Patrons

Variable

A "Patron" is an NPC – or even an entire organization – that serves as your advisor, employer, mentor, or protector. An employer must be exceptional to qualify as a Patron, though; a Patron is much more than an ordinary boss!

Power

The base point cost of a Patron depends on its power. Use the categories below as a guide, but note that some Patrons won't fit neatly into any of them. The GM’s word is final.

A powerful individual (usually built on at least 150% of the PC's starting points) or a fairly powerful organization (assets of at least 1,000 times starting wealth for the world). 10 points.

An extremely powerful individual (built on at least twice the PC's starting points) or a powerful organization (assets of at least 10,000 times starting wealth). Examples: a limited manifestation of a minor god, a billionaire, or a big-city police department. 15 points.

An ultra-powerful individual (built on as many points as the GM wants!) or a very powerful organization (assets of at least 100,000 times starting wealth). Examples: a super, a limited manifestation of a major god, or a big city. 20 points.

An extremely powerful organization (assets of at least 1 million times starting wealth). Examples: a large corporation or a very small nation. 25 points.

A national government or giant multinational organization (net worth basically incalculable), or a true god who appears personally to intervene on your behalf. 30 points.

Note that the base cost to have a deity as a Patron is comparable to that for a powerful mundane Patron, but divine power requires the Special Abilities enhancement (see below), which will greatly increase the final cost of a divine Patron!

Frequency of Appearance

Choose a frequency of appearance, as explained under Frequency of Appearance. If the GM determines that your Patron appears at the start of an adventure, he may design the adventure to include an assignment or aid from the Patron. He may also choose to leave out your Patron, if its appearance would make no sense or disrupt the adventure.

However, if the GM determined that your Patron could have appeared, and you try to contact your Patron during the adventure (for help, advice, etc.), then the contact is likely to be successful and you may receive aid. (Within reason – if you're locked in a dungeon without any means of communication, you won't be contacting anybody.) You will not know whether your Patron is "available" on a given adventure until you attempt to request aid. As a rule, you should only be able to reach your Patron for help once per adventure.

Remember that a powerful Patron could be helpful without actually intervening! A Chicago hood who can say, "I'm from Big Eddie," or a crimefighter who can flash a Q-clearance card, may carry some extra weight in a tough spot.

Party Patrons

Often, several PCs – perhaps the entire party – share a Patron (they are all agents of the same government, servants of the same cult, etc.). No matter how many characters share a Patron, the cost is not shared; each character must pay full price for the Patron. On the other hand, the GM will make an appearance roll for each character at the start of each adventure – and if the Patron appears for any of them, then it is usually available for all of them. The GM should scale the quality and quantity of the aid provided in proportion to the number of successful appearance rolls.

Drawbacks of Patrons

If your Patron is an army, corporation, feudal lord, etc., you may owe it a Duty. A god or similar Patron may require a stringent code of behavior in return for its aid; see Self-Imposed Mental Disadvantages. A Patron might also have powerful foes that are now your foes; this can give you an Enemy. Such factors can cut the effective cost of a Patron significantly, and turn it from a benefit to a considerable liability!

Employers and Patrons

Not every employer is a Patron. If you can depend on your employer to get you out of trouble (at least sometimes), it might really be a Patron. Otherwise, it's just a job. For example, a small police department is a 10-point Patron if, as most do, it takes care of its own. But the U.S. Army, though powerful, is not a likely Patron – at least for an ordinary trooper. You could say, "The Colonel takes care of his men." But you could just as easily say, "I’m on my own if I get in trouble," and play a soldier who does not have a Patron.

Examples of Patrons

• A powerful wizard as Patron to warriors (or young wizards) whom he sends to find magical items or slay foes.
• A crime lord as Patron to freelance thieves or assassins.
• A minor deity as Patron to a traveling Righter of Wrongs.
• A local police department as Patron to a private detective. (They might find him annoying at times, but he helps them out, and vice versa.)
• A local ruler (in any world) as Patron to an adventurer.
• A large company as Patron to a troubleshooter or spy.
• A super-crimefighter or politician as Patron to a news reporter.

• Any intelligence organization as occasional Patron to a freelance operative, or full-time Patron to its own agents. (The difference between this and ordinary jobs is that you can't quit...) You can apply the following modifiers after multiplying for frequency of appearance.

Special Enhancements

Equipment: Your Patron supplies useful equipment that you can use for your own purposes, and that you would otherwise have to buy. This enhancement only applies if the equipment is yours once given. A soldier with a military Patron would not pay extra for his weapons, since when he goes off duty, he can't take them along. An adventurer in the employ of a generous noble who hands out useful "gifts" would pay extra. +50% if the equipment is worth no more than the average starting wealth in the campaign, or +100% if it is worth more than that.

Highly Accessible: You can attempt to contact your Patron at any time – even when you are locked in a dungeon, lost in the desert, etc. This is most appropriate if your Patron is a spirit, a god you can petition via prayer, etc. +50%.

Special Abilities: Your Patron wields power out of proportion to its wealth or point value. +50% if your Patron has extensive social or political power (e.g., the Governor of New York or the Pope), or +100% if your Patron has magical powers in a nonmagical world, possesses equipment from a TL greater than yours, grants you special powers, or has unusual reach in time or space (e.g., a super, spirit, or god).

Special Limitations

Minimal Intervention: Your Patron is less useful than its power level would suggest. On a successful appearance roll, the GM makes a reaction roll for your Patron to determine whether it actually provides aid; see Requests for Aid. On a Neutral or better reaction, you receive the aid your Patron thinks you need – which may or may not be what you want. This is the classic modifier for gods who have many other minions to aid, and frequently accompanies the Pact limitation. -50%.

Secret: Your Patron works behind the scenes. You do not know who it is and you cannot request aid directly. You might be able to call for help in such a way that the Patron gets the message (GM's decision), but there is no guarantee that the Patron will take action. The only evidence of this kind of Patron is minor incidents and "lucky breaks." This may take the form of information, equipment, or even direct aid ... but only when it suits the Patron, and always in an untraceable way. A Patron like this often regards its aid as an investment on which it expects some return; therefore, it might not have your best interests at heart! Only the GM knows any of these details. You know nothing other than the fact that you have a Patron. -50%.

Unwilling: You obtained your Patron through coercion (e.g., blackmail). It provides aid only because there is no other choice, and it definitely does not have your best interests at heart! You will eventually make one request too many (GM's judgment – perhaps if the appearance roll comes up 18) and lose the Patron: remove the Patron from your character sheet and lower your point value accordingly. Since a Patron is by definition more powerful than you are, taking an Unwilling Patron is risky. If the Patron can find a way to break your "hold," it will, and may well become an Enemy! -50%.