Since the polls showed and overwhelming support for the favors & flowers mechanic in the spring tourney, we’re bringing them back this time, but the rules have changed a bit. We’re altering a few mechanics to make the process simpler for everyone, which we hope will make the Favors System more accessible.
Just like in the first tourney, all competitors can get one favor to enter the ring with! A favor is a special item that is given to a tourney competitor by someone who is not competing. Usually, favors are given by family, friends, or lovers. A favor can be as simple as a handkerchief or as personal as a corsage made especially for the competitor, but whatever it is, it is an item that the tourney competitor carries with them through every match of the tourney, creating a meaningful bond between the competitor and the favor-giver.
A favor can only be given by another RP character who is not competing in the tourney. This limit is in place to make sure no one ends up competing against their favor! That wouldn’t work out very well stat wise...
Favors grant the competitor a special DIRE SAVE bonus. This means that if a competitor is about to fail their match, they will get a second chance to save. For example, an archer who rolls a nat 1 while shooting for the target will get to re-roll on the target and collect the score for the new roll. A fighter in a duel who failed to block a hit and might fail will get a second chance to dodge an attack.
Non-competing characters who are giving favors can only give ONE favor. This is because of something special the mods are planning, and just trust us, it is better if it is one favor per giver. The only time this rule will be broken is by Mod Muses who are assisting special situations for competitors.
Yeah, you heard me, leaves. While the Spring Tourney had a focus on flowers, the Autumn Tourney has an aesthetic of the season, which would be focused on changing leaves. Mod Emm has done research on the symbology of various trees and has thusly made some Stat interpretations for their leaves. By wearing garlands, corsages, or even just symbols of these leaves into the tourney, competitors can pick from the following bonuses--
OAK: gives you ADVANTAGE on one roll during match
ROWAN: gives your opponent DISADVANTAGE on one roll during match
ELM: gives a +1 to one ability roll for any competitor (i.e. +1 on a strength contest in melee or +1 on a ranged archery score)
PINE: gives you an extra strike / spell / projectile / flourish / game move to possibly increase your overall score
HAWTHORNE: gives any competitor a CRITICAL MOVE which can only be used in a time of crisis. The Critical Move will give them an automatic success for one roll in their round, but it will also leave them exhausted on their next roll (aka: DISADVANTAGE on the next roll)
Leaves & Favors need to be acquired during the Oct. 15-20 window!!! When you are checking in for your competition match, you need to check in with your name, your bracket, your favor, and your leaf listed.
To make it easier for the mods to write matches in a timely, prompt manner, all competitors using Leaf Bonuses can do one of two things:
Choose one leaf for the first 2 matches, then pick new leaves for the semi-finals and finals based on your own strategic technique.
Pick a Trick-or-Treat option and let the mods randomize your leaf bonus for every match, giving you new, surprise bonuses in every match. (To check in with this, add ‘TRICK OR TREAT’ to your check in ask and don’t specify a leaf bonus)
And just in case you were wondering how much of a difference the Leaves & Favors make, then know that every single winner of the Spring Tourney took advantage of these bonuses, and they were contributing factors to their win. These mechanics definitely do a lot more than just add in aesthetics-- ; )
