Healing Corruption

[Yusei]

So, some of us have been feeling that the game becomes too easy too quickly, and I've complained a little bit about shadow rules not working as intended. I've just looked at the rules for the healing corruption undertaking:

- Craft or Roll song, TN14
- Two rolls allowed in a sanctuary
- Get rid of 2, 4 or 6 Shandow Points on success, depending on quality of success

First of all, I had forgotten that last part, and only allowed a 1, 2 or 3 SP removal, depending on the quality of success. And still, my group has very few SP. Only the Dwarf keeps some by choice, as they give her a nice bonus on most rolls.

My biggest complain about the rules is that, with a fixed TN, advanced characters can usually get rid of 4 or 8 SP during a Fellowship Phase in a sanctuary. That's more than I usually award during an adventure. One of my PCs lost his fiancee, and got over it just by singing during three months. As such, my group now decided it was not worth spending Hope to avoid Shadow Points, as Hope is harder to regain. Seems backwards to me.

I'd rather have shadow grow slowly on the characters, and be difficult to get rid of. That's probably the Call-of-Cthulhu player speaking. So, I considering one of the following changes:

- Allow only one roll in a sanctuary
- Change the TN to be 12 + the current amount of SP you have

Any opinions or suggestions?

[Mytholder]

What other Fellowship Phase activities have you made available to the characters? Choosing to Heal Corruption should be a hard choice between doing nothing other than losing Shadow Points, and doing something more productive.
Heart of the Wild will help with this - it's got lots of new region-specific Fellowship Phase stuff.

[Francesco]

As such, my group now decided it was not worth spending Hope to avoid Shadow Points, as Hope is harder to regain. Seems backwards to me.

As I see them, Shadow points should be easy to gain, but relatively easy also to get rid of. Shadow should be like a gauge that goes to the red during a dangerous Adventuring phase (bringing a character on the brink of suffering a Bout of Madness in the worst cases) and eventually goes down again during a Fellowship phase dedicated to rest.

As far as considering it worthwhile to spend Hope to avoid gaining Shadow, as the system works it is indeed possibly true (in fact, it might be better if Hope could not be spent on Corruption checks...).

Francesco

[Yusei]

Choosing to Heal Corruption should be a hard choice between doing nothing other than losing Shadow Points, and doing something more productive.

Indeed, it's been the number one choice after establishing a sanctuary somewhere. I'm looking forward to more undertaking ideas!

Shadow should be like a gauge that goes to the red during a dangerous Adventuring phase (bringing a character on the brink of suffering a Bout of Madness in the worst cases) and eventually goes down again during a Fellowship phase dedicated to rest.

I agree, but I also feel it should slowly grow over time, not go back to 0 every Fellowship phase. Maybe I'm just not giving enough shadow, but they don't fail Corruption rolls, and rarely act badly.

As far as considering it worthwhile to spend Hope to avoid gaining Shadow, as the system works it is indeed possibly true

They used to consider it worthwhile, and I liked it that way. I liked that they really were afraid of corruption, and ready to spend a useful resource to avoid it.

[LukeZ]

As I see them, Shadow points should be easy to gain, but relatively easy also to get rid of. Shadow should be like a gauge that goes to the red during a dangerous Adventuring phase (bringing a character on the brink of suffering a Bout of Madness in the worst cases) and eventually goes down again during a Fellowship phase dedicated to rest.
Francesco

It seems that when you have Wisdom 4 (or more), gaining Shadow points becames very difficult (8%-9%) and almost "TN independent" (since you fail mainly because of the Eye result).

As far as considering it worthwhile to spend Hope to avoid gaining Shadow, as the system works it is indeed possibly true (in fact, it might be better if Hope could not be spent on Corruption checks...).
Francesco

This would at least make "non-Eye result, but still poor rolls" count (normally they are "cancelled" by Hope).

[Yusei]

It seems that when you have Wisdom 4 (or more), gaining Shadow points becames very difficult (8%-9%) and almost "TN independent" (since you fail mainly because of the Eye result).

To be fair, you can also gain some automatically by doing a misdeed.

[LukeZ]

It seems that when you have Wisdom 4 (or more), gaining Shadow points becames very difficult (8%-9%) and almost "TN independent" (since you fail mainly because of the Eye result).

To be fair, you can also gain some automatically by doing a misdeed.

Yes, but misdeeds made by PC (and other "automatic Shadow points" effects) are very rare.

[Eluadin]

Not necessarily a suggestion, but here are my observations from my campaign...

Our campaign started during Winter 2945, since then the story has progressed as far as Fall of 2949 as the player-heroes are gathering information for the Grey Pilgrim. In that time, we have played five Fellowship phases. (Two Fellowship undertakings were spent establishing havens affectively leaving three for individual endeavors.) In my campaign - Departure and Homecoming - the player-heroes have gained a good deal of Shadow. However, there are only so many seasons to sit out and undertake a Fellowship phase, and far too much needs doing in Wilderland: Too few opportunities to dispel the Shadow gnawing at the hearts of my brave companions, and far too many blighted locations and the anguish of a spring that might never flower. The net affect has been that my players have gained more Shadow than they could possibly heal.

TOR played woven into the passing of seasons and the march of time, may present fewer opportunities to dispel Shadow then otherwise seems the case. This might in turn make some choices harder, like what to do with an undertaking. I have yet to play TOR as standalone adventures, or adventures out of tune with the progress of the Tale of Years. But, I imagine some of the mechanics may seem off - like healing corruption - without the march of time (and, eventually the Return of the Shadow) to balance them in actual play.

Regards,
Scott

[Robin Smallburrow]

Firstly, I agree with Eluadin's comments about spending a Fellowship Phase at a Sanctuary - perhaps your group are not busy enough!! (too much time on their hands, etc...). Point out to the PC's that if they want to Heal Corruption they won't have time for anything else...

Secondly, in my campaign there are SANCTUARIES and there are sanctuaries - by this I mean that what is achievable at them varies depending on what sanctuary you are at - so in my view healing Corruption should be much harder in Lake Town than in Rivendell, for example (whereas other undertakings maybe easier). I also am pretty strict about the Undertaking 'Create New Sanctuary', since a Sanctuary is described as a place where the PC's feel safe and protected (not many of those places really!)

Thirdly, I award Shadow points pretty freely (in line with Francesco's comments about easy to obtain). Check over the adventure you are running and ask yourself are there more opportunities for Fear tests, Anguish tests etc. I think you will find that you could make the PC's roll a bit more on their Wisdom!! (failure = Shadow points, perhaps other consequences).

I agree with you that the RAW need a bit more emphasis on Shadow, so I have introduced a House Rule whereby once a character acquires Shadow Points = Heart score, these Shadow Points start acting as a modifier to certain rolls, such as Skill Tests (e.g. Persuade where a PC is trying to get an NPC to trust them)

Robin S.

[Yusei]

perhaps your group are not busy enough!! (too much time on their hands, etc...). Point out to the PC's that if they want to Heal Corruption they won't have time for anything else...

Indeed, since they are not interested in the other undertakings, they have a lot of time on their hands. And I don't want to prevent them from having fellowship phases, because they want to spend their XPs. Maybe I should invent new undertakings, or give some reasons to have patrons.

I also am pretty strict about the Undertaking 'Create New Sanctuary', since a Sanctuary is described as a place where the PC's feel safe and protected (not many of those places really!)

Yes, and I now regret giving them all of the woodmen's towns as sanctuaries when they brought back Wolfbiter in TfW.

I think you will find that you could make the PC's roll a bit more on their Wisdom!! (failure = Shadow points, perhaps other consequences).

I have them roll often, but maybe I should give automatic points more often, too. I made a PC roll for corruption when he tortured a goblin, but I could have given him a Shadow point without a roll.