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LEJENDARY ADVENTURETM RPG FAQs V1.01 11/28/99 By Gary Gygax Q: When choosing Abilities, if you Alchemia as the fist one for your Avatar,
your character’s Health increases by 2, right? Then you pick Commerce, and this
causes Health to increase by 2 again, correct?
Do you Recalculate your Alchemia score to reflect this increase in
Health Base Rating? A: As
the book says, choose all Abilities, then find the final Base Rating scores for
each, and thereafter figure out which of the Abilities will have what percentile
score attached to it, and only then calculate the Ability scores. Only after all Abilities are selected should
they be put into an order of 1st through whatever, and the scores for each
found as per the rules—with a human race Avatar that will be 100%, 80%, 60%,
and 40%. Q: If I choose to play an
Alfar Avatar, or a Veshoge, does that mean that one of my two or three picks if
Abilities will be my “1st Ability”? A: Maybe yes, maybe no. Note that the text of the
rules is misleading in that it states “First Ability” for “Chosen
Abilities.” This is not necessarily the
same as the “1st Ability” in regards what Ability is listed before all others. The first chosen Ability for a non-human
Avatar might not be the one that is the greatest percentage, so thus will not
be listed first, the “1st Ability” per se. The “1st Ability” of any Avatar is that one of all the initial Abilities for that
character that has the highest
percentile rating applicable to a Base Rating (or four times Speed Base Rating,
of course) in order to find its score.
For human Avatars, that means the Ability chosen at 100% of a BR is the
“1st Ability. Below are the
non-human Avatar Ability “1st Ability” slots as found in the
LEJENDARY RULES for all players: Dwarf: 100% (player’s
choice) Gnome: 100% (player’s
choice) Ilf: 100% (player’s choice) Kobold: 100% (player’s
choice) Oaf, Major: 80% Physique Oaf, Typical: 80% Ranging Orc: 80% Physique Orc, Greater: 100% Physique Orc, lesser: Stealing 80% Trollkin: Minstrelsy 80% Veshoge: Commerce 80% Wylf (Grotto or Thicket): 100% (player’s choice)
required Ability places him at 8th Rank, but not lower Rank (higher numerically, such as 10th and 11th Rank) ones? And does an Avatar have to be in an Order if his Abilities are the correct ones for that?
benefits are given, the exception is an Avatar who joins at
8th Rank, he or she getting 9th Rank (initiation) benefits. Also, an Avatar need
never join an Order, even if all the Abilities are correct for an Order. The
Avatar would get no benefits from the Order, but would receive Unordered Avatar
ones. As soon as a qualified Avatar does join an Order, then that character is
thereafter "Ordered". Theoretically, the Avatar could then neglect the
Order, not pay dues, and get no benefits from it, or from being then essentially
Unordered, but getting no benefits from that either. Regarding The 5th (or higher) “Default”
Ability: Q: If an Avatar has a high Precision Base Rating, must the player choose
Weapons at 10 if this Ability is not one already selected? Couldn't they forego this 5th pick, or pick
something else, and simply use their Precision value for attack? A: Nice
try. NACs and creatures use the
Precision BR for attacking so as to save the Lejend Master extra work. Avatars have mandatory Weapons Ability.
So, as the rule book says, if Weapons is not one of the four chosen
Abilities for the human Avatar, then it is perforce the 5th,
default, one at 10 score. Look
on this as a benison from the Kindly Creator of the game. It allows the more aggressive Avatar to have
a logical fifth Ability to add to his repertoire, gives the other sort a chance
to attack and defend… Without the
default Weapons, the Avatar would be virtually defenseless, as Abilities are
required for Avatars to perform meaningfully in the various areas of skill
and/or knowledge they cover. Anyway,
at the default score of 10, there is a fair base of capacity there, but the
Avatar seems to have spent the majority of his time concentrating on other
fields, shall we say. Q: Say my Avatar is a Forester
Order, has Hunt Ability at 61 score.
Does he start at 8th Rank and
pick up all the benefits from the lower Ranks too? A: No, but... Whatever Rank the Avatar begins at in an
Order is the one at which he entered the Order. This means that all intermediate steps have been skipped, save
one. Think of it as entering a new
employment position. If you weren’t
there before July, you would not be handed a Christmas bonus from the year
before, would you? However, some “company
benefits” do come with the deal. The 9th Rank Order additions do
apply to the Avatar rising so as to otherwise skip them. As the rules state, this is in
acknowledgement of the Avatar being a “full-fledged” member. Q: Say my Avatar that will be
of the Demonurge Order, has a starting Speed Base Rating of 16, and picks
Sorcery as his first Ability— A: Hold it right there! Go back a step. A (continued): In arriving at the Base
Ratings of Health, Precision, and Speed, the player selects Abilities for the
Avatar but does not place them in any order.
Then he adds points accordingly.
Thus, all of the chosen
Abilities must be selected before
Ability scores are determinable. To
have a 16 Speed BR means that you did in fact select all Abilities, right? The highest Speed BR possible before Ability
additions is 15… Q (continued): This gives a 64 for Sorcery
score right? A (continued): Correct is that is then
placed as 1st Ability. 4 x 16 Speed Base Rating = 64....and 64 AEPs
also. Very substantial. Q (continued): Now if I then select
Tricks, Arcana, and Luck, does this start him at 8th rank since his Sorcery
ability score is above 61? A (continued): That is correct. The three additional Abilities are those of
the Demonurge Order as set forth in the rules.
Any other combination of Abilities is not a "Demonurge Order"
Avatar. Q (continued): If my Avatar starts out and
instead picks Sorcery, Enchantment, A (continued): That is correct. The
player's Avatar will have to subsequently pick Luck ability to gain a higher
ranking in the Order. Although the
Enchantment Ability is of greater percentage than the Order-required Tricks and
Arcana, this does not affect the relative relationship. When Tricks Ability is acquired by the
Avatar, he will then become at least an 8th Rank Demonurge because
Sorcery Ability score is 64. Note that is in the interim
before gaining Luck Ability, the Avatar achieves a score of 71 or greater in
Sorcery Ability, 8th Rank will
be skipped, no benefits for that step will accrue to the Avatar, so picking
up Luck Ability quickly is of importance. Q (continued): Then later on in the
campaign let’s say he gains the Luck Ability.
Does this then move him from 10th Rank directly to 8th
Rank since he already has a sorcery skill of 61+, but not 71 or more? And if so, is there any way he can choose not to skip a Rank so he still gains the
benefits of 9th rank? A (continued): Yes, it moves the Avatar from 10th to 8th Rank. No,
he can't skip the rise. As the rules
state: "Find the Rank of the
Avatar using the information provided in the Order description. Note that the Avatar gains the Rank
indicated, with all the benefits listed for it. The Avatar does not get any benefits from lower (numerically
higher) Ranks that are bypassed in the process, save as noted immediately
hereafter: the." Avatar does get the benefit of 9th Rank benefits, as
detailed for each Order, if he or she is of 8th or higher Rank. These additions are in “recognition” of
being a full-fledged member of the Order." Q: If an avatar begins as
Ordered, say up to 11th or so as to receive the benefits of being a Guild
Member, is he then at all bound by the restrictions of Order? For example, if take the first two Abilities
the Elementalist Order (elemental stuff is my personal favorite!), Geourgy and
Arcana, and then later takes Ranging and then Pantology (out of order for the
Order), would my Avatar be Unordered
or an 11th Rank Elementalist or does it make a hoot of difference? A: That’s a lot of questions! First, “restrictions” apply
in the negative, not the positive. That
is, having other Abilities does not preclude the Avatar from being a member of
the Order. The Avatar must have Geourgy
as a 1st Ability to qualify as an Elementalist, and that’s the way
your Avatar has chosen his Abilities. Second, your Avatar would be
an Elementalist of the 11th Rank, an Elemental Practitioner, not an
Unordered Avatar. Third, it does make a
difference, all right, that your Avatar has the two required Abilities in
order, because you can later get the remainder of the Abilities, increase them
in score so as to be the third and fourth highest in rating score, and move up
in Rank. This subsumes the “fact” that
the Guild has tests that it uses to rate its members. Q: the answer above is most
interesting! So, it is possible to
regain Ordered status by increasing scores into the proper order? Makes perfect sense. A: Thanks! In order to become a “full-fledged” member
of an Order the Avatar needs to have four specific Abilities in the order
noted. In regards to the Elementalist
example above, that means Geourgy, Arcana, Pantology and Ranging. It is important to note that once one becomes
a full-fledged member of an Order, the
restriction of gradation of score, first Ability to fourth Ability, does not
apply any longer! Here’s an example: Assume
the Avatar has achieved 9th Rank, is a Learned Geourgist. The player then decides he wants to have a
most fortunate Avatar, uses all the Merits he can to acquire and increase Luck
Ability. At some point the Avatar’s
Luck score will rise above that Ranging, then Pantology, then Arcana, then even
that of Geourgy. The Avatar is still of
the Elementalist Order, still 9th (or possibly higher) Rank. The Avatar might have the following
Abilities and scores: Luck 63 Geourgy 62 Weapons 50 Arcana 48 Ranging 40 Scrutiny 38 Pantology 27 Divination 15 As is evident, once you are
a full-fledged member of an Order, you don’t have to worry about what Ability
is where in the order. Q: Are the Orders just for
human Avatars or are they open for the Alfar races as well? A: Only human Avatars are the
only ones that are initially able to become full-fledged members, so Orders are
basically for humans—they are human constructs if you will. However, this does not preclude all
non-human Avatars from entering them, being “of” the Order. Those Alfar allowed a first
pick at 100% of a Base Rating that have chosen for them an Ability that is the
initial one for an Order are thus empowered.
Through later picks, and added Abilities, if properly selected according
to the Order's four Abilities, the Avatar can become “full-fledged”. Also, a Lesser Orc Avatar has as its highest
mandatory Ability Stealing, the initial one for a Desperado Order Avatar, so that
qualifies such a character for immediate association. Through proper Ability selection and acquisition thereafter, a
rise in Rank is possible. A trollkin
can enter the Jongleur Order, as Minstrelsy is such an Alfar Avatar’s 1st
Ability. Finally, the Lejend Master
may opt to create other Orders. For
example, a Merchant Order with Commerce as its initial qualifying Ability is
logical, would make Veshoge Avatars eligible.
Other added Orders might be “Scout” with Ranging Ability prime, thus
qualifying Typical Oaf Avatars for association; and a “Guard” one with Physique being its initial Ability
requirement, so that Major Oafs, Orcs, and Greater Orcs qualify in it. Regarding Creating New Orders: Q: What should the Lejend
Master do when considering adding a new Order? A: First, check the LEJEND
MASTER’S LORE book for guidance. Then
determine if the new Order is logical.
If it is, should it be a “universal” (world-wide) one? or a regional one? For instance, a Mandarin Order addition
would clearly be one that was regional, although it might be broadened to
include the whole world by making it a Scholar Order instead. Similarly, existing Orders
can be altered so as to have special, classes within them. One of our contributors suggests the
following: One thing to consider is
that there is room for flexibility in the Avatar Orders, rather than just the castings list. For instance, Ecclesiastical Order sects for
a deity: one that is the “Sagacious Illuminated” would have Learning Ability
coming before Scrutiny and Physique.
One that was protective in its purpose would use completely different
Abilities after Theurgy—say those of the Noble or Soldier Order. A sect of ascetic mystics might have the
four requisite Abilities of Theurgy, Learning, Psychogenic, and Scrutiny. Q: I
have a query regarding Memory Tablets.
How often, if at all, does an Avatar need to refer to a tablet? Can they
leave them at home while they participate in a long adventure? A:
Assume that the Avatar has no need for any regular reference to his Memory
Tablets, although the Lejend Master should likely require a periodic re-reading
to refresh the activator’s mind and recall of the information thereon. I believe in the latter regard that once a
month should be sufficient for even the most demanding of LMs. Q: If a
Memory Tablet is destroyed, lost, or stolen does the Avatar to whom it belongs
immediately loose the ability to activate the powers inscribed on it? A: Oh
yes indeed the Avatar does lose the material contained thereon, the capacity to
use it! The Memory Tablet is a harmonic
key, shall we say, that enables the opening to the place from whence the Power
comes, the AEPs being the force needed to "turn" that key. So when the frequency to which the Avatar is
attuned is destroyed, or changed (by loss of any sort), there goes the capacity
to use the activations that are recorded on it. Think of it as a sort of radio that the Avatar is able to tune
mentally so as to get in the desired “station”—the Power or other activation
written on the Memory Tablet. A broken
“radio” can not be tuned in at all. One
that you can no longer mentally find can’t be operated either. Contrarily,
if the Memory Tablet is gained by a character able to use the Extraordinary
Ability information inscribed thereon, that individual is then empowered to
utilize it as if it were his own. Q: When
you are making a pick on the Magical Equipment List, and you decide to take a
Memory Tablet as one of my picks, does this entitle you to four more power
picks? A:
Typical chiseling player! Of course it
does not. The choice says “Memory
Tablet”, not a “Memory Tablet with four activations”. The book does include the
informational “list of any four Extraordinary things/activations,” but there is
no “with a” preceding that. So the tablet is there, and further picks
enable the Avatar to record up to four chosen Powers, Spells, Rites, and the
like thereon. Q: If
you have Enchantment Ability selected as your Avatar’s 1st ability,
you get nine picks from Magical Table, but each Memory Tablet can only hold
four things. Does this mean that in
order to have seven Powers, you need to take two Memory Tablets to hold them? A:
Yes. Four Enchantments would be
recorded on one tablet, three on the other. Q: As to poison: It seems that
poison should be something that stays in a
victim’s system for a while. However,
it seems that in the rules poison is simply a harm bonus, in that it adds say
9-12 to other harm inflicted. Is it up
to the Lejend Master to specify the type of poison? Say the poison causes 1-4 harm for 5 Activity Block Counts after
the person is cut? Or do all poisons
simply lump damage in one hit? A: A
very good question! VT, poison, can be
weak stuff that does only 1 point of harm, or it can be very potent stuff
causing 36-50 harm. It can be a
one-shot thing, or it can be continuing harm such as 3-5 points per AB for the
next 20 ABs time. Harm amount is
variable, harm delivery is likewise variable.
A poison might cause 1 harm per day that is unnoticeable to the victim
until 50% harm to Health is attained; and then, and only then, does the VT
speed up effect, the rate of Health loss thereafter being increased to 1 point
per hour, minute, or even ABC. The VT
harm levels for poison, and those creatures with the capacity to inflict it, is
stated in general terms as immediate for ease of game management. However, as you suggest, the Lejend Master
is fully empowered to apply such harm in small or large increments over time,
short or long. Q: Is it
possible to be a “mixed race” Avatar?
For example, could my character be half-human, half wylf? Or maybe half-gnome, half-kobold? A: Aargh! What a nightmare for the Overwrought Author
and the Harried LM alike, such schemes by players seeking undue advantages for
their Avatars. To the point, yes….at
the discretion of the Lejend Master only, however. This will not be covered in the players rules. Buried within the LM’s book
there is a table that shows the viability of racial cross-breeding. There is also material directing the
development of the characteristics of such hybrid Avatars. Basically, the strongest genes (the
predominant percentage of race) will direct the nature of the Avatar’s
capacities. In case of a tie, the wily
LM will select the most unfavorable factors in regards to Initial Base Rating Guidelines, Random Increase Dice, Excluded and
Restricted Abilities, Mandatory and Chosen Abilities, and Racial Capacities and Handicaps. Q: Can a
beginning Avatar with Enchantment Ability really take the Powers of high
grade? Even the Extreme ones? A: Sure! But don’t be hasty in selecting Powers. Note that time and cost are very important
considerations. The higher the Grade of
a Power, the more AEPs it costs and the longer in seconds of time it takes to
see if activation succeeds by checking against the activator’s Ability
score. Experienced players tend to
choose manly the lower Grade Powers for this reason. Q: my
Avatar is attempting an activation, and he is attacked, does this affect
anything? A: If an attack hits the
would-be activator, it interrupts the activation; and that is regardless of any
actual harm that may or may not accrue to the Avatar from the attack. However, an attack that does not succeed
does not interrupt the process. Q: Let’s
say my Enchanter Avatar is in the process of activating a Power that takes 12
seconds realtime. Can he do anything
else while waiting for it to “go off”? A: No. From the time beginning with the choice of
Power to activate until the time comes for success of activation to be checked
by rolling against Enchantment Ability score, as might be modified—12 seconds,
or 4 ABCs in the example you use—the activator is fully engaged in the process
and can do nothing else but stand and concentrate. Q: In
relation to Ecclesiastics, Elementalists, Sorcerers, and Warlocks, must a A: I believe you have the idea
and are just making sure you are correct.
Only the non-Power sorts of activations, such as Rites and Summonings,
need the Command and Protection Circles. Regarding Powers of Creatures: Q: I
noticed that quite a few of the monsters have Powers, but that there is no AEP
cost listed for their use. Is this up
to the Lejend Master to determine? A: The
AEPs cost for Power use are not listed for a simple reason. In most confrontations, the creature in
question will not come anywhere near using up his Extraordinary energies. I assumed 1 point per use. Put another way, the LM can assume that the
Powers are at no measurable cost to the creature in question, as a 1 AEP cost
per Power use is virtually no cost.
Combat will not last long enough to make a meaningful drain of AEPs to
such creatures. The
Lejend Master has full discretion, of course, to assign AEP cost to any
Power. High AEP cost, say from 5 to 10
points per use, would indicate a monster of less potency than presented in the
BEASTS OF LEJEND book, of course. That
is a good way to enable less-powerful Avatars to face such a creature. |
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