RE: [DL] Hucksters and Strain (Comments requested)

["Clint Black" <cblack@ohtinc.com>]

I like this, but of course, I have to twist it to EVIL.

I would base Stake off of Spirit.  I would not limit the Huckster to a Two
Pair maximum.  However...

Stake is based off Spirit because the Huckster is literally gambling away
part of his soul.  It can regenerate over time like Strain, and no Huckster
actually gives away all of his soul.  If he does, he pretty much becomes an
NPC Black Magician.

No, what happens is that when you spend Stake, your Spirit is based of your
CURRENT level.

Thus, Bob the Huckster with a Spirit of 3d12 has 12 Stake.  He spends 2 on a
hex, and now all of his Spirit based rolls are figured as a d10 until he
regains his Stake.  If it is an odd number, like say Bob casts another hex
and spends one more Stake to reduce his backlash, then he would roll a d8+1.
If he gets down to a d4, then he starts to subtract any additional from
Spirit based rolls.  Let's say Bob has been in a rough fight and spent all
of his Stake <manitou licking their lips at the taste of his soul>.  One
plain old walkin' dead steps around the corner (okay, not plain old in my
world.  The walkin' dead is actually the long lost child he had been
searching for).  So Bob has to make a guts check.  He has a 5 in guts, but
with all of his Stake gone, he soul is just barely holding on to reality.
He has to roll a 5d4-4 to face his fear.  Poor Bob.  At least he made sure
his child was well fed.  BRAINS!!!!



Clint Black

"You smell that? Do you smell that? ...Ghost Rock, son. Nothing else in the
world smells like that. I love the smell of ghost rock in the morning. You
know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over
I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' Yank body. The
smell, you know that sulphurous smell, the whole hill. Smelled like...
victory. Someday this war's gonna end..."