Outer Characteristics

[hi-di-ho]

One of the things I find strange, is characteristics of outlanders, and caliban. What makes, in the eyes of the ignorant, caliban or creatures to be feared? Some of the outlanders have walked around in freaky colors, or have some or all of the characteristics or symptoms of the undead or monsters. The reason I ask this is because I am curious if such characters are allowed to walk around freely with their base outcast ratings, or if they are hit with the OCR wand in order to reflect their odd characteristics.

Do any have answers or thoughts on this?

[Bluebomber4evr]

calibans don't look human. they're the equivalent of half-orcs, so they have a semi-bestial appearance

[Corvus]

And we cant raise the OCR on everyone outside of Lady's Rest that looks like an undead or look awefully weird and awkward in the eyes of the local Barovians. That would be 2/3 of the server population. 

[DM Macabre]

And we cant raise the OCR on everyone outside of Lady's Rest that looks like an undead or look awefully weird and awkward in the eyes of the local Barovians. That would be 2/3 of the server population. 

That's a nice idea tho muhahahahah!

[HellsPanda]

what of the ones with unusual colours?

[tzaeru]

And we cant raise the OCR on everyone outside of Lady's Rest that looks like an undead or look awefully weird and awkward in the eyes of the local Barovians. That would be 2/3 of the server population.  

Actually, why not? If Barovians are indeed as xenophobic, fearful and grudged as we're lead to believe, it'd make sense.  

I'd appreciate seeing the personal outcast rating more used. Only one of my char has ever got it altered, and I think that was from some automatic thing when casting near guards in the older days.

(then, my Paladin used to get outcast rating 0, better than average Barovian, but apparently the lowest possible was changed to 1 lately.  )

[herkles]

I think that outcast ratings would go up depending on how outlandish you are to other NPCs/barovians. Though personally I never really bothered with the OCR, that could be because my main character is a barovian in the first place but really I have not paid much attention to it.

[HellsPanda]

I think raising it for Very Well known troublemakers, people with glowing eyes, seriously weird colours on people [dyed or not], and really weird behaviour, corpse stench, mist covered people, etc should get their OCR raised...., or that people who think they should have theirs raised, should ask for it.

[Dhark]

calibans don't look human. they're the equivalent of half-orcs, so they have a semi-bestial appearance

Banshee calibans ?

I think rasing Ocr for certain chars. is a sound idea esp if they asked for such

[Heretic]

I think rasing Ocr for certain chars. is a sound idea esp if they asked for such

We've done this with the blatantly obvious.

[Aldarris]

Palemasters automatically get a OR once they reach level 6.  Personally, I've always found this to be EDIT: not logical, because no sane person would walk around in broad daylight with a skeletal graft showing to everyone.

Barovians don't have x-ray vision.

[Minstrel]

Palemasters automatically get a OR once they reach level 6.  Personally, I've always found this to be not logical, because no sane person would walk around in broad daylight with a skeletal graft showing to everyone.

Sorry, you're implying that someone who reaches level 6 Pale Master can still be classified as 'Sane'? They cut off their own arm and then grafted a skeleton bone to the socket, then animated that skeleton arm with knowledge gained from months of obsession with toying with undead!

How sane can they really be?

>_<

[Aldarris]

Uuuh...the fact they cut off their arm and replace it with an undead skeletal graft has nothing to do with sanity.  It has to do with them linking themselves to the undead.  The undead skeletal arm is a symbol, and about this time the palemaster gains even more abilities to summon undead.

In my opinion, and from the numerous sources I researched before I took the class twice, palemasters differ from Necromancers in that undead are more drawn to them, like a soothing presence, then a necromancer who would just bend them to do their bidding.

So we've got people who play in shadows, haunted by visions of the shadow plane.  We've got druids that can turn into furry woodland creatures.  We've got VAMPIRES that walk around, or walk in front of Radu who doesn't notice them.

So, if one were to cut off their arm and replace it, for one to completely die and BECOME undead by your definition should always be insane.

Sanity is a state of mind, determined not only by what a person does but what they believe in.

If we're going to give insane people an OR, considering what you're saying is they'd naturally be singling themselves out, we should probably hit everyone who's got a combination of -1 wisdom modifier and -1 charisma, as they'd tend to be a little crazy.

[Emomina]

One subrace that walks around freely that I personally have questions about are the Ice/Snow/Arctic Elves.  White hair and deep blue skin has got to be as weird in the Demiplane as white hair and obsidian skin. And I think there are at least two character that are the blue skinned elves and they walk around freely and I have always wondered if that maybe should have some OCR.

[Heretic]

The outcast rating represents the ability for the world to react to your character in a AI way. A NPC wont notice stench, it wont make hood checks or search checks on your PC's. The NPC wont smell or notice anything unusual, since they wont go to your PC's to inquire unless DM controlled. If every NPC in the game was a PC (a human intelligence behind it), you'd find that you'd quickly be found suspicious, pale, gaunt; perhaps a search on your PC would end in the discovery of your wretched graft and fear, mistrust would occur, in the case of Barovia, a sideshow attraction reactions in the case of Dementlieu.

The OCR simplifies things; while we know its not 100% accurate on how PC's look or are portrayed in certain cases, its a good, best compromise on having a basis to represent how NPC's react to your wretched, unusual PC's.

[Aldarris]

It's a system that could seriously use revision.

The way NPCs react to some characters who hide their attributes so well has broken realism so many times for everyone around who has witnessed it.

Influence is not the skill that should be used to determine this 100% of the time, since, no offense I believe someone high up told me and others that a PC attempting to identify another PC who's garbed differently, attempting to conceal their physical identity etc.  Must roll a Spot against Hide roll.

The system leaves no room for improvisation as it is.  A character with valid perform, putting on a realistic looking mask and changing their voice would be completely disguised...but all they have to do is walk in front of Radu, who is more observant than every other PC who is mute to the fact, and OOCly the players who are perhaps enjoying the disguised character.

Radu runs at him and smacks him with his hammer, for reasons nobody can see except for OOC.

It's an old system.  Please, let's look at it again?

[dutchy]

so if you as a pc feel you need an ocr contact a dm i supose, if you indeed smell funny indeed should be hunted down killed on sight while getting maimed, then yes ask a dm to change yourself apropiate.

golden skins pale skins etc is all freak stuff for the locals and thus should get an ocr as majorety would iether run make a gesture or stone you on sight.

[Bluebomber4evr]

OR is also regional-dependent (something we haven't made the scripting for as of yet ); a person in full plate armor wouldn't draw a second glance in Barovia but would be looked upon as backwards and provincial in Dementlieu.

[Heretic]

Influence is not the skill that should be used to determine this 100% of the time, since, no offense I believe someone high up told me and others that a PC attempting to identify another PC who's garbed differently, attempting to conceal their physical identity etc.  Must roll a Spot against Hide roll.

Sometimes, players get wrapped up in spot-listen arguments and disguise disagreements, DM's need to cut the debate in mediation. In those cases, I've (You can say Heretic, don't worry. ) had to split the decisions on the DM ship between those problematic situations - PC's attempting to identify another PC need to effectuate cooperative play (mutual consultation), DM's split decisions when these disagreements occur.

[Aldarris]

 

With all these ideas in mind, I think the system could use a lookover.  But it's not -tremendously- important.

[Lockleed]

Posted by: Bluebomber4evr 

OR is also regional-dependent (something we haven't made the scripting for as of yet ); a person in full plate armor wouldn't draw a second glance in Barovia but would be looked upon as backwards and provincial in Dementlieu.

Fluctuating OCR values based off of what items we're wearing?  Thats just sexy.  You could do it based off of basic item type for armors.... maybe even get spiffy, have it check for a specific variable tagged on an item, that might have a more specific modifier to the individual item. 

I.e; a Vallaki garda percieves a human PC garbed in zombie hide armor.  Base item type is hide armor (probably wouldn't throw up any flags in Barovia), but then the script checks for another variable on the armor... say... ITEM_OCR_MODIFIER... and discovers that zombie hide armor tosses up the base outcast rating by another 3 points.  Or whatever.  Then again, zombie hide lowers charisma, which in its own way, worsens outcast ratings.  So maybe this idea is redundant.   

Hmmm.  I wouldn't check any items beyond maybe helm, cloak, and armor.  Gloves and Boots... meh... maybe, I don't figure people put a whole lot of emphasis on looking at other peoples accessories.

[KoopaFanatic]

Hmmm.  I wouldn't check any items beyond maybe helm, cloak, and armor.  Gloves and Boots... meh... maybe, I don't figure people put a whole lot of emphasis on looking at other peoples accessories.

Good idea, but given the variability of helm shapes (and the fact that they mostly get turned into hoods ) it might be wiser to base it on appearance than anything else.
Plus, it'd be nice for the Cloak of the Savage to have more punch! 

[Badbelly]

I think OCR should be left to the DM/Players discretion. However, i would love to see a system implemented that makes temporary changes to a PC. For example, having flies or perhaps a stench applied temporarily to any PC who walks through the sewers or other ghastly places. I think systems that have an effect on PC's due to their IC actions are great for immersion and generate a lot of positive RP.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Posted by: Bluebomber4evr 

OR is also regional-dependent (something we haven't made the scripting for as of yet ); a person in full plate armor wouldn't draw a second glance in Barovia but would be looked upon as backwards and provincial in Dementlieu.

Fluctuating OCR values based off of what items we're wearing?  Thats just sexy.  You could do it based off of basic item type for armors.... maybe even get spiffy, have it check for a specific variable tagged on an item, that might have a more specific modifier to the individual item. 

I.e; a Vallaki garda percieves a human PC garbed in zombie hide armor.  Base item type is hide armor (probably wouldn't throw up any flags in Barovia), but then the script checks for another variable on the armor... say... ITEM_OCR_MODIFIER... and discovers that zombie hide armor tosses up the base outcast rating by another 3 points.  Or whatever.  Then again, zombie hide lowers charisma, which in its own way, worsens outcast ratings.  So maybe this idea is redundant.   

Hmmm.  I wouldn't check any items beyond maybe helm, cloak, and armor.  Gloves and Boots... meh... maybe, I don't figure people put a whole lot of emphasis on looking at other peoples accessories.

I used the full plate example because it involved a comparison with the cultures of two domains we have in the module. Dementlieuse primarily use firearms, so heavy armor is no longer worn there; full plate armor would instantly mark someone as being from a backwater area that hasn't "progressed" to their "enlightened" society, thus they'd have higher OR.

One could make a similar case about magic use between say, Hazlan and Tepest. Or being a non-elf in Sithicus, etc.

[failed.bard]

  Doesn't zombie hide armour still have a charisma penalty?  it used to have a -4 cha penalty, which would raise OCR by 2 points.