Hah! Serves me right for being a bit snarky to get my bluff called. :)
> Precis of context: an NPC Humakti leader called Vur (from an obscure
> subcult) has been trying to find an ancient lost temple to his sub-cult in
> the Rubble for perhaps the last decade. The PCs (different Humakti warband
> and obscure sub-cult) have just waltzed in and found it in the first week
> or arrival. They've done a lot of the exploration already, but as they did
> so, Vur's scouts have surrounded them. They're now going to go and talk to
> him and try to convince him to be friends and allies. The latest PC to join
> is a member of Vur's obscure sub-cult, and he's the one acting as an
> intermediary. Vur has all sorts of useful abilities like "paranoid",
> "distrust anyone not of my sub-cult", and so on.
Gotcha. I can see why Vur isn't happy.
> I see them as people. Probably one of the results of my being very much a
> role-player not a rule-player, and why I get so confused.
True. Sometimes it is easier to dial that all back. Well, the 20 followers of Vur (at least, I assume it is 20 followers of Vur, I admit to being confused by your original description) should certainly just be followers. (I certainly would never detail them.)
> They all have a keyword of "Humakti warrior" or some equivalent (possibly
> other cults), and they're using their "loyal to leader" or "loyal to rest
> of warband" ability, or something like it, off that. This is why they're
> being used as pure Greek Chorus, they just don't have any more appropriate
> abilities.
These are the Vur followers?
> Maybe that's the "problem", yes. Some of these people are ex-PCs, or
> designed as replacement PCs, and while they're currently NPCs on the same
> side as the PCs, they're fully detailed. Only, currently, acting as
> followers.
These are the 5 "followers" on the PC side? (I think I might be confused as to the sides now. Wish I hadn't deleted previous posts.)
> > Like active vs augment-only magic? (That's the one that
> > always does it for me.)
>
> (groan) Don't go there. At least, not in this thread.
I know better. I refuse to start that one up until next year. :)
> I thought we said the follower could only augment the PC they belong to? So
> the PC uses their own "look tough", but at (say) 19 not 17 because the
> follower gives them a +2?
But in this case it is the PC augmenting a PC, just using the follower's ability to do it (because he doesn't have an appropriate one). Now, if the PC has "look tough 3W" and his follower has "look tough 17" then the PC can augment the speaking PC with "look tough 3W+2=5W", which is a +3. I wouldn't let the speaking PC be augmented by both abilities separately, though. (Does that make sense. Mind you, that's MY way. There Is No One True Way, as someone wise mentioned.)
> That's about it - more like "these are my oath-sworn friends, and I trust
> them with our secrets", augmented by "yes, I did swear an oath, and my
> devotee of Humakt rating is X so I'm not likely to break it", and similar
> things.
I think the way I would rule that is that I'd augment that particular bid with the LOWEST "Devotee of Humakt" rating on the PC's side. Because THAT's the person Vur would trust least.
> > I get the feeling there is some element we are talking past each other on
> > this, and that it might do with your mention that your
> > followers aren't really followers, but NPC allies.
>
> Maybe. On the PCs' side, what we've got is "members of the Legion present
> but not currently run by a player". Which in some cases is because the
> player's on holiday... Which character sheet they get listed on is variable
> - assignment to a Ten within the Legion is at the discretion of the
> Warleader, not the PCs. As I say, they're people.
Which I understand.
In all honestly, I would probably say this is a contest between the PC spokesman and Vur. On Vur's side, I don't know what ability any of the followers have that is relevant to lend (since it is Vur's paranoia that we are talking about) so I would just do the Greek Chorus thing as Community support (he is more sure with his men at his back) and give a small bonus.
For the PCs, it is more complicated, but I'd let whoever controls the "follower" decide what to do with that follower. But in the meantime, the other PCs can augment the central PC.
A side note, I personally don't allow multiple augments in the same turn to someone in an extended contest from one ally. Instead, I stack augments to a given PC and then that new total is used to augment their friend. (as in the example above, I don't let you augment with each ability on your character sheet, I let you augment your own ability as high as possible and then use THAT to augment your partner.)
LC
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