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====== Chapter 8: Assets and Property ====== Prev: [[player_s_guide_chapter_7|Chapter 7: Gear and Wealth]] This chapter covers [[assets|Assets]], a separate currency from [[wealth|Wealth]], used to purchase various types of [[property|Property]], and descriptions of the types of Property available. ====== Assets ====== Assets are a special type of currency used to purchase Property. When compared to Wealth, Assets are substantially less liquid and include things such as social standing and government connections. Characters begin the game with 0 Assets. For the first five levels of play, characters should typically gain 1 Asset per level. For the final five levels of play, characters should gain 2 Assets per level. Property is bought and sold at the standard Asset value. So, a character can spend Assets on Property, decide later they don't want it, and sell it for the same amount they bought it for. While the DM can of course modify prices, this should be done with great care since Assets are acquired so much more slowly than Wealth. Purchasing and selling Property should generally be a little more involved than buying and selling [[gear|Gear]] in terms of downtime requirements and story consequences. Indeed, Property makes a great hook for new adventures and drama. If a character's backstory has them already in possession of various types of property, it's best to simply avoid representing them mechanically. Consider these properties to be difficult to sell (or would sell at extreme loss) and providing no mechanical benefit to the game. That way, you can tell whatever stories you want without worrying about how it impacts the balance of the campaign. The DM may choose to allow level 1 characters to start with 1 Asset (and then gain none over the course of the first level). However, characters should never have acquire Assets than they are expected to have for their current level. If there is a specific need for a character to acquire more Assets than expected, it is strongly recommended that the DM directly award the specific Property needed and prevent the character from selling the Property until level catches back up with Asset totals. If a character's Property is destroyed over the course of the game, the character should be able to recover all Assets lost. This may take some time (such as through a quest), or it could even be immediate depending on the circumstances (perhaps your fantasy society has an excellent insurance organization?). ====== Property ====== Property purchased provides various special benefits to the owner. The common and standard types of Property include [[holding|Holdings]] and [[vehicle|Vehicles]]. Property tends to add new options and flexibility to the game rather than directly increasing a character's power. It is for this reason that Assets are a separate currency from Wealth. Of course clever builds can still use Property options to improve a character's overall effectiveness; this is intended. However, a player shouldn't have to choose between enchanting their Weapon and buying a new piece of Property, as this would do unwanted things to the mathematical balance beneath the game. ===== Holdings ===== Holdings are a type of Property that represent various businesses, buildings, and organizations. Each Holding provides a specific benefit to the character that possesses it; this benefit remains until the Holding is lost (typically through selling). Holdings are the primary way for characters to earn [[hybrid|Hybrid]] values and gain new training. However, some Holdings have different effects. Many Holdings, particularly of the business sort, suggest the capability to earn a profit. This is abstracted away in the game's economy, as there should be minimal and heavily restricted interaction between the Wealth and Asset currencies (due to the reason they are separated in the first place). In the campaign, it's best to assume that business Holdings are breaking even, or that any extra cash is being used to improve a character's lifestyle (or being donated away / stashed into retirement savings) rather than contributing to a character's power level through granting more Wealth. For a list of Holdings available for purchase, see [[analects_book_3_chapter_1|the Analects]]. ===== Vehicles ===== Vehicles are a type of Property similar to but distinct from [[mount|Mounts]]. Once purchased, a Vehicle may be used in a combat or exploration scenario that permits Vehicles. The DM may judge that specific Vehicles are or aren't allowed within a given scenario. Vehicles generally aren't allowed within stealth scenarios. There may also be narrative restrictions on the availability of a Vehicle. A scenario set on the surface of a lake may permit boats, for instance, but that does little good if the party's boat is currently docked in a far-away seaport. Players should speak with their DM before purchasing a Vehicle to ensure it can reasonably be used within the upcoming campaign. Players should not waste their Assets on wagons if the next five sessions will involve spelunking and mountain climbing, for instance. The easiest way to integrate Vehicles into a campaign where the terrain would otherwise make it a challenge is to assume that the Asset cost of the Vehicle includes magical devices that can shrink the Vehicle for easy transportation, or even teleport it long distances. The existence of such mechanisms may have unwanted consequences on a given campaign setting, however, and thus may not be always appropriate (which is why they aren't assumed by default in these rules). If such devices are included, they shouldn't be usable within scenarios (perhaps they take too much time to set up and use). For a list of Vehicles available for purchase, see [[analects_book_3_chapter_2|the Analects]]. ==== Passengers and Movement ==== PCs may occupy permitted Vehicles within a scenario. Any entity occupying a Vehicle is a [[passenger|Passenger]]. Vehicles typically confer various advantages or bonuses onto its Passengers and may include entries that may be played by Passengers within combat or exploration scenarios. Each Vehicle has a Capacity, which is the number of Passengers it can accept. This value excludes any crew necessary for the vehicle's operation. A PC could theoretically choose to be a crew member instead of a Passenger; however, this PC would not be able to contribute to the scenario due to focusing on crew-related duties. PCs should typically remain as Passengers instead. Passengers may not equip Mounts. A PC that has a Mount equipped must first unequip the Mount before they may occupy a Vehicle. Unless otherwise specified, Vehicles only [[move|Move]] once per round. Any Passenger may spend their Move to grant the Vehicle its Move (and determine the direction of movement). An entity may spend a Move to occupy a Vehicle or leave an occupied Vehicle. ==== Using a Vehicle ==== Vehicles protect Passengers, preventing enemy [[action|Actions]] from targeting them (the DM may rule that specific Actions bypass a Vehicle, but this should be very rare). Instead, Actions from enemies target the Vehicle. Passengers may play cards from their hand that have "Vehicle" in place of the card's normal Role. Such cards may only be played while the PC is a Passenger in a Vehicle. Any one Passenger may select a [[reaction|Reaction]] to play when their Vehicle is targeted. The Passenger is responsible for rolling dice and making any decisions as a result of the play, but any Damage suffered is dealt to the Vehicle. If the Action has the Area Attack keyword or says it targets all enemies (within the section/region or generally, including most [[environ|Environ]] Actions), half the Damage dealt to the Vehicle is also dealt to each Passenger (rounded down). Vehicles have [[stat track|Stat Tracks]]; these typically have base values of +1. Passengers playing entries from the Vehicle or from Vehicle cards should use its Stat Tracks instead of their own. Stat Track modifications from hostile Actions that have the Area Attack keyword or otherwise target all enemies also affect the Stat Tracks of each Passenger. Ally Stat Track modifications, such as for recovery, cannot affect the Vehicle unless otherwise stated. Vehicles are immune to [[disease|Diseases]] and suffer no effects within the Special entry of Disease Actions that are listed to last until the end of the scenario, unless the DM specifically overrides this for a given Action (this should be quite rare). ==== Recovery and Keywords ==== Vehicles cannot recover HP or EP within scenarios except from specific effects that explicitly target Vehicles. When a Vehicle is defeated, it becomes Damaged. Damaged Vehicles cannot be used and confer no benefits of any kind unless otherwise specified. Additionally, each PC Passenger within the Vehicle suffers an [[injury|Injury]] once the Vehicle is defeated. Vehicles that are abandoned (because they become Damaged, they're too close to becoming Damaged and PCs don't want to take the risk of Injury, or the Vehicle cannot pass all the way through a given exploration scenario) should be able to be retrieved at a later time through the narrative portion of the game. However, any such temporarily abandoned Vehicle is considered Damaged (even if it wasn't before). If it is not possible to recover a Vehicle and it becomes lost, the owning PC should be refunded the Asset cost. This refund may be delayed or happen in parts as the DM chooses in order to convey a real price to abandoning a Vehicle. Each Vehicle has a Repair value, which is the cost in [[valuable|Valuables]] to restore a Damaged Vehicle to normal use. Generally, Vehicles can be repaired where they can be bought; the DM makes a final determination as to where and when a given Vehicle may be repaired. Water-based Vehicles have the Aquatic keyword. However, unless otherwise specified, such vessels may only operate on the surface of the water even with this keyword. Seafaring vessels are not typically permitted within underwater scenarios or on land. ==== Combat ==== Passengers are considered to occupy their Vehicle rather than the section that the Vehicle occupies. Fellow Passengers are thus considered to be in the same occupied [[section|section]], but entities outside begin at [[range|range]] 1. So, to target an entity that is outside the Vehicle but in the Vehicle's occupied section, the play must be able to target entities range 1 away. This applies only for normal Actions played by the Passenger as an individual; Actions played on behalf of the Vehicle (such as from the Vehicle's entry or from a Vehicle card played from hand) simply treat the Vehicle as a normal entity playing an Action. Vehicles cannot make [[acrobatics|Acrobatics]] rolls and automatically fail any such roll called for. Passengers may only play Reactions from [[implement|implements]] and the Vehicle's entries (as well as Vehicle cards from hand) on behalf of the Vehicle. The DM may permit exceptions to this when the play makes sense, particularly for spell-based Reactions played from hand similar to those on implements. Entities may attempt to Board an enemy Vehicle within the occupied section (whether or not they themselves are Passengers of another Vehicle). An entity must use their Action Phase to begin a Board attempt; any ally in the occupied position that has not yet participated in a Board attempt during this round may choose to join. Once a Board attempt has begun, all entities in the Vehicle being Boarded must choose to fight or flee. Any entity that chooses to flee leaves the Vehicle and is no longer a Passenger (but remains in the same occupied section). If at least one entity has chosen to fight, a melee breaks out. Each Boarding entity plays an Action of their choice against any enemy Passenger of their choice, and each Passenger plays an Action of their choice against any Boarding enemy of their choice (effects may not limit this selection unless played as an [[assist|Assist]] or [[interrupt|Interrupt]] after the Boarding has begun). Ranged Actions cannot be played unless the Action has an [[incantation|Incantation]] entry that the entity can afford to pay. Actions with the Area Attack keyword target all Passengers as well as Boarding entities (unless the Action specifies that it only targets enemies), including the entity playing the Action. Reactions are chosen once all Actions and targets have been selected. Actions are resolved simultaneously; an entity that suffers enough damage to be defeated is still able to complete their Action. For expediency's sake it is acceptable for all entities to simultaneously select Actions and targets. However, if there is disagreement over selection order (for instance two entities are stuck waiting on each other to choose first), selections should be made in order of Initiative (including any resolutions already applied to entities that had the same Initiative values). The same rules apply to order of Reaction selection. Once all Actions and Reactions are resolved, if there are any Passengers remaining, all Boarding entities remain in their current location. However, if all Passengers fled and/or are defeated, each Boarding entity may choose to become a Passenger of the new Vehicle (at no additional Move cost) or remain in their current location. At the end of the scenario, such captured Vehicles may only be kept if a PC is willing and able to pay the Asset cost (to house and maintain the Vehicle). ==== Exploration ==== Passengers may choose to play Actions on behalf of the Vehicle. For instance, a Passenger may play an Action without Range against an Obstacle in the Vehicle's region by playing the Action as the Vehicle. In this case, the Vehicle suffers any effects resulting from the play, such as from the target's Reaction. Unless otherwise specified, Vehicles cannot play Actions against Climbing [[obstacle|Obstacles]], and even if such an Obstacle is defeated, the Vehicle still cannot cross with normal movement (special movement and the Flying keyword bypass such Obstacles as normal). The DM may determine that Vehicles cannot play Actions against other specific Challenges as well, even if otherwise valid. Passengers may not [[search|Search]] or make [[lockpick|Lockpick]] rolls unless otherwise specified. Even if a Vehicle is permitted within a scenario, there may be certain region exits that Vehicles cannot cross. For example, a Vehicle may have no trouble moving down a road, but it may not be able to enter a building, even if an Obstacle (such as a locked door) was defeated. In most cases, if a Vehicle is allowed into a scenario, there should be some path it can take to reach the goal (or at least to some location where the PCs may safely leave the Vehicle, picking it up later without it becoming Damaged as normal when abandoned). In some exploration scenarios, the PCs may be relying on their Vehicle to be able to pass through the area. In such scenarios, the Vehicle becoming Damaged may result in scenario failure. If it's determined that the PCs are able to repair the Vehicle themselves and the scenario permits it, the DM may permit the PCs to pay the Repair cost, take the Injuries, then continue forward with a newly-restored Vehicle. Next: [[Player's Guide Appendix A|Appendix A: Conditions]]

player_s_guide_chapter_8.1556726861.txt.gz · Last modified: 2019/05/01 09:07 by triptycho