IDEA: Grit - Character Attribute

[MeTekillot]

As a way to inject both a bit of drama and a bit more motivation to act in an in-character way, I propose a new trait for characters: Grit.

Grit = (Wisdom * .25) + (Endurance * .5)
If their race is mul, take the above *3. If half-elf, take the above *1.5. If half-giant, you cannot have more grit than twice your wisdom. Dwarves would get a flat +5 to grit.

Grit is a representation of your character buckling down and finding inner strength in the face of adversity or a need for amazing performance.

Grit starts at 0. To replenish grit, you need to indulge in vices: Alcohol, spice, cavorting with others, or victimizing the Other, as is the Zalanthan way.

Once every 2 RL hours, you can replenish grit by:
Using spices
Becoming at least 'intoxicated'
Reducing another person to 25% stun or 75% of their max health
Reducing a being of a different humanoid race to 0% stun or 50% of their max health
Eating or drinking something with a value of at least 200 coins
Sleeping for 1 game hour (this method would cap at 2 points of grit for non-dwarves, 4 for dwarves)


Grit could be spent for the following effects that elapse after one RL hour:

Increase one of your primary stats by 10%. After the effect elapses, suffer a 10% penalty to that stat for one hour.
Increase one of your skills by 15% of your current mastery. After the effect elapses, suffer 10% penalty to all skill rolls for one hour.
Spend 10 grit or all current grit (whichever is lower) to be reduced to 20% of either stun or hp, instead of hitting 0. This could be a nosave option. After an hour, suffer half total hp damage to a floor of 1 hp.
Increase current hp/mv/st/focus by 20% of your max. After an hour, this effect subsides and you suffer a 10% penalty to whatever stat you chose for 1 RL hour.


You cannot have more than 3 grit effects -- positive or negative -- active at once. So if you are suffering a 20% penalty to hp after spending 2 grit for a 40% bonus, you can only spend one grit to mitigate it for the next hour.

Being whipped should remove 2 points of grit. Being tortured should remove 5 points of grit. If either of these reduce you to below 0, you should suffer temporary -- though lengthy -- penalties to your physical stats.

If your character is an elf, witnessing the death of a clan member should give +5 grit for 12 RL hours, after which your grit will zero.

[Lotion]

?

[Brytta Léofa]

Grit starts at 0. To replenish grit, you need to indulge in vices: Alcohol, spice, cavorting with others, or victimizing the Other, as is the Zalanthan way.

Okay I would have guessed "asceticism" but, you know, many paths.

[Veselka]

I see the merit in something like this, but more as a 'hidden stat' than something that can be utilized when you like. Kind of like alcohol or pain tolerance. Just the more 'dangerous shit' you do and survive, the better.

I think less 'reducing others to whatever percentage' and just 'surviving being -hp' or '-stun'. I'm thinking the drunk idiots that constantly get in bar brawls but somehow survive and keep coming back for more.

Grit might be a hidden stat that can be boosted by Staff or over time...I'm all for components of the game that aren't binary or predictable.

[Hauwke]

Totally crazy but how about for every time you go to mortally wounded you take a hit to wis but take a bonus to this grit stat, which could lead to something as simple as minor, very minor, damage resistance.

[MeTekillot]

My idea is meant for players to be able to push their character beyond their normal limits for moments of against the odds derring-do or blind rage or dramatic intensity. Minor boosts to damage resistance seems terrifically underwhelming as a compromise. Perhaps that could be a separate idea.

[Brokkr]

The first thing I thought of when I read this is someone wants to be able to hit the Ult button?

[MeTekillot]

I can lift a lot more IRL if I make peace with the fact I'm gonna throw my back out. I can run twice as long if I'm willing to trade exhaustion and vomitous nausea for it. I think my harsh desert world toon should have similar abilities.

Consider the following

[Lotion]

Totally crazy but how about for every time you go to mortally wounded you take a hit to wis but take a bonus to this grit stat, which could lead to something as simple as minor, very minor, damage resistance.

You already get significant damage resistance from base defense

[9001]

As a way to inject both a bit of drama and a bit more motivation to act in an in-character way, I propose a new trait for characters: Grit.

This feels like the opposite of motivation to act in an in-character way, giving OOC motivation through gamified mechanics to perform certain actions for coded benefit regardless of how much sense that makes for your character. It's only 'motivation to act in-character' for certain kinds of characters and concepts, like stereotypical Byn mercenary types, and even for them it makes no sense to me. It's too gamified and at the expense of immersion.

If you want ways for characters to exceed their limits in times of duress, I'd advocate for mechanics that are situational in their benefits and penalties, rather than accruing points and being able to spend them for benefits. As a possible example: if you try to flee and you don't have enough stamina to (and are at poor health or below), you get 30-50 points of stamina and an Exhaustion penalty half an IC hour later that reduces your endurance and strength and stamina/health recovery, lasting several IC days and behaving similarly to the penalties you can get from being Krathstruck. Perhaps also making your character require more water as well.

I'm not saying the mechanics should have those exact details, just with that kind of vibe. Make it situational and reflect that your character has exceeded their limits under duress, the coded penalties afterwards giving an IC framework to RP the needed recovery from that.

[Jarvis]

As a way to inject both a bit of drama and a bit more motivation to act in an in-character way, I propose a new trait for characters: Grit.

This feels like the opposite of motivation to act in an in-character way, giving OOC motivation through gamified mechanics to perform certain actions for coded benefit regardless of how much sense that makes for your character. It's only 'motivation to act in-character' for certain kinds of characters and concepts, like stereotypical Byn mercenary types, and even for them it makes no sense to me. It's too gamified and at the expense of immersion.

If you want ways for characters to exceed their limits in times of duress, I'd advocate for mechanics that are situational in their benefits and penalties, rather than accruing points and being able to spend them for benefits. As a possible example: if you try to flee and you don't have enough stamina to (and are at poor health or below), you get 30-50 points of stamina and an Exhaustion penalty half an IC hour later that reduces your endurance and strength and stamina/health recovery, lasting several IC days and behaving similarly to the penalties you can get from being Krathstruck. Perhaps also making your character require more water as well.

I'm not saying the mechanics should have those exact details, just with that kind of vibe. Make it situational and reflect that your character has exceeded their limits under duress, the coded penalties afterwards giving an IC framework to RP the needed recovery from that.

This. Pushing the limits of your body should be a mostly negative thing with a very particular situational positive

[MeTekillot]

Sure, that sounds fine.

[MeTekillot]

I'd add the caveat still that there be levels of Hero Time - sore for a few days, risking your health, or rolling the dice on dying of exhaustion.

[Fragmented]

I totally thought this was an April fools joke.

[Brytta Léofa]

If you want ways for characters to exceed their limits in times of duress, I'd advocate for mechanics that are situational in their benefits and penalties, rather than accruing points and being able to spend them for benefits.

So, I'm not dissing the addition of some new mechanic here, but for anybody who's not aware: we have performance enhancing drugs that are very definitely worth using, and also have coded and social penalties. If you haven't had the opportunity to use much spice you should try to experiment with it.

Not opposed to more of that kind of thing; just representing what we do have.

[MeTekillot]

"I've seen belief move cities, make men stave off death, and turn an evil hag's heart half-circle. This entire Fortress has been constructed from belief. Belief damned a woman, whose heart clung to the hope that another loved her when he did not. Once, it made a man seek immortality and achieve it. And it has made a posturing spirit think it is something more than a part of me."

This is the quote that primarily inspired this idea. A character's will stoked by their belief in whatever -- themself, their Lord, their tribe, REVENGE -- to push them beyond their limits, at whatever cost to their body. Becoming a spice addict in pursuit of whatever does seem very themely, but I was submitting the proposal that belief burns so hot in the hearts of certain people in Zalanthas that it pushes them beyond what is normal and natural, even without magick or superdrugs.