Sidebar
mastermind
The more people you tell your plans to, the more people will make fun of you when they inevitably go wrong.
Mastermind is an archetype best suited to games that resemble a heist movie, as its abilities allow its user to prepare retroactively for what comes up during the course of an adventure (but only if sufficient preparation time was invested beforehand). This also means that it should probably be disallowed by any referees that prefer to maintain total control over their dungeons, as it allows a clever player to bypass or straight-up cancel several key problems that can occur in one. This is part of the fun.
| Mastermind | Always have a plan. | |
|---|---|---|
| caret-right | Clockwork | Control the exploration check. |
| caret-right | Dowsing | Know where the loot's hidden. |
| caret-right | Insider | Retroactively hire enemies. |
| caret-right | Junction | Find alternate routes. |
| caret-right | Keymaster | Open locks and disarm traps. |
Mastermind
| Utility | plus-circleCasing: Name a facility (bank, prison, research lab, spaceship, fortress, dungeon, whatever) that you want to break into or out of. By spending 24 hours studying the facility in question (examining blueprints, subtly interrogating workers, using your giant logical brain, etc) you can case it. minus-circleRequired: All Mastermind abilities require you to case a facility before you can use them there; an uncased facility cannot be affected by Mastermind. |
|
|---|---|---|
| Utility | plus-circleMapping: At any time when you're in a cased facility, you can ask the referee to add a node to your map that you haven't actually entered yet. You know the layout and entrances/exits of that node exactly as if you had already been there, and it is considered “mapped” for purposes of moving through it quickly. minus-circleNot Searched: Secret or hidden features are not revealed by this mapping, nor are any creatures present in the room. minus-circleMojo: When you add a room to your map without actually having entered it, roll a trigger die. If the result is 1-6, then doing so costs 1 Mojo. You cannot use this ability if you have no Mojo remaining. |
|
Clockwork
| Utility | plus-circleStochastic Pattern: You can determine the results of an exploration die check in a facility you've cased. This allows you to (for example) select whether you meet an encounter, experience a special dungeon-specific effect, or simply enjoy a quiet moment. You don't have to roll it, you simply declare what it's going to be. plus-circleAmbush: If you choose to have a random encounter, you and your party are very ready for them when they show up. Your side gets automatic surprise (take a full round of actions before initiative even gets rolled). minus-circleMojo: Controlling the exploration check result costs 1 Mojo. |
|
|---|---|---|
Dowsing
| Utility | plus-circleKeeping Score(s): You've got almost a sixth sense when it comes to finding valuables. At any time, you can ask the referee if there's unfound treasure/dosh/resources/intel/other goodies anywhere on your current map. If there is, they show you which node it's in. If not, they tell you you've gotten everything (at least so far). You can do this as many times as you wish to reveal the location of multiple hidden valuables. minus-circleInconsistent: The referee doesn't tell you the exact nature of the undiscovered valuable, just that it exists. 1 lone point of Provisions tucked in the back of a cabinet counts as an undiscovered valuable just as much as a camouflaged vault bursting with Dosh. minus-circleMojo: Every time you ask the referee about undiscovered valuables, roll a trigger die. If the result is 1-6, then doing so costs 1 Mojo. You cannot use this ability if you have no Mojo remaining. |
|
|---|---|---|
Insider
| Social | plus-circleMy Guy: You can declare that any single nameless NPC you meet in a cased facility (Toast-Guard #3, Research Flunky #7, Random Orc #9, whatever) is actually already in your pocket and is here to help to the best of their ability. This allows you to hire them instantly and immediately as a follower, even if they were previously an enemy. minus-circleChumps Only: You cannot use Insiders to declare allegiance from any NPC important enough that the referee gave them a name unless the referee is cool with it. If you're not sure, ask. minus-circleHiring Costs: You still have to spend Dosh to hire an insider as a follower as normal. minus-circleMojo: Retroactively making an enemy into a follower with this ability costs 1 Mojo. |
|
|---|---|---|
| Sidebar: Followers |
|---|
| You can hire an NPC to come along with you on your adventures as a follower. Followers are generally under your control and do what you want them to for as long as they remain in your service, including fighting at your side and helping you carry the loot. In order to be hired as a follower, an NPC must be willing, sapient (they cannot have the Simple weakness) and be of equal or lesser level than yourself. Followers remain in your employ until the end of the session, upon which point you must re-hire them if you want them to come along again the next time. In order to hire a follower, you must pay an up-front fee of Dosh equal to the follower's level. Followers immediately consume/spend/stash their hiring fee, removing it from the game. This means that they do not bring it with them for use on your adventure together, nor can you steal it from their pockets or loot it off their corpse. Every time a follower accumulates a point of Stress, roll a trigger die. If you roll a number equal to or less than that follower's total current Stress, they desert you (either immediately or at the next available opportunity). In addition to all the normal means of accruing Stress, followers automatically gain a point of Stress every time you significantly mistreat them (referee's call). Although you control your followers, the referee always has the option of taking temporary control of them if they decide that the NPC would behave differently than you want them to. For example, if you have a habit of using followers as bait or trap-springers, they'll probably refuse after the first time they get hurt doing so. If you hire a known glutton as a follower, the referee can say that they eat the forbidden pie you gave them to carry even if you specifically told them not to. That kind of thing. |
Junction
| Movement | plus-circleThe Back Way: Your careful study of a cased facility has revealed unorthodox routes (such as air ducts, crawlspaces, hollow walls or easily-breakable barriers). You can choose to add a new connection between any two mapped nodes. You can use this connection to travel between the two nodes just like any other connection between nodes. minus-circleMojo: Adding a new connection to your map with this ability costs 1 Mojo. |
|
|---|---|---|
Keymaster
| Utility | plus-circleAccess: You can declare that you've already got a copy of the key/passcode/credentials/etc for a locked door/container in a facility you've cased. minus-circleMojo: Retroactively granting yourself a key with this ability costs 1 Mojo. |
|
|---|---|---|
| Utility | plus-circleSabotage: If you or an ally sets off a trap or automated alarm of some sort in a facility you've cased, you can retroactively declare that you already knew about it and deployed a countermeasure. This completely negates its effect. minus-circleMojo: Retroactively sabotaging an automated defense with this ability costs 1 Mojo. |
|
mastermind.txt · Last modified: 2020/11/19 13:46 by kyle
Except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license: CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International
