What Do I Know?

The thoughts continue to flow regarding when and how to use Icon relationship rolls . . .

Character Death

When the character would normally die, roll the Icon relationship die.  If a 5 or a 6 comes up, the Icon’s agents, or those working against an Icon, have been keeping an eye on the PC and want to make sure that they don’t pass on just yet.

On a 5, an agent of the Icon  (or their enemies) arrives and saves the PC, but the magic used also compels them to perform a quest to complete the spell.  Failing to do so causes the PC to meet their final demise, but usually the PC will have enough time to finish what they are currently doing before performing this quest.

On a 6, an agent of the Icon  (or their enemies) arrives and saves the PC based on a previous deed they have performed.  The PC should come up with what that deed was, which is usually something that happened “off screen,” between adventures that the party has been on.

While the PC has been saved, this doesn’t quite count as being raised from the dead.  The ally shows up at the last possible second to save them without resorting to magic that raises the dead.

Total Party Kills

Everyone in the party drops.  Clearly, they are all about to shuffle off the mortal coil and join the Adventuring Party Invisible.  But wait . . . maybe they don’t.

Roll an Icon relationship roll for each PC.  On a 5 or a 6 for any PC in the party, there is no TPK.

If there are any 5s on the Icon Relationship rolls:  come up with a really nasty campaign setback, much as you would if the party had retreated from a fight, but make it much more important to the overall direction of the campaign.  For example, if you would have normally had the dragon destroy the nearby town, instead, the dragon appears to be an agent of the Three, and there may be a civil war in the Dragon Empire if the PCs don’t defuse the situation.

The PCs will all be saved by agents of whatever Icons may have been indicated on the relationship dice, with any PCs that didn’t roll a 5 or a 6 being able to describe what agents rescued them, if more than one Icon was indicated.

If only 6s come up, then there was no major campaign setback  (in the example above, perhaps the agents of the Icon managed to kill the dragon to save the PCs).