriptions
• Consequences

Colby, John, Liam, Stirling, Trey

• Be proactive and creative. I have tried to build a system and setting that not only rewards proactive play, but also allows you to add significant elements to a scene. Consider adding characters or traits to a character, scene furniture, places to go. BE BOLD, and consider yourself a co-GM.

• Amanda Tetrus
  • HONOR / PRIDE / SUPREMACY
• Alexander Tetrus
  • JOY / PLEASURE / EGOTISM
• Sarkon the Red
  • JUSTICE / REVENGE / MURDER
• Folwin Greenleaf
  • TRUTH / DISCOVERY / PANDORA'S BOX
• Eugene Underfoot
  • GREED / GREATER GOOD / IDEALISM

• Alexander's bastard child revealed during banquet (Act 2, early/mid)
• Soldier (mercenary companies?) unrest due to lack of pay (Act 1, early)
• Tetrus House debts
  • Soldiers pay 290,407gp (~$90M)
  • Shipping guild for military campaign logistics 413,000gp (~$128M)
  • Election campaign 620,000gp (~$193M)
  • Alexander's gambling debts 88,019gp (~$27M)

5e gold to dollars conversion? https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Currency_Exchange_(5e_Variant_Rule)

• Name
• First encountered
• Description (physical attributes, demeanor, mannerisms, and history known by the PC(s))
• Relationships (most should have at a link to least one, if not 2 or more player characters)
• Goals, Needs, & Wants (has to have at least one of any)

Expertise?

Adjudication? d100 roll under.

The default outcome is “success with complication”. If your character is experienced and has sufficient tools to succeed, then they do, without complication. If they have an advantage in addition to necessary experience and tools, then they critically succeed.

Inspiration can be used to remove a complication from a scene or increase the degree of success of an action. Inspiration can also be used to reduce the degree of an injury inflicted on your character when the injury is first applied.

You can gain inspiration by performing certain actions specific to your character. See 'Inspiration Sources' on your character sheet. You can also gain inspiration by adding a complication to a scene, by or by reducing the degree of success of an action your character performs due to a character flaw or injury. You can also gain inspiration by taking on an injury, or increasing the severity of an injury.

An injury comes in five degrees of severity: (0) None, (1) Light, (2) Severe, (3) Mortal, (4) Death. Most of the time, if your character suffers an injury, it will be light or severe. Light injuries almost always heal on their own without skilled medical attention - just cleaning and a bandage is all that is needed. Severe injuries require skilled medical attention or they will progress to Mortal injuries. Mortal injuries require skilled medical attention, fully-equipped facilities, and a great deal of recovery time, or they will swiftly progress to Death.

Sometimes, a character will suffer an injury that outright kills them, but these are rare. Sometimes, an injury will leave behind a scar. A scar is a flaw that represents your character's experience with trauma. It can be leveraged for inspiration in the same way as an injury, but without the risk of it progressing to a life-threatening injury. On the other hand, some scars may permanently handicap your character's abilities. Scars rarely heal.

Devnote: What is the 'likely' number of days, for each injury severity, of recovery or death? This would be a good number to know to balance the risk of death/scars.

Injury Recovery Probability Table

Injury Recovery d100 Roll Table

Injury Recovery d20 Roll Table

Injury Recovery d20 Roll Table (DC “meet or beat”)

(key choices per scene?) (info cards per scene?)

ACT 1 - War

• morning on the field of battle
• rumors of mutiny
• drumhead trial (scapegoat?)
  • CHOICE: GUILTY or INNOCENT?
    • GUILTY of what?
    • If GUILTY, what is the punishment?
    • What are the consequence of INNOCENT?
• assault on the city
• chieftain
  • CHOICE: What to do with the CHIEF?
    • CAPTURE
    • EXECUTE
    • ENSLAVE
    • RANSOM
    • FREE
• PHOENIX
  • CHOICE: FREE or CAPTURE. She offers the players a choice: Free her and her egg, and receive a spell. A weapon of magic, to call fire from the heavens to rain down on their enemies.
  • FREE: She gives the players a mysterious magic scroll. Requires some time to research (can be researched on the trip back to Amaranthum.
    • REVEAL ONLY IF FOLWIN RESEARCHES THE SCROLL, AND REVEAL ONLY IN PRIVATE: The spell is 'Summon Meteor'. The implications are impressive - this is potentially a weapon of mass destruction.
  • CAPTURE: She attempts to free herself using her phoenix-heat.
    • FORCE CAPTURE: Amanda can use 'Dominate'. Folwin can use 'Bottled Rain' potions or 'Command Flame'. Sarkon can inflict injury. The party can threaten destroying her egg.
    • FAIL CAPTURE: The Phoenix is freed, and the party is denied any reward.

ACT 2 - Home

• parade
  • what signals do i need to tell the party here?
• speech
• private meetings
  • Amanda & Armand. Abusive disapproval.
  • Sarkon & WHOM? Co-conspirator?
  • Folwin & WHOM? Arms-dealer?
  • Alexander & WHOM?
  • FIFTH & WHOM?
• waiting for the grand ball
• Grand Ball
  • entrances and introductions (see 'cast' list)
• scandals! A bastard (JOY), rumors of an assassin (HONOR/JUSTICE),
  • Petitioners during banquet:
    • Alexander's Bastard: Husband of wife challenges Alexander to a duel.
      • ACCEPT: Who will be each's 'second'? Risk of injury.
      • DECLINE: Reduction of Amanda's chances in election. Reduction of public reputation.