BRCS question

[Fizz]

Hi all-

I have a question not about the BRCS rules, but rather the origin of the rules.

The original Birthright rules did not have any rules for the case of scions dying and releasing their RP in a burst of energy, causing multiple characters to increase (or gain) their bloodline. Where did this type of mechanic first appear? Or was it devised specifically for the BRCS?

Thanks for the info!


-Fizz

[irdeggman]

It started on the boards with some discussions and IIRC first appeared within a complete ruleset in the Book of Doom (i.e., Doom's rules). These were generally received very well and became the closest to a "standard" that there was at the time.

So that mechanic spread into the BRCS.

It has caused "splits" in opinions with some thinking it is very cinematic and others thinking it is too much like Highlander.

[ploesch]

My first encounter with this rule was reading the playtest, what 2 weeks ago. I love it, it allows for gainig regency for a whole party, which is good, and you don't have to make the killing blow yourself, although you'd still want to be the one that was closest. I also like that is really sets the stage for an unblooded character gaining bloodline.

[Fizz]

My first encounter with this rule was reading the playtest, what 2 weeks ago. I love it, it allows for gainig regency for a whole party, which is good, and you don't have to make the killing blow yourself, although you'd still want to be the one that was closest. I also like that is really sets the stage for an unblooded character gaining bloodline.

It does, however, make bloodtheft less of a personal affair. Imagine a band of unblooded brigands who decide to attack a scion en masse, kill him, so they can all become blooded.

Because of that sort of thing, i would think there would be many more scions than there actually are. Only 1% of the population are scions. That seems awfully small considering just anyone standing nearby can absorb the bloodline.

I mean, just think of how many soldiers could suddenly become blooded because their king was slain on the battlefield.


-Fizz

[geeman]

At 07:19 PM 8/14/2006, ploesch wrote:

>My first encounter with this rule was reading the playtest, what 2
>weeks ago. I love it, it allows for gainig regency for a whole
>party, which is good, and you don`t have to make the killing blow
>yourself, although you`d still want to be the one that was
>closest. I also like that is really sets the stage for an unblooded
>character gaining bloodline.

Personally, I don`t much care for this rule not because it`s more
cinematic, but because it just contradicts the original concept. The
original is just as cinematic as this interpretation. That is, an
act of bloodtheft would still be just as dramatic, have the same
amount of special effects and the accompanying music if it is a
transfer from victim to killer as the release of bloodline in a
radius around the "explosion." If the idea had been for scions to
explode as the gods had then that would have been how it was done.

There are merits to the idea that there`s an explosion rather than a
direct transfer. It does, for instance, explain the origins of a few
awnsheghlien and some sundry BR characters, and make the transfer of
bloodline to a commoner make sense. However, to make it the standard
method of bloodtheft strikes me as going too far. Those occasions
when bloodline is transferred in the way described by the BRCS or to
a commoner are so few that they can be rationalized as DM fiat rather
than made the standard method of bloodtheft, and contradicts the
setting more than it agrees.

Gary

[irdeggman]

Now you also have to realize that in order to make the 2nd ed rules work then a system for how to perform a killing blow through the heart needed to be developed.

IIRC until the Player's Option series (Combat and Tactics) there really wasn't an "official" critical hits table produced.

So the "original rules" didn't quite work as written either.

[irdeggman]

It does, however, make bloodtheft less of a personal affair. Imagine a band of unblooded brigands who decide to attack a scion en masse, kill him, so they can all become blooded.

Because of that sort of thing, i would think there would be many more scions than there actually are. Only 1% of the population are scions. That seems awfully small considering just anyone standing nearby can absorb the bloodline.

I mean, just think of how many soldiers could suddenly become blooded because their king was slain on the battlefield.


-Fizz

Except that only one non-blooded person will become blooded through the death of scion. And it is still difficult to do.

The non-blooded character must make a character level check (d20 + character level) against a DC of 20 (15 if the derivation is Azrai). If successful, the character becomes blooded and gains a bloodline ability score of 5 or one half of the bloodline strength of the victim whichever is lower, with the bloodline strength and derivation of the victim. Newly created scions are not subject to a maximum regency collection – they absorb all available regency in their share of the burst. None of this regency is stored; it is immediately used to raise the new scion's bloodline score at the standard cost (one plus the current bloodline score) up to a maximum of one less than the victim. This process is repeated until all RP are spent (the remainder are discarded).

When it says "his share" it means what is left when the burst reaches him.

[Fizz]

Except that only one non-blooded person will become blooded through the death of scion. And it is still difficult to do.

When it says "his share" it means what is left when the burst reaches him.

Hmmm... ok. Must've misread or misunderstood that part.

Now you also have to realize that in order to make the 2nd ed rules work then a system for how to perform a killing blow through the heart needed to be developed.

IIRC until the Player's Option series (Combat and Tactics) there really wasn't an "official" critical hits table produced.

I don't think you'd need a critical hit to do it, nor C&T. Back in 2nd Ed, i just used the called-shot rule. That made it more difficult to do than a standard attack, but didn't unnecessarily complicate things.


-Fizz

[Mikal]

except the called shot rule is stupid, both thematically in 2nd and 3rd edition, with the added bonus of it being stupid mechanically in 3rd edition as well.

[Fizz]

except the called shot rule is stupid, both thematically in 2nd and 3rd edition, with the added bonus of it being stupid mechanically in 3rd edition as well.

Um, why?

Thematically there is nothing wrong with it- "I'm aiming for his heart!" That was the whole idea.

The simple -4 to called shots in 2nd Ed does have some issues if it's not adjudicated with some common sense. But that's nothing a good DM can't deal with.


-Fizz