- THE AGE OF SHADOW -

Oaths

Copyright Kristian Richards 2012

(Version 0.9)
 OATHS
The following (optional) rules introduce
a simple game mechanic that will allow
GMs to add meaningful oaths (with
in-game advantages and drawbacks) into
their adventures and campaigns. However,
before any character is allowed to take an
oath, the GM will usually insist that their be
an actual in-game (role-playing) reason for
a character to do so.
For example, if we assume that a
character has witnessed several atrocities
performed by the servants of the enemy,
then that character might well decide to
swear an oath to hunt down and slay
beastlings wherever he/she finds them.
Taking an Oath
When a character takes an oath he/she
gains the option of trading improvement
points and/or fate points for oath points
(note that this may be done when the oath is
actually sworn, or any time thereafter -
assuming that the oath has not been
fulfilled). Each improvement/fate point is
traded on a one for one basis (so trading 2
improvement points and 1 fate point gives
the player a pool of 3 oath points), though
no character may accumulate more than 3
oath points for a particular oath at any one
time.
Note that in most cases
improvement/fate points should be
converted into oath points well in advance
of them being used as such (usually at the
beginning of a game session), and that a
character with a store of fate points, for
example, cannot spontaneously convert
them into oath points at a moments notice.
Using Oath Points
Each oath point can be used to improve
the degree of success of a single skill test
by one step - but only if the test is relevant
to the oath in question. For example, a
fumbled roll could be upgraded to a mere
failure, whereas a failed roll could be
upgraded to a success, or a successful test
could be upgraded to a critical success.
Alternately, a character also has the option
of spending three oath points to improve the
degree of success of a single skill test by
two steps (i.e. to increase a failure to a
critical success for example). However, any
success that is raised to a critical with the
use of oath points is simply regarded as a
critical for the purpose of determining the
outcome of the test, and any additional
benefits of a natural critical (such as
maximum damage from combat attacks, a
lower magic point cost when casting spells,
etc.) do not apply. Also note that, in the
case of opposed tests, a character that uses
an oath point is considered to have rolled
the absolute best he/she could have done for
the new result - i.e. a character that raises a
failed roll to a success is assumed to have
rolled exactly the same as his/her skill
value (see page 16 of the main rulebook for
more information on opposed skill tests).
Once oath points are used they are gone
forever - though players can of course trade
in more improvement/fate points to gain
additional oath points (or indeed to swear a
new oath*) when they become available.
So, if we stick with the previous
example (where a character with 3 oath
points has sworn to slay beastlings
wherever he/she finds them), that character
may utilise his/her oath points to increase
the degree of success of three separate skill
tests by one step (or one skill test by two
steps) - so long as those skills pertain to the
combating and tracking of beastlings.
As you can see, oath points not only
grant characters a substantial boost to
certain actions when they need them most,
but they may also inspire moments of great
role-playing as players strive to act in
accordance with the oaths that their
characters have sworn. On the other hand,
the regular loss of improvement/fate points
can be somewhat detrimental to the
advancement of the character in the long
run, if that character becomes obsessed with
fulfilling his/her oath.
*See multiple oaths
 Fulfilling an Oath
Sometimes an oath may be ongoing (as
in the previous example), or it may only
surface when certain parameters are met
(for example, a character that swears fealty
to a noble lord may be called upon at
several points in his/her lifetime to fulfil
his/her vows). In such instances the
characters oath might very well last until
his/her death, and thus the act of fulfilling
the oath is ever present - whether the
character directly engages in its fulfilment
or not.
In these circumstances the GM may like
to reward the player with the occasional
oath point (in addition to any improvement
points they might normally get for
completing an adventure) if he/she feels
that the character has performed admirably
with regard to his/her oath, or has achieved
a notable victory/goal that concerns it
directly. However, the GM should try to
avoid being overgenerous with such
rewards, and only award them for truly
memorable moments of play.
In other instances, an oath might have a
very specific ending in sight (such as a
character that has sworn to avenge the
death of a loved one by bringing a
particular brigand to justice), and in cases
such as these, once the oath has been
fulfilled, the player may transfer any
existing oath points back into improvement
points on a one for one basis. In addition,
the player is also rewarded with a number
of improvement points (usually 1 to 3)
depending on how well they performed
while under the constraints of the oath.
For example, a character that did the
absolute minimum to fulfil the oath, and
then only when it suited him/her, might be
lucky to receive one improvement point
upon its fulfilment - whereas a character
that consistently put his/her oath above all
other concerns (including his/her own
safety) might receive three or more.
Breaking an Oath
Any character that either continually
tries to avoid fulfilling an oath, or
purposely and wilfully goes against it, is
declared an oath-breaker and is subject to
the following penalties:
y The character loses their entire pool of
oath points.
y The character may not swear a similar
oath again (or until a sufficient time has
passed - as determined by the GM).
y The character gains a corruption point.
However, for the first few minor
offences (and only so long as they are
minor offences) the GM might prefer to
deduct an oath point from the character in
question, as a way of warning the player
that their actions are contrary to their
characters oath (which may, or may not, be
intentional). In addition, it is also feasible
for GMs to allow oath-sworn characters to
adopt a simple live to fight another day
mindset in certain situations (usually when
the odds are stacked so heavily against the
character that it would be unreasonable to
expect him/her act in a certain way), and to
rely on their common sense when these
situations arise (for example, a character
that has sworn an oath to slay beastlings
wherever he/she finds them, shouldnt
really be punished for choosing the sensible
option and not charging single-handedly
into an entire legion of the foul beasts).
Its also worth noting that it is not
advisable for GMs to continually try to
trick their players into breaking their
characters oaths (but that is not to say that
such characters should never be forced to
make tough decisions as a result of an oath
sworn in haste), and to instead view them as
invaluable tools for planning future
adventures and scenarios, or even to help
drive the story forward if things start to
grind to a halt. After all, a player whos
character has sworn an oath to slay
beastlings, is likely to follow up on any
leads that offer him/her the chance to do
just that!
 Multiple Oaths
While it is not recommended that players
should be under the influence of multiple
oaths at the same time (or indeed start
swearing oaths at the drop of a hat),
sometimes a character will develop a valid
reason for swearing a new oath in addition
to an existing one.
In such cases, the oath points for each
oath will need to be kept track of separately
(and are not transferable between oaths),
and the maximum number of oath points a
character may posses for each is reduced by
1 for each additional oath that is sworn (to a
minimum of 1). For example, a character
who has sworn two oaths can accumulate a
total of 2 oath points for each oath, whereas
a character with three or more oaths may
only have one point for each. In addition,
any character that becomes an oath-breaker
loses all of his/her oath points - not just
those relevant to the oath that has been
broken.
Finally, if a character breaks multiple
oaths during the same adventure (or on a
regular basis), the GM may decide that the
character in question becomes cursed. If
this happens, the GM gains oath points of
his/her own (usually one per adventure),
which may be used on the cursed character
to downgrade one skill test by one step (i.e.
the reverse effect of a regular oath point).
This continues until such a time as the
character redeems him/herself in some
manner (e.g. attempts to fulfil one of his/her
broken oaths) or until a sufficient time as
passed (as determined by the GM).
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The Age Of Shadow Copyright 2011; Author Kristian Richards.
The Age Of Shadow Oaths Copyright 2012; Author Kristian Richards.