birthright virtues

[Rich H]

thank Rich for your help. I would see what fit my campaign better

No problem, glad you found our posts helpful, at least generally! ... We're the usual RPers though; ask two of us about what we think about something and you're likely to get at least three opinions!

[Glorelendil]

Yeah, I'll agree that it could "get silly" if you have to come up with a scenario where the hero always has to be presumed dead (thus losing standing) and somehow miraculously returns.

Although, even in that worst case scenario it's only once every 20 years or so, and it assumes the player wants to keep playing Bardings. So not that silly.

Another option to limit use: after the first character, the character has to have descendants. You can't just miraculously have an heir handy. Unless you're Captain Kirk.

[Glorelendil]

Yes having a descendants, like a son or daughter is one of the limitation I put on the virtue. The second is that the body of the falling Barding must be in somewhat one piece to be able to ressurect.

Just FYI, I don't think it's intended to literally be a "resurrection"; the hero doesn't actually die and return to life. I think the idea is that the player narrates a story that tells how he narrowly avoided death.

It's based on this passage from The Hobbit:

And in the very midst of their talk a tall figure stepped from the shadows. He was drenched with water, his black hair hung wet over his face and shoulders, and a fierce light was in his eyes.
“Bard is not lost!” he cried. “He dived from Esgaroth, when the enemy was slain. I am Bard, of the line of Girion; I am the slayer of the dragon!”

Of course, the next line is:

“King Bard! King Bard!” they shouted

So he hardly seems to have lost any standing.

[Andrew]

Has anyone tried the virtue out? I've never seen a player take it, so just wondering!

[Stormcrow]

I played in a short-lived game where the Barding took Birthright. It informed his background, giving us a nice hook when doing business in Dale, and of course his wealth was handy, but the game didn't last long enough for the Barding to receiving a killing blow.

Now that I mention it, everyone seems to be assuming that any Barding with Birthright will inevitably receive a killing blow. Many characters manage to survive their adventures, you know. (Although it doesn't allow it in the rules, I would still allow a Barding who died peacefully to pass on his Birthright to his child. You DO have to wait until the Barding dies, though. That might not be for decades, and would be up to the Loremaster. No fair arbitrarily announcing the death of your old character just so you can get a freebie for your new one!)

[Otaku-sempai]

It's based on this passage from The Hobbit:

And in the very midst of their talk a tall figure stepped from the shadows. He was drenched with water, his black hair hung wet over his face and shoulders, and a fierce light was in his eyes.
“Bard is not lost!” he cried. “He dived from Esgaroth, when the enemy was slain. I am Bard, of the line of Girion; I am the slayer of the dragon!”

Of course, the next line is:

“King Bard! King Bard!” they shouted

So he hardly seems to have lost any standing.

I think that we can consider an exception here, where Bard's standing is concerned, because he did not go missing for a great length of time in a place far from home. Also, he is the hero of the moment; of course his survival is going to be celebrated! Otherwise, yes, this is how I see 'Birthright' used to cheat death. In Bilbo's case, the loss of standing makes sense when we consider the conservatism and retiring nature of the Hobbits and the length of Bilbo's absence. Perhaps the loss of standing rule should be, if not eliminated, at least modified.