Corruption Mechanic?

[jjordan]

I've got a player with a character that's unaware it's an aasimar. Backstory, just accept it and move on. However, I want to start the character out as a scourge and use some sort of corruption mechanic to determine if the character moves towards protector or fallen. Extra lore for the game has competing devas trying to swing the character towards their side. The corruption mechanic will help to determine which powers the character is actually able to use and function as a modifier if they attempt to commit to one choice.

I know there are corruption mechanics out there but I can't find them. Suggestions?

[MrStabby]

Firstly make a list of what would be fun for the player and other players at the table. A list of what wouldn't be fun... Think both mechanically and thematically.

Work out the level of stuff you are happy to give to the other players as well to support their similar development and power progression.

Are you after features as powerful as a feat? As powerful as a background? A skill?

[jjordan]

Firstly make a list of what would be fun for the player and other players at the table. A list of what wouldn't be fun... Think both mechanically and thematically.

Work out the level of stuff you are happy to give to the other players as well to support their similar development and power progression.

Are you after features as powerful as a feat? As powerful as a background? A skill?

It's a specific corruption mechanism rather than a general corruption mechanism so I don't see more than one player being affected.

E.G. One of the other players (a druid character) wanted to have wild shape at level 1 because backstory. The mechanic we agreed upon was that at first level she had a 1 in 4 chance of wild shape actually working. At 2nd level a 2 in 4 chance, at 3rd level a 3 in 4 chance, and the character gets the normal wild shape ability at level 4. They were fine with this because backstory.

In this case I'm looking at someone who is unaware of their celestial background, backstory, and wants to roleplay this. So I'm looking at starting them out as a scourge aasimar and then their actions will determine whether they move to protector or fallen or remain a scourge. Mechanically I want them to be able to use their scourge ability with a very low chance that the protector/fallen ability happens instead AND I want them to be able to try to choose to use the protector or the fallen power and have a chance of it happening or the scourge happening instead. The degree of corruption should influence what result they get (e.g. the more corrupt they are the more likely they are to get the fallen ability rather than the scourge or protector result).

[Composer99]

Do you want the scourge effect to apply at a corruption level in between fallen and protector (a linear track), or do you want to have two branches of low corruption, one for each aasimar subrace, more like a Y track?

[jjordan]

Do you want the scourge effect to apply at a corruption level in between fallen and protector (a linear track), or do you want to have two branches of low corruption, one for each aasimar subrace, more like a Y track?

Good questions. I think I want the former rather than the latter, but I'm not sure.

I'm looking at the old taint rules for hints on this. This idea dovetails nicely with an underlying concept in my setting that some creatures are so powerful they warp reality around them and contact with those creatures or their power can warp others.