Reputation Bonuses: The Rewards of Renown

In which Dyo unfurls the benefits of Reputation for a RISE-ing hero...

When I was very young, shortly before I got my hands on my first fiddle, I had already begun collecting lore. Most dear to my heart, as no doubt to many others, was the story of Hector, the truest hero of the Iliad. What struck me most was the poet Homer's* convention of attaching personal descriptors to particularly legendary character's names. Thus, it was "Hector, Breaker of Horses." It was more than a silly sobriquet, it was greater than a throwaway nickname-- it was an EPITHET (not to be confused with the related word EPITAPH**), a reference to an unchanging characteristic by which the character was known. Indeed, it was a marker of his Reputation.

Peter Paul Rubens ,"The Death of Hector,” ca. 1630–1635

All Bards (and many others) know and love the idea of garnering enough renown to merit an epithet-- I once knew a bard whose epithet was "the Silver-Tongued," which is significantly more glowing than other possible epithets. I have gamed with a rogue called "the Dragon-Rider." And, under another persona I have vehemently assigned epithets to other characters with hopes of such honorifics catching on, often against the recipient's will... Luckily, RISE has a formal system for Reputation so I'm not solely left to my own devices.

Reputation points are awarded by the GM in recognition of achieving a certain believability or vividness of character, or as a reward for surviving a particularly harrowing battle or displaying ingenuity in how you play the character; more straightforwardly, Reputation bonuses may also be earned through the mastery of Competencies.

As a bard, I'm stuck on the fact that a Reputation point comes with the assignment of a formal epithet. But as a player, I am (almost) equally motivated by the Reputation Rewards that accompany the title. These bonuses to character creation and advancement represent the fact that the more famous your character is, the more effective your character should be within specific realms. (This holds especially true for Bards, Commanders, and Assassins, all of whom have to court renown or some level of notoriety in order to hold their offices well, and all of whom have powers that are specifically affected by the application of Reputation points.) There are eighteen potential bonuses to be gained through the acquisition of Reputation: for each point earned, you receive one of those bonuses (based on the GM's preference, your choice, or the roll of a die, whichever your benevolent GM dictates). These Reputation bonuses can be (and should be) a game-changer. Just imagine how much more fearless you could be in battle with ten additional hit points, or how many of your stats would shift when you receive a +1 to one of the major six attributes governing your character!

Generally it is wise to choose the benefit that modifies rolls or grants Effects that are directly related to your character's fame, so that you may use the first Reputation point to boost you toward greater Reputation down the line and to continue to demonstrate your interest in shaping your specific character in a purposeful manner.

So, for example, someone with a very high-stakes but non-renewable power might want to choose Benefit #3: Double the result of a future die roll, while a player who has her eye on features that would be benefitted by having an associate might seize on Benefit #1, in which your reputation causes you to gain a follower. In keeping with RISE's focus on individual choices having in-game consequences, Reputation rewards players who make their characters rise from featureless, generic drones into unique characters (and the more epithets you have, the more facets to your character). Thus, the benefits can directly affect your characters in-game (a boon given directly TO your character, like Benefit #9's monetary donation or land grant, or FOR your character, as in Benefit #12, the ability to retool the character's point investments behind the scenes, for those of you who got the big eyes and tried to specialize in everything, earning the sobriquet "jack of all trades, master of none").*** Moreover, Reputation has a way of helping to shape your character, for what we are recognized and rewarded for, we generally will do more of.

But back to the naming part-- the GM has the privilege of bestowing your new epithet on you (often, ideally, through a NPC's comments). Like all great honors, there is the danger that the epithet will take on a life of its own, attracting unwanted renown, misunderstanding, competition, or other ill effects that your character will face in consequence of her larger-than-life profile. Just consider the example of my beloved Hector, Breaker of Horses, whose renown was such that his head was the most coveted in battle... but the record of his deeds lives on, encapsulated in his worthy epithet.

It is with glory in mind that I entreat you to RISE, gain renown, and become a hero whose story grows to magnificent proportions, a character so legendary that years later you and the mighty folks with whom you campaigned will look back on that time, and the epithets earned, with tremendous satisfaction.****

What epithet would you hope to earn as you RISE and become a hero? Whatever it may be, the secret to achieving it is purposeful character creation, both behind the scenes and in-game. Check out the rest of the blog for more suggestions on how RISE helps you create and grow a legendary character!

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*There was a singular, historical Homer, who captured handed-down myths into a singular, beautiful epic rendition. Don't even get me started on whether there were multiple Shakespeares. As a bard of much, much lesser talent, I know greatness manifested in a single soul when I see it-- and I also acknowledge that many grains of genius are pollenated into such stories from other minds, much as a bee takes sips of many choice flowers to create his synthesized masterpiece of honey.

**It's true, I used to confuse the two words. An epitaph, of course, is the inscription on a tombstone designed to aide in memory-- one can easily imagine one's epithet handily supplying a memorable epitaph.

***Should you find yourself tending towards the dreaded early-period character sprawl, see Jogi's "Pros and Cons of a Mid-Campaign Character Rebuild."

****My epithets, you ask? I'm delighted to recount them! I am Dyobelshyb, The Buoyant Heart; Dyobelshyb, Who Loves the Least. Still aspiring towards "The Sparrow at the Abbey of Winter" and "Calliope's Favored Daughter."