reverancepavane | my career path seems to lead to becoming a dark lord (Reply)

One problem with the PDQ# system as is, when it comes to recapturing the feel of Old School Gaming™, is the lack of vertical extent within Fortes. There is plenty of lateral extent in the game, and, depending upon the kindness of the gamemaster***, it is possible to build an extensive bonus with overlapping Fortes, but for the purposes of this idea it lacks a certain something.

This continues on from the idea of how the Sorceror Forte might be constructed in my game, or rather it is a generalization of this to other "classes.*"

The idea that the various stages of life (Youth, Adulthood, Maturity**) is common in most cultures and with regard to most archetypes. [In Hinduism, for example, these stages of life are explicitly stated: Brahmacarya ("student"), Gârhastya ("householder"), Vânaprastya ("forest-dweller"), and Sannyâsa ("ascetic").] We can apply this to various Fortes as well, such as in the case with these very generic examples.

Soldier	=>	Elite	=>	Hero
Warrior	=>	Weaponthane	=>	Hero
Squire	=>	Knight	=>	Champion
Initiate	=>	Adept	=>	Magus

The nice thing about this is that the transition between Fortes is usually based on some sort of formal ritual that the character would have to qualify for, marking each stage of her life as distinct. For example, a soldier might be invited to join the King's Musketeers, a pirate might be invited to join the Brethren of the Skull, a Squire would get knighted, and a Warrior might gain enough fame and wealth to begin attracting supporters. Such first stage transitions (to "adulthood" should be relatively simple). Second stage transitions should be a lot harder – for many people, especially NPCs, this will be the natural summit of their progression. [In Hindu terms, this is where they serve the majority of their dharma, or moral obligation to society.] It should requires a considerable effort to attain the recognition of the next stage. Finally there should be the possibility of a fourth stage transition (to Superhero, Wizard, or Dark Lord).

It would be possible to cross-paths. For example, a Soldier knighted for saving the King in battle would be expected (it is, after all, effectively a royal command) to acquire the Knight Forte. But without the background provided by the Squire Forte the new Knight would be at a considerable disadvantage in a lot of the traditional knightly abilities. The same might apply to someone that jumps the queue and gains the next Forte before they master the first. It would probably take some serious role-playing to correct this, as after, all, once a character has reached a higher stage of their life there is considerable embarrassment in returning to a training in a previous Forte (a Knight would be laughed at training as a Squire). <grin> Instead they would have to find the appropriate bonuses elsewhere, perhaps taking specific training in the Sword or Riding Forte.

As a general rule, Techniques would transfer through the Forte Path, the MOD bonus would accumulate, and the TN defence would be 7 + the opponent's MOD bonus. Alternatively, challenges could be made at an appropriate life stage/rank, and only that stage tested. If they lack the prerequisite stage they have an ability of -2 (equivalent to being a Poor [-2] Thingie). This has the advantage of moving the challenge back to the standard distribution of the 2d6 bell curve for effect.

[* In actual fact, in this regard we are going back to the very roots of the hobby and Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign and Chainmail. If you look at the original 1974 version of D&D, you will notice that the fighting ability of each class is expressed in terms of their equivalent Men, Heroes, and Wizards and/or Superheroes. And this was supposed to be the primary combat system, rather than the optional alternative method which everyone actually ended up using.]

[** I used Maturity here rather than Elder or Old Age here intentionally, in order to avoid the negative baggage that often accompanies the use of the word "Old." This stage definitely does not indicate a decline.]

[*** In a highly inaccurate straw poll with a totally inadequate sample space conducted on this issue I got a range of answers as to how Fortes might stack from people, from "Of course a Pirate knows Fencing and would add the bonus to her Fencing," to "only if the duel was on a cluttered or moving ship." [Personally I hold with the first idea in PDQ#, as long as the Fortes being added become more "specialized." This means Pirate, Brethren of the Skull, Fencing, and Cutlass add, but, for example, Pirate and Soldier wouldn't.]