Rulership
Agents
Once a Gamemaster has spent Threat on a Peril, the Peril can kill Administrators, destroy Features, or diminish attributes. When Attributes are reduced to zero, the community itself can be destroyed.
In order to address Perils, a lord can act as part of an adventuring party to quest to stop the peril directly, whether by investigation, skirmish or duel, mass battle, intrigue, adventure, or entire campaign. If they do so, they cannot take governance actions until the Peril is resolved, losing at least one month.
However, there are alternatives.
In order to address Perils, a lord can act as part of an adventuring party to quest to stop the peril directly, whether by investigation, skirmish or duel, mass battle, intrigue, adventure, or entire campaign. If they do so, they cannot take governance actions until the Peril is resolved, losing at least one month.
However, there are alternatives.
- A lord can send a PC retainer or group of retainers as agents to address the peril in a similar fashion. If they do so, they cannot take governance or prosperity actions until the peril is resolved, losing at least one month. When they are finished, PC retainers return to their governance duties for their lord, either acting as courtiers or administrators for individual communities.
- A lord or a retainer can hire a PC group of ronin, using stored Taxes, or they can gather a temporary group of PC agents using their influence, allies, or other means to request help. When these PCs are finished, they no longer have an obligation to the lord and will move on to a different community. The cost in taxes or influence to hire PC ronin or agents is up to the GM based on what is appropriate for the demands of your PCs.
- An NPC retainer can be sent as an Agent to overcome the peril. If the NPC sent to overcome the threat, then the lord rolls on behalf of the Agent with a TN equal to Peril Rank TN. The retainer is considered to have Rings + Skills according to the chart below. They may have assistance from other NPC Retainers assigned to the same task.
- Each Agent attempted roll costs 5 units of Taxes.
- If the Agent fails the check, they may try up to twice more this season. This uses up future actions they might take this season.
- If the Agent fails the check three times in a row, they are lost. Either they die, or, optionally, the GM may allow the lord to go themselves or send other PCs or another retainer to rescue them as a separate peril. A different agent must be recruited to defeat the peril main.
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Agents Skill + Ring check to defeat Peril
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TN for Agent to defeat Peril
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Ronin
A lord eager to conserve the lives of their valued retainers may instead desire to send ronin to address the perils inflicted upon their communities.
A ronin or ronin band costs an initial outlay of taxes equal to 2 X the Influence cost to acquire, per their skill level, half up front to bring them on, and half after the peril has been defeated, + 5 taxes per roll the ronin band makes.
An NPC ronin band makes checks just like Retainer Agents. If they fail 3 checks in a row, they are lost. The lord does not have to pay the second half of their payment, but a new payment will have to be initiated for a new band of ronin.
These costs can be modified by obligations or influence.
Samurai who are not ronin can be used to address perils just like ronin, but the arrangements for their purchase would vary depending on their circumstances.
A ronin or ronin band costs an initial outlay of taxes equal to 2 X the Influence cost to acquire, per their skill level, half up front to bring them on, and half after the peril has been defeated, + 5 taxes per roll the ronin band makes.
An NPC ronin band makes checks just like Retainer Agents. If they fail 3 checks in a row, they are lost. The lord does not have to pay the second half of their payment, but a new payment will have to be initiated for a new band of ronin.
These costs can be modified by obligations or influence.
Samurai who are not ronin can be used to address perils just like ronin, but the arrangements for their purchase would vary depending on their circumstances.
