ADVENTURER’S LUCK question

[Goodlun]

BTW I got to thinking about the haggle skill and allowing those involved to back out, seems to defeat the purpose of haggling.

I'm thinking of not allowing this, using the roll as a you convince or were convinced that the new price is the best price you will get. 

Any suggestions on what would be the best way to handle this?

I think I would allow my PCs to set a reserve price.  That if it gets below they can walk away from. 

[Grimace]

I think it's been left deliberately ambiguous. However, I would recommend the Prudence-at-the-end-of-downtime approach

How would you suggest I handle PC's buying easily convertible goods to bypass the prudence hit?

Right now I've been saying if I believe it's easily converted into coin (Gem/Jewelry/etc), it counts towards the prudence hit.

If they were to buy bigger goods, they need a place to store them and it really wouldn't save them anything.

What about players pooling their money with the person with the highest prudence score?   I'm tempted to allow this because a character can realize they have issues with spending money and enlist a thrifty friend to help them manage it better. 

All sorts of questions pop up.  hehe.

Thanks for being patient with me.

[Golden Dragon]

How would you suggest I handle PC's buying easily convertible goods to bypass the prudence hit?

This is why Wyrmstone does the prudence hit as soon as the treasure is collected and sold. Otherwise, any enterprising player will buy goods to circumvent the prudence hit. I'll take a 50% hit to avoid taking a 75% hit any day.

And even though I grumbled about it, I think prudence before downtime is the way to go.

[Typhon]

I have no problem taking the hit to my wallet. I DO have a problem taking the hit with no chance to buy gear because every adventure is out in the sticks where I can't get custom weapons/armor. It makes next to no sense at all that I SOMEHOW find a way to spend 70% of my loot (mind you, this includes being able to convert the loot into silver as well) out in the sticks-or in the case of The Vault, at the bottom of a dungeon-before getting to buy gear.
Thats about my only gripe about it.

Oh, that and the downtime length should effect the % loss. Should, also, think the where the downtime occures should effect it as well. If you're out in the boonies, kinda hard to spend 500s in a week (reduced % loss but also no access to custom armor or weapons, limited equipment options, etc... for gearing up). However, if in a big city, then there should be an increase in loss (lots more to do, cost of living is higher), but you now have access to whatever gear you might need.

I don't think the pooling bit would work unless they guy is a friggen saint (one that I saw personally get hugged by his lawful good god, mind you-I am a burglar and not very trusting of people). Even then he'd have to hold on to ALL my cash for the entire downtime. So seems a bit unreasonable to think you could get around the rule that way.

VERY nice example Kren. TY. Helps a lot getting those kinds of setups.
Might have to print that off...

[Grimace]

I'm assuming you find a large enough town/city during downtime to fence your goods and resupply and buy new goodies.  At least that's the way I'm doing it at the moment. 

[Typhon]

Not every spot on a character sheet needs to be filled with ruthless efficiency. Have you never taken a skill or feat purely for fluff reasons?

Skills? Yep.
Feat? Hellz no! WAYYYYYYY too important.
Sides, Grim's sandbox doesn't have much room for fluff. I can act goofy enough as it is, my character doesn't need help being odd. Doesn't help that I only have one other serious player in my group lol. That crazy mage has been more comic releif than anything (well, better now he has summon spells) and our priest (the mage's wife) isn't really there much at all.
Sooooooo looking back on it, perhaps NOT so surprising we keep getting hammered lol.

[Goodlun]

How would you suggest I handle PC's buying easily convertible goods to bypass the prudence hit?

Personally I wouldn't prudence serves as a valuable money bleeding function.  I like it.  It helps account for all the incidentals that come up.  Some people are simply better at avoiding or managing incidentals than others.

What about players pooling their money with the person with the highest prudence score?   I'm tempted to allow this because a character can realize they have issues with spending money and enlist a thrifty friend to help them manage it better.

I dislike this concept of many reasons one I just don't really buy it actually happening it feels very metagame to me.  Think about you and your buddies do you allow your more thrifty friends to manage your funds?
Prudence in part represents the steam adventures blow off when they get back.  Seeing as how an adventures life is short I have a feeling most have no real interest in saving money for when they retire.  That night with the 5 winches and a keg of ale at the time is most likely more appealing than saving it.


Of course this is just my opinion on the matters and goes more toward the Role playing concept vs the roll playing.  
What works for you and your group of course very well may not be what works for me and mine.

[Typhon]

Well, if the game is set in more or less one area, I would make it a priority to befriend a merchant and take him as a contact, make that Haggle X work for you instead of against you. Half price on buying things/half again price on selling things is something worth 33 rep, in my mind.

Honestly, I think the %s are a bit...much. Or, perhaps, the #s are a bit low. I don't know, haven't used it much (obviously) or correctly on the few times I did but seems the 50% is kind of a big hit to be taking. If the 10 is really hard to get to, then I can see it.

[Typhon]

Well another thing about the campaign is I'm allowing them to carry everything out without thinking on how they are carrying it.  I'm also giving them full value for all non-armor and non-weapons.  So if it says a gem is worth 100s, they get 100s.  Then prudence kicks in.  Any merchant isn't going to offer full price for an item.

Typhon thinks he's being ripped off by not being able to haggle, but in my opinion he's much better off.

Afterall Typhon is spec'd to be very good at combat and thief skills.  It's only normal that he'd come up sort in some areas.   

How is a +7 to haggle at lv 4 coming up short?!
That's pretty good, tyvm. Disposition is about the only problem I'm going to have. Might have to let the mage butter him up for me!

[Typhon]

I'm assuming you find a large enough town/city during downtime to fence your goods and resupply and buy new goodies.  At least that's the way I'm doing it at the moment. 

And yet we are unable to, in this large town/city, gear up before getting %ed? =/

[Psion]

How would you suggest I handle PC's buying easily convertible goods to bypass the prudence hit?

Right now I've been saying if I believe it's easily converted into coin (Gem/Jewelry/etc), it counts towards the prudence hit.

I think that's fair enough.

I'd make sure every coin either takes the prudence hit or (eventually) the resell hit. Or both. Of course, the resell hit is typically more forgiving. But I guess there is a reason to have that NPC merchant with Haggle X around.

I usually only hassle with prudence at the end of the adventure or with downtime checks. There usually isn't enough "non stake" cash in the middle of an adventure to worry about.

I don't allow players to buy anything after the last thing and before prudence is applied. Even if you are in the middle of an city (which my players are: I run Freeport.) If you aren't going to spend your character options to boost your prudence, I don't see that I should give you a free ride by letting you worm your way around it.

[Psion]

I'm assuming you find a large enough town/city during downtime to fence your goods and resupply and buy new goodies.  At least that's the way I'm doing it at the moment. 

And yet we are unable to, in this large town/city, gear up before getting %ed? =/

Sounds right to me.

Balance and "get what you paid for" factor aside, remember what Prudence represent. In the city = closer to Ale & Whores, and also closer to all your creditors.

[Typhon]

So then the only time you can gear up is if you happen to land in a town during the adventure some time. Got it. Well looks like you're gunna have to be staying later than usual, Grim, cause I'll be playing till we get to a town so I can "play" out the hitting an armor or weapons smith before downtime starts.

[Grimace]

So then the only time you can gear up is if you happen to land in a town during the adventure some time. Got it. Well looks like you're gunna have to be staying later than usual, Grim, cause I'll be playing till we get to a town so I can "play" out the hitting an armor or weapons smith before downtime starts.

Nope you save up your cash.  Once you take the Prudence hit, that money gets put into Stake and never gets hit again.  For big ticket items you'll have to save up.

[Dhampire]

And it's not that bad.

I'm 23xp or so away from 5th level, and I have ~700s and have earned 60 Reputation, which is above the guideline of 100s & 10 rep per level for a starting character.  (and my prudence stunk for the first few levels)