Free Raises are described two different ways in the book - which is
right?
A Free Raise adds 5 to the result of your roll. So, if you roll a 13
and have a Free Raise, treat it as if you rolled an 18.
Why is Linguist so cheap? Is it a typo?
Nope - it's on purpose. Language is an important part of the game, but
it's no fun if *nobody* can communicate effectively.
How much does a grapple launcher cost?
Well, the rules for a grapple launcher can be found in the Pirate
Nations book, but not the cost. The cost, according to Kevin Wilson,
is 25G.
I built a sorcerer character, but didn't buy the Noble
advantage. How much money did I get?
The only sources of money at character creation are: the Noble
advantage, the Commission advantage, servant skill, merchant skill, the
Patron advantage and the Inheritance advantage. If you don't have any
of those, you've got nothing. No money, no toys - if you ask nice, the
GM might let you have the clothes on your back.
If I build an Avalonian with Legendary Resolve, do I have a
maximum Resolve of 7, or does my +1 Resolve for being of Avalon blood
simply get me closer to my maximum of 6?
The bonus for being of Avalon blood simply gets you closer to your
maximum of 6.
What's the revised Aldana apprentice ability?
Apprentice: Students of Aldana are very adept at spotting the right
moment in which to attack. You may roll one unkept Action die during
initiative for every Mastery level you have in Aldana (Apprentice = 1,
Journeyman = 2, Master = 3).
Why buy Parry when the book says I must use Balance on ship, and
Footwork on solid ground?
The Parry knacks may be used at any time, so long as you're holding the
appropriate weapon. When the book says you must use another knack, it
means in lieu of Footwork; thus you may not use Footwork at sea, you
must use Balance instead. You may, however, choose to use Parry.
When you're Crippled, how does that -2 dice penalty work? What
does it apply to?
To apply the Crippled penalty, subtract unkept dice first, then kept
dice. So, if you were rolling 3k2 before the penalty, you'd be rolling
1k2 (effectively 1k1) afterwards. The penalty applies only to actions
that you're trying to perform; it doesn't affect initiative rolls,
brawn tests to soak damage, or your passive defense. It does apply to
active defense, attacks and when rolling damage against somebody else.
If you're only rolling 2k2 and you get Crippled, what happens?
By The Book, you get to roll 0k2. John Wick has suggested always
allowing players to roll one exploding die: "Then you roll 1 die.
You always roll one exploding die." There is also an alternate
suggested method of Crippling Heros; instead of taking away 2 dice,
their dice no longer explode.
How come the Crossbow is a 2k3 weapon? Rolling 2 dice and keeping
3 of them doesn't make any sense!
Ah, but if you take a Raise for damage, you get to roll an additional
unkept die, which brings up the damage code to 3k3, so you can keep all
of them.
How does Feint work? It says that if I roll my Attack knack? Why
should I bother buying it up, then?
In short, this is a point of contention. Most people have decided that
Heros will roll their Feint when they feint instead of Attack (Fencing)
or such. This follows the line of reasoning that since there are
multiple Defense knacks, why not multiple Attack knacks? Thus, we need
only classify Feint as an Attack knack and away we go.
How can I learn a Swordsman's school once the game has started?
In Knights of the Rose and Cross there are rules for learning a
particular school, but I don't know if they apply to every school. In
the mean time, here is something Kevin Wilson posted and requested
comments on:
After character creation, a Swordsman School costs 50 XP to acquire,
assuming the GM feels that the Hero has earned entry. This may be
cheaper for the Hero if he meets any of the following conditions:
For every Skill in the School's Basic Curriculum that the Hero
already knows, the School is 10 XP cheaper. (Up to 20 XP)
For every Swordsman Knack in the School that the Hero already
knows, the School is 5 XP cheaper. (Up to 20 XP, theoretically)
If the Apprentice ability is identical to that of a School the
Hero already knows, the School is 10 XP cheaper. (Up to 10 XP)
Fate Witches can see Arcana, but can they manipulate them?
No - they can look, but they can't touch. Just looking can be very
helpful though, especially when you're looking at a Villain's Flaw...
Players receive more Drama Dice when they act Dramatic. Do
these come from the GM's Pool or not?
No, they don't. Those Drama Dice probably come from somebody's dice
bag, but they don't decrease the number of Drama Dice the GM (or
anybody else) has left.
Is it true that every time a player spends a Drama Die, the
GM receives one?
No. Every time a Hero spends a Drama Die on a roll (that is, to roll
and keep an extra die), the GM gets to keep it. If a Hero spends a
Drama Die for another purpose, to perform magic or activate a villain's
Flaw for example, the GM doesn't get to keep it.
What can I spend Drama Dice on?
GMs can spend Drama Dice to improve rolls, to activate a hero's hubris,
or to activate a villain's wile.
Players can spend Drama Dice on sorcery (some sorcery requires Drama
Dice to be spent), to improve rolls, to activate their virtue, to
prevent a GM from activating their hubris (he can always try again,
remember - and he has more Drama Dice than you!) or to activate a
villain's flaw.
How does using Drama Dice to improve a roll work?
If you spend the Drama Die before you roll, you may roll and keep an
extra die (you needn't keep the die provided by the Drama Die). If you
spend the Drama Die after the roll, you must keep that die.
For example:
John has 4k2 and needs to hit a TN of 20. He decides to spend a Drama
Die on the roll, so he rolls 5 dice. The results are 6, 5, 5, 4, 1,
and he gets to keep 3 of them - he chooses the 6, 5 and 5 for a total
of 16. Not enough. John decides to spend another Drama Die and rolls
a 3. He must keep the 3 (even though he rolled a 4 before), for a
total of 19.
The cost of the "University" advantage on page 125 is 3 HP (1
HP for Castillians) but on page 166 it says it costs 4 HP (2 HP for
Castillians). Which is it?
The "University" advantage costs 4 HP (2 HP for
Castillians).
The charts for Hero Arcana and Villain Arcana don't match the
text - which should I believe?
The Hero Arcana chart is wrong - "Martyr" should read
"Altruistic". There is no description of the Villain Flaw
"Rash" - use the Hero Hubris "Rash".
The cost to be a full-blooded sorcerer is listed at 40 HP in the
character creation section, but as 50 HP in the sorcery section. Which
is it?
The cost to be a full-blooded sorcerer is 40 HP.
The following backgrounds and advantages may not be taken during
character creation (all are out of the Pirate Nations book):
Evil Reputation, Syrenth Artifact, and Pressed into Service.