House of Cards GM Log

IMC: How Many Points Is a Mook?

posted by Ginger at 09:49 PM, October 17, 2004 | Filed under : IMC , NPCs , Rules & Rules Updates | Comments and Followups

Paul talks about how many points mooks are worth in Strange Bedfellows. Here’s some information on how we stat them using Everway point measurements in House of Cards.

Information about the value of character points and the two scales we use in House of Cards can be found here.

Elders for the most part have 30+ points on the Amberite scale. One of the things that increased points mean for elder-class characters is that they have fewer weaknesses to shore up and that they’re able to be more broadly competent. Most of their element scores are above 3 (“Amber”) and they may also be competent with more than one Power. Example elders are Random, Fiona, and Julian.

Youngers (including PCs) for the most part have 20-25 points on the Amberite scale. They generally have one element at 7 and others as low as 3 (“Amber”), or spread their points more evenly among the elements. While some youngers have two powers, this generally means that either their “low” element scores are quite low or that their powers are weak compared to their more specialized peers. Example youngers are Martin and Cambina.

Heroes, villains, and major sidekicks operate on the Amberite scale and generally have 12-20 points, although exceptionally puissant characters might have more. They don’t have major powers (particularly Pattern), although they may have shadow powers that are of equivalent local effect. If they’re very tough, they may have element scores of up to 7, but are more likely to top out at 5. Example heroes, villains, and sidekicks include Lancelot, Venesch, Thalia, Vianis, and Vista.

Minor characters operate on the Shadow scale, so all PCs are at an effective +2 against them in direct contests of elements (such as fighting). They are exceptional types with 15-20 points and element scores of up to 7. Example minor characters include Avid, Lord Rein, Kourin, and M. Most castle guards and some Rangers fall into this group, as do elite shadow fighters.

Mooks and everyday people operate on the Shadow scale. They are normal types with about 12 points, and generally have no element scores over 5. The vast majority of Amber citizens and Shadow people will fall into this category. Example everyday people include May, Heap, and Gouter.

Because of the way the Amberway point system works, there is a lot of variation in power in the groups. The ranking system is broad and general, and there are exceptions to it. For instance, every dragonrider has a three-point dragon in addition to his or her personal point value. Nor does the point system account well for characters with expensive magic items.

The biggest exception in the Amber NPCs is Merlin, who plays like a younger but has points like an elder, in large part because he now has points in four major powers. In Amberway, there’s no countervailing point disadvantage for “being Merlin”.

Follow up: the trackback URL for this entry is: http://www.whiterose.org/MT/mt-tb.cgi/4479

2 Comments

Claire Bickell
Oct 17, 2004 10:49 PM

Apart from, y'know, being Merlin?

Arref
Oct 18, 2004 2:19 PM

I like the scale, and how easily you can use it in your head while typing out a post.

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