So I have evidently written 200 posts on this blog.
Bully for me! Sometimes it has come fast and furious, sometimes it has been a slog. But ultimately it has been worth it as thought exercise, practice in writing, and of course expression of my love for games.
Thanks to all you readers who have come along for the ride.
Anyway, last week I had a blast running Stormbringer 1E over Discord for some gents in the EU. I ran The New Hall of Risk, my homage to the old scenario from the 1st companion that I personally think is the most Moorcockean scenario I have ever read.
And IT happened. Someone rolled 01 for their Nationality. We all know what this means....
Melnibonean. RIP game balance, you were an illusion at any rate, and good riddance. Everyone was excited.
So the player has a Melnibonean. Noble plus Warrior from the outset. He also has the stats to be a Sorceror under the Nationality rules. As Nobles can have a second class, he rolls again and gets Priest. Although we've been rolling with the punches of unbalanced character generation system (which I love), some other players object that this might be too powerful.
The player of the Melnibonean, Lord Soo Teeb, decides he is OK with compromising and dropping Warrior if he can keep Priest. He also rolled High Priest under that occupation, so we all agree with his concession.
So here is basically my thinking:
If you roll a Melnibonean, you can theoretically have a total of Warrior (+ Assassin chance) + Noble (+ one other chance) + Sorceror. That is 5 occupations worth of skills and starting goods.
Honestly, I have no problem with this, but other players or the group might feel it is OP. Here are my two suggestions:
Option 1 - If you roll Melnibonean, you follow the Nationality description and ignore the chances for extra professions under the Occupation descriptions. So you get a Warrior Noble, but ignore the Warrior chance to be Assassin and the Noble chance to get another Occupation.
Option 2 - If you roll Melnibonean, you can have the choice of a maximum of THREE Occupations, no matter how many you have been lucky enough to roll. So if you get Warrior + Assassin + Noble + other + Sorceror, choose three of those.
How about them apples?
Play report coming soon.
Just remember that Melniboneans are not highly regarded in the Young Kingdoms. They are valued for their potential wealth, and hated and feared for most everything else (their nation's history, both real and rumored). A lone Melnibonean will be seen as a target most anywhere he/she goes, unless accompanied by a cadre of troops/bodyguards (e.g. the other players) or a really awe-inspiring reputation for murder and mayhem (like Elric...and even he was picked on immensely in the stories).
ReplyDeleteMelnibonean PCs are likely to have very powerful demons at their beck and call, but they still need to eat, sleep, shop, etc. And woe betide the Melnibonean in a foreign land who acts in an imperious and haughty manner with the locals...such characters are likely to receive filth and poison in their stew, or a knife in the back when sleeping/drunk.
Of course, the Melnibonean PCs in my games generally ended up eaten by demons...their own or someone else's. Always biting off more than they can chew because they're sooo "OP," you know?
; )