[Paladin] IIEE question & attribute changes

[Christoph Boeckle]

Hello Clinton,

I was having a minor problem with the system, and this is how I will try to work around it.

Activating attributes is a bit confusing. Most players think that what is happening is that their character is failing the task that they where trying to accomplish, but then suddenly pulls off some goofy stunt to save the day. The rules are not very clear for when is the right time to narrate Effects, and it is looking more and more like the paladins are a bunch of characters straight out of a slapstick movie.
So I will rule that beginning with next session, the players roll, possibly activate, and only when I tell them how well they succeeded mechanically do they narrate their character's action.
This leads me to a small regret: the system incents players to describe character actions well, especially when they are not very good. A mediocre paladin is more interestingly portrayed (if we were to follow the rules strictly) than an experienced one with a lot of attribute points and abilities. Maybe this is a matter of personal taste, but I'd prefer if it was more evenly distributed.

The other point I'd like to make with this post is that it would be nice to have mechanics that let you change attribute names. Players often get a better idea about their character after a few sessions, and then notice that some attributes don't fit all too well. Or some important event might change the paladin's mindset. Spending 3x current attribute score in Animus seems like a good price to pay for changing to a synonym, more radical changes could be priced at 4x.


Just my two cents, if you're still planning on releasing a second edition of Paladin.