That Damn Trickster
Submitted by mike on Mon, 12/27/2010 - 19:30
The Trickster Flaw is Eurmal’s curse. Once per session – ideally at an inopportune moment - the Narrator should use the Trickster Flaw against the one of the heroes (including potentially one of the heroes). The precise nature of the Trickster Flaw is ever-changing and should be different each time the Narrator invokes it."
From the Sartar Companion.
Any reason I shouldn't put this into effect?
Inevitable
On occasion, Brian plays Senech that way and the heros have to counter, explain or recover from the faux pas, revelation or embarresment caused by Senech's action. If Mike wants to direct Brian to play the trickster flaw at an inopportune moment, it won't be too far from what goes on already except it will become more regular (once per session).
I don't know if the way Senech and his Troll, entering the Aldryami corner of the city counts, but it is the most recent example of another mess caused by Senech from which which other characters will feel compelled to extract him and, for which, to make amends.
Play it up and there will be quite a lot of conflict, drama and tension especially between Senech and Speth, but even more than usual with the other characters. Remember that Senech has "I'll get you Will" for allowing the Lunars to boot Senech out of the city. I don't like it, but it is a useful plot devise.
Trickster Flaw
"Any reason I shouldn't put this into effect?"
I'm gonna assume it's Mike who applies the flaw. Sure, why not? Game play wise, I always expect it anyway. I mean really, if a whole city can take their problems and put them on a trickster you gotta pretty much believe there's a lightning bolt with your name on it in every cloud.
I'm already playing Senech like a man on a path to a psychotic break (more socks anyone?). But with a hosing as part of the rules...doesn't that mean there has to be some balanced gameplay action for a trickster that's beneficial? Humakt has gaeses. you want super strength, you gotta never be healed by chalana arroy. Why would Orlanth (or issaries or Lhankor Mhy) keep Eurmal around if at the most inopportune times bad crap happens?
by the way Jon, i think its "i'll get you" and not "I'll get you Will". I believe all the family members were there and didn't do anything. At least that's the way Senech sees it.
That's What I Get For Thinking
I sit corrected. Senech does go out of his way for the family and all he gets for it is stuffed in bags and beaten. However, it seems that tricksters are valuable assets (from the lightbringer quest, at the very least, to being surprisingly creative and unexpectedly powerful forces for change, at their best) or else they would not be included in hero bands. Like the Humakt warrior, the Eurmal trickster has a mythologically correct role to play. Note 1) Even King Broyan has one in his Iron Ring (Illusu?) and 2) The Rass Family only participated in a bag beating beacause the Lunars made it happen. The Rass do not go around beating their trickster unless they can't help it.
role to play
I'm with you on the mythological role to play. I'm just curious about a game parameter that tries to make a bad thing happen to a character with no balancing upside the other way. For example, senech can be routinely kicked and beaten by people. But Senech can also screw with people and not suffer because he has a patron. If there was an "Eurmal Escape by a whisker" blessing or "*$%# trickster magic" strength, even something implied in trickster philosophy I could understand it more.
Was there a myth of Eurmal being cursed? or is this Eurmal cursing people (his way of joking)?
Not cursed.
Eurmal IS a curse.
Any trickster who is not bonded or taking one of the Proscribed Roles* is a curse on his community.
I think the rule is mainly of use for NPC tricksters accompanying Orlanthi PC heroes. A way to make sure they get the bad with the good.
* Proscribed Roles:
Downboy the Lightbringer aids in the Lightbringer Quest.
Deadeye the Deathfinder is usually found only in Sartar. Imprisoned within willow sticks at a Dead Spot, his glance kills.
Hisfault the Scapegoat
Killerboy the Destroyer A prisoner fed anger and hatred, then released on foes.
Pro/Pre
In typical trickster fashion, the Sartar book has what MAY be a typo.
PROscribed: condemned, forbidden
PREscribed: recommended, a good idea.
The book uses both interchangeably!
on the path?
"I'm already playing Senech like a man on a path to a psychotic break "
It strikes me as strange that you consider Senech sane. When your nature was revealed during your initiation, the priests tried to cure you of it.
hmmm
I don't remember the priests. Maybe that's when Sue was running senech.
Ok, so there's insane, and then there's insane. Here's a bad analogy. Rorschach of the watchmen; he was crazy, but he wasn't psychotic. now the joker, ok that's really insane. I was viewing Senech as between Rorshach and the Joker.
out of game
The initiation happened before game play.
simple really
here's what I'm going to attempt:
Mostly, I'm leaving this to Brian. But as an evening goes on, I'll be more and more likely to invoke it.
Oh, and the longer it goes, the worse it will be.
So at the very least, the Trickster Flaw makes a great cliffhanger generator!
umm
Are you saying you are leaving it up to me to actually invoke the flaw, but the longer i wait the worse it will be? Thou blood is cold, cold, cold.
Inevitable
We don't have to like it, but on the upside (Is there an upside?)...
Brian, you were alluding to a benefit to balance the flaw. There should be a way to make Eurmal's curse be good for the Rass and bad for their enemies. Remind me how the transfer of flaws takes place. Is it that a trickster is (un)ceremoniously bagged and beaten, flaws transferred to him and then he is ostracized? Upon entering some other place, can the trickster transfer selected flaws to a new victim?
No set method
Aside from some things I don't think you mean (like making him a Destroyer by feeding a trickster all your anger and unleashing him on foes) there's no set way to do what you suggest. Benefits vary depending on the ritual and what you do with (or to) Senech in the ceremony.
It's Complicated
Correct. I did not mean to make Senech a destroyer by force feeding him anger and hatred. I meant that if the Lunars can transfer their flaws to a scapegoat and run him out of town then we can do the same thing.
Senech also transferred a flaw to the Rass when he returned. Can he do that to others by entering their place? Why not design a ritual for Senech to shed a flaw on a foe?
Why not!
Why not!
oops!
Thought I was hitting "reply" when I hit "delete".
In answer to the deleted question: in my game, Babeester Gor is close enough to Orlanthi. Note it says "Orlanthi" not "Orlanth."
In other words, related to the pantheon. And while BG is much more common in Esrolia, she has a place in the Orlanth pantheon. The relationship is unusual, but every trickster is, and it also was forged in the hero world as I recall, so the normal rules don't apply.
What to do when your patron is an avenging earth daughter
Sounds good. I will play Senech as the Bonded Trickster then.