Searching and Spirit Linkage
- Thread starter elliotbay
- Start date
Ezri
Knight
Dave has it right. If they're linked or locked to you, they cannot be stolen. It's one of the reasons people get those rituals done in the first place.
Note also that you do not have to immediately hand everything over. You may say "desribe your search" or even "physical search" (assuming the searching party is ok OOG with the latter) and make them actually search you. The searcher then replies with "I look in your pouch" or "I check the jewelry around your neck" or whatever he/she would do physically to loot you. If they hit a location where you have something, THEN you must turn it over. If you have something hidden somewhere that they don't think to check before they run off, then they missed that item.
As an NPC you generally just hand everything over unless you've been instructed by plot or a monster master not to (undead just turn to dust, low intelligence creatures may not think to hide things) but as a PC you are not required to dump out your pouch and let the robber make off with everything in 3 seconds.
Note also that you do not have to immediately hand everything over. You may say "desribe your search" or even "physical search" (assuming the searching party is ok OOG with the latter) and make them actually search you. The searcher then replies with "I look in your pouch" or "I check the jewelry around your neck" or whatever he/she would do physically to loot you. If they hit a location where you have something, THEN you must turn it over. If you have something hidden somewhere that they don't think to check before they run off, then they missed that item.
As an NPC you generally just hand everything over unless you've been instructed by plot or a monster master not to (undead just turn to dust, low intelligence creatures may not think to hide things) but as a PC you are not required to dump out your pouch and let the robber make off with everything in 3 seconds.
I had an npc who was a bit of a punk, and made us role play our search for every single creature he came out. Some of the hiding places he would chose were kinda annoying, too.
One day, I had had enough. We had chased him down and caught him (that was a long run), and he said "phys rep it" with a very smug look on his face.
His grin vanished as I yanked his trousers down, and snapped on rubber gloves I had gotten from work, going, 'alright..."
He never pulled that again.
One day, I had had enough. We had chased him down and caught him (that was a long run), and he said "phys rep it" with a very smug look on his face.
His grin vanished as I yanked his trousers down, and snapped on rubber gloves I had gotten from work, going, 'alright..."
He never pulled that again.
Ezri said:
Maxondaerth
Squire
That's when you get out the duffel bag and make them climb in, cause when they dissipate everything will be pre-bagged that way and you can go through it later at your leisure. 
But if you don't present it, the party searching you doesn't find it. Do spirit-linked items automatically "hide" when being searched for? Is that acceptable? If not, what is the proper way to handle those items while still remaining in-game yourself?
Yeah, I read that in the rule book, and thought, "Why would you ever not require a description? If the bastard's going to steal from me, at least make him work for it."
Ezri said:
Yeah, I read that in the rule book, and thought, "Why would you ever not require a description? If the bastard's going to steal from me, at least make him work for it."
obcidian_bandit
Count
No. If they find it, they find it. Say something like "You also find this." When they try to remove it, declare "Spirit Link." It gets left on your person wherever they put it down. On the off chance you Perm, it'll be sitting right on top.elliotbay said:
Duke Frost
Baron
It's much different when a PC requires someone to describe their search or actual do a search than it is as random NPC. PCs have free will within the rules of the game. It's also okay to get attached to your PC. You really shouldn't get attached to NPCs, especially nameless crunchies. Monster camp will make more and you'll have an opportunity to play more of them.
The job of every NPC is to entertain the PCs, not to be a pain in the ***. It's like the NPC you send out with ten lives and instruct to go in and get killed and be back in half an hour. Then 2 hours later he's still running around on his first life because he just refuses to stand and fight and keeps running off into the woods. NPCs should constantly be asking themselves, "Is what I'm doing fun for the PCs I'm interacting with?" Some NPC going out as 100 lives of crunchies and demanding "Describe your search" every time is not fun. It's also not logistically helpful when you need your NPCs to keep fighting so it appears there area lot more of them. We give our NPCs very specific instructions on how to perform in different battles and as different critters in the same battle.
The PCs want to feel like heroes (or anti-heroes), they want to feel strong. I'm a big fan of sending out an NPC with 10 lives with one resist magic each instead of two lives with five or one life with 10. The same amount of spells (or more) get used on the ten, but the player feels like they've accomplished something. I don't think anyone likes pumping 11 spells into one creature to take it down. Pumping two spells into ten creatures and getting ten "kills" seems way more fun to me. I've even gone down on one spell as an NPC with resists because I knew it would make the player feel cool, and I knew I could just go back to monster camp and request more lives if I felt like running around more.
Getting back to the original point, keep in mind that if you have something hidden IG, it needs to be hidden OOG. You can't say "describe your search" and then claim something is hidden in a secret compartment in your pouch when none exists. You can't claim something in your pouch is hidden in your boot, it must be in your boot.
Scott
The job of every NPC is to entertain the PCs, not to be a pain in the ***. It's like the NPC you send out with ten lives and instruct to go in and get killed and be back in half an hour. Then 2 hours later he's still running around on his first life because he just refuses to stand and fight and keeps running off into the woods. NPCs should constantly be asking themselves, "Is what I'm doing fun for the PCs I'm interacting with?" Some NPC going out as 100 lives of crunchies and demanding "Describe your search" every time is not fun. It's also not logistically helpful when you need your NPCs to keep fighting so it appears there area lot more of them. We give our NPCs very specific instructions on how to perform in different battles and as different critters in the same battle.
The PCs want to feel like heroes (or anti-heroes), they want to feel strong. I'm a big fan of sending out an NPC with 10 lives with one resist magic each instead of two lives with five or one life with 10. The same amount of spells (or more) get used on the ten, but the player feels like they've accomplished something. I don't think anyone likes pumping 11 spells into one creature to take it down. Pumping two spells into ten creatures and getting ten "kills" seems way more fun to me. I've even gone down on one spell as an NPC with resists because I knew it would make the player feel cool, and I knew I could just go back to monster camp and request more lives if I felt like running around more.
Getting back to the original point, keep in mind that if you have something hidden IG, it needs to be hidden OOG. You can't say "describe your search" and then claim something is hidden in a secret compartment in your pouch when none exists. You can't claim something in your pouch is hidden in your boot, it must be in your boot.
Scott
Dreamingfurther
Baron
Daviomac said:
LOL! I have to say I think this NPC was providing some very good fun by letting you pull that one on him... its even more funny in the re-telling I suppose...
Maxondaerth said:That's when you get out the duffel bag and make them climb in, cause when they dissipate everything will be pre-bagged that way and you can go through it later at your leisure.
I enjoy telling them, Oh ill just wait 5 mins and when you disapate every thing will drop to the floor, by the rules if they have any thing for that life they must drop it.