Look! A glimpse at an item that is going to show up in the Space Genre book!
The Red Shirt is a peculiar item. The Red Shirt actually reduces the Fate score (and, maybe, the number of Health Levels) of the wearer. They become less effective in combat, and easier for the bad guys to dispatch.
Why would anyone want to wear this? Well, if the wearer is killed in combat, the party leader is suddenly driven with a burning resolve, and his Fate Score increases.
Effects from this item might stack, but if so, they amount of the increase will decrease dramatically each time - our Hero will eventually become steeled to all of his friends kicking the bucket, and it won't effect him as much. The effects also will only be temporary, probably for a scene or two at most.
I just had a fun idea for an adventure using this item...
Anyway, look for more fun tidbits like this in the future!
I do love the Red Shirt!
ReplyDeleteIt's also something you could throw on friendly NPCs that are traveling with for the same bonus if PCs are all worried about dying.
However, I think "noble sacrifice" and other deaths should be something that is expected in this game. I see even long term "campaigns" (not that this is set-up for campaign play more then for module play) having a revolving cast of characters. This isn't a game where a player laments that his character died, but instead is like "Cool, did you see how he went out!"
I wonder if bonuses within a campaign on your next character for Truly Epic Character Death would be appropriate. Perhaps instead, on a Truly Epic Character Death at the end of a scene or during some big event, there is a chance (pure fate score roll on a d20?) that the character somehow survives, and at the next down time the scene cuts to the character in the hospital, beaten, broken, but somehow alive (maybe unconscious...)
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