The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

90
Gaining Power
Character Type Power Provided
Soldier 50 per level of warrior, 100 per level of fighter, barbarian or ranger
Spellcaster 200 per level of cleric, sorcerer or wizard, 150 per level of druid
Agent 25 per level of bard up to 4 th level, then 50 per level. 50 per level of rogue up to 6 th level,
then 100 per level
he is considered to have Rank and can only gain influence
through the means specified later in this section.
Action: A description of the action that is undertaken to
gain Influence. These are general descriptions and can be
expanded by the Games Master as he feels appropriate to
the campaign.
Influence Gained: The amount of Influence the Player
will gain, provided his action is successful. This is also the
amount of Influence the Player will lose if his action fails
and he is discovered.
DC: The skill check necessary and DC necessary to resolve
the action. Note that the DCs listed here are going to be
higher than those normally associated with various skills.
This is because these DCs represent a series of actions
needed to complete a given task, rather than a single
action. A hired spy, for example, might have to spend
days attempting to gather information, then more days to
make sense of the various rumours he hears and report the
information back to the spymaster, who must then spend
time determining whether or not the information is worth
passing back up the chain of command.
Power
Raw force is not as easily used as Influence, but it is
much easier to obtain and a far more visible deterrent to
enemies who might decide to come after an organisation.
While having a massive amount of Influence may allow an
organisation to subtly alter the course of events in a city, it
does not protect that organisation when armed mercenaries
are kicking down the doors and tossing firepots and spells
through windows. When push comes to shove, no Noble
House, criminal family or temple would be comfortable
without a large force of arms at its beck and call.
But power is not found only in strength in arms. Divine
and arcane spellcasters provide significant power to the
organisations of which they are a part and many mercenary
organisations pay very well for the loyalty of their own
wizards and sorcerers.
To determine the Power available to an organisation, simply
add together the Power ratings found in the table below for
all the guards, mercenaries, family and other members of
the Noble House or organisation. Note that Power can be
increased by a Noble House or organisation at any time,
provided they can pay to keep the guards on staff. If a
House loses guards, either because it can no longer pay
them or because it has suffered a military defeat, then that
House may also lose rank as their Power is decreased.
Rank in the Game of Bones
The total of a Noble House or organisation’s Power and
Influence is used to determine the House’s rank, as shown
on the table below.
Rank is an important thing in the Sheathed War. All
combatants are aware of their position in the Sheathed War,
as well as the position of others – at least within a few ranks.
The combatants in the Sheathed War do not, of course, refer
to their position by a formal rank number, but they know,
nevertheless, their relative strengths. Strong Noble Houses
and organisations do not have to worry as much about attacks
from their lessers, while weaker organisations constantly
fear both the predations of the strong and the ambitions of
those beneath them. Eventually, most drow cities end up
with one or a few Noble Houses at the top of the heap and
others playing only a small role or withdrawing entirely to
seek their fortunes elsewhere. Those that remain usually
forge alliances with the stronger, if possible. Given the
nature of the drow, of course, such alliances rarely last long
enough for the ink to dry, so Houses who make deals with
Rank Checks
Rank checks are made by rolling 1d20 and adding the rank
of the Noble House or organisation to the result. Rank
checks are most often used in conflicts between Noble
Houses, particularly for actions taken during the Game
of Bones. Rank checks are most useful when they are
not made very often; while the Game of Bones is always
shifting, some constancy must come of it or the system is
no better than the mass anarchy it helps control. As such,
those drow who constantly throw their rank around (i.e.
constantly perform actions that require a rank check) are
likely to lose some of it because of the attention they have
drawn to themselves.