#nobilis

[deceiver-a-day]

Pretending Zacagrim Treuly is Not a Horrible Person

• [x] ignores everything harmful and hurtful Zacagrim Treuly has done

• [x] gives Zacagrim Treuly more power

• [x] deceives

• [x] does not stop Zacagrim Treuly

• [x] does not protect anyone other than Zacagrim Treuly

[dizzyhslightlyvoided]

(walking home from a bar where a social event was happening, taking a back way away from the main street, in the shade with only birdsong and traffic audible) Oh shit, it's Quiet Walks Home From Loud Places!

[deceiver-a-day]

Saximilla Hedgenettle’s Rolling Pin

• [x] makes things smooth and flat

• [x] aids Saximilla Hedgenettle’s work

• [x] is not too heavy

• [x] offers no resistance

• [x] knocks out those who threaten Saximilla Hedgenettle

[deceiver-a-day]

Estate Sales Facilitated by Falahari Yssans

• [x] liquidate all you own

• [x] gather a horde of greedy strangers

• [x] open a door to the past

• [x] reveal your secrets

• [x] take a cut of the profits

[deceiver-a-day]

Moriel Yerbow’s Budget

• [x] can’t be exceeded

• [x] helps with Moriel Yerbow’s plans

• [x] shrinks when unused

• [x] is always under attack

• [x] buys Moriel Yerbow things

[deceiver-a-day]

Distrusting Galsbrand Cither

• [x] prevents you from heeding good advice

• [x] poisons your mind

• [x] causes you to see fault where there is none

• [x] breeds Ignorance

• [x] impedes progress

[deceiver-a-day]

Those Who Interrupt Ulfabriem Zwerger

• [x] interrupt Ulfabriem Zwerger

• [x] shatter a train of thought

• [x] cease to notice Ulfabriem Zweger

• [x] can only treat people other than themself as objects to be spoken at

• [x] offer nothing worth paying attention to

[thoughtsfromthegm]

@geostatonary relocating the conversation out of the replies 'cause the discussion is getting longform and multimedia XD

I went to check out Chancel Aleph and was exceedingly pleased to encounter this little gem:

I believe this is precisely what I am attempting to capture in my chart, although Jim Henley and I have used different words to describe the same concept (he using "dignity" and I using "competence", both meaning "how cool you are doing it"). The only actual difference is that he starts the improvement cycle at level 0 and considers level 9 to be it's own remarkable category, whereas I separate out level 0 and start the improvement cycle at level 1. (Check below the cut if you want to see me get really in the weeds about this).

I actually had a bit of a hard time parsing what he said after similar to how I had a hard time parsing the original sourcebook, even though I think at the end we come to the exact same conclusion in terms of "Intention guarantees certain qualities of the outcome". I think it's an aesthetics thing, and part of why I wrote the PHB in the first place: there are certain mechanics in the game where, by dint of how it is written, you are either vibing on the same wavelength as the author and it makes sense, or you aren't and it doesn't. The change to the Intentions chart is my attempt to remove that vibe barrier with explicit description of what the guarantees are.

For comparison, this is the original 3rd edition Intentions chart:

0 or less: attempt to do things, but only make things worse 1: make yourself happy 2: accomplish a task; have a tangible impact on the world 3: do something “correctly;” impress people around you 4: do something effective—something that moves you closer to your goals 5: do something productive—something that makes your life better 6: do something that looks damn good—impressive, dramatic, and cool 7: do something really effective, moving you a lot closer to your goals 8: do something really productive—it will make your life a lot better 9 or more: do the right thing, for some fuzzy definition of right

And this is my version:

0 or less: You work on a basic task but only make things worse 1: You work on a basic task with everyday competency 2: You get through a situation with everyday competency 3: You get through a situation with professional competency 4: You get through a situation with professional competency and move one step towards your goals 5: You accomplish a serious undertaking with professional competency and move one step towards your goals 6: You accomplish a serious undertaking with flair and style and move one step towards your goals 7: You accomplish a serious undertaking with flair and style and move a lot closer to your goals 8: You accomplish something life-changing with flair and style and move a lot closer towards your goals 9 or more: You accomplish something life-changing with perfection and move a lot closer towards your goals

Jim's assertion (and honestly Dr Moran's as well) is that level 9 represents a special tier of success, one that includes, as he puts it, "moral guarantee". In other words, what the sourcebook calls "doing the right thing" and what I call "perfection" is characterized by the somewhat-objective moral content of the outcomes of your actions. The consequence of this view is that Intentions of levels 0-2 all guarantee the same level of dignity/competence, which by the explicit phrasing of the level 0 effect is disgraceful.

My assertion is that level 0 represents the only prescriptive fail-state in the Intentions chart; ie with a level 0 Intention you must fail at making things better (for yourself as well). Based on this premise, I take "everyday competency" to be the baseline success mode of dignity/competence, increase it to "professional competency" at level 3, "with flair and style" at level 6, and "perfection" at level 9 I read as being less about the morality of the actions (I have difficulty believing a mortal can guarantee that given their general lack of karmic agency and the squishiness of morality), and more about the transcendent nature of how you did the thing. In my reading "doing the right thing" doesn't mean "doing the morally correct thing", it means "performing the perfect, platonic ideal of whatever action you were undertaking".

Now, worth noting, I don't actually mind if an Intention achieves the morally right thing, especially at those higher levels; and actually, I think including "and do it in a morally correct way" as part of an Intention is a cool character choice. But I'm not quite willing to grant moral certitude as a guarantee based solely on the amount of Will exerted.