Rippertech Lodges

A Rippertech Lodge works somewhat like a character.

Attributes & Derived Stats

Lodges have just three attributes:

Income: The ability of the Lodge to generate income

Research: The ability of the Lodge to learn new things.

Fighting: The ability of the Lodge to fight the Cabal

Cabal Threat Level: Is a measurement of how active the Cabal is in this area. It starts at a 5.

Cabal Degree of Difficulty: Is a measurement of how difficult the Cabal is to fight. As a Lodge increases in ability, it will take on more and more difficult opponents. The Cabal DOD starts at +0 for a new lodge.

Edges & Hindrances

Lodges also have Edges and Hindrances. A new lodge starts with no edges.

Most of the Edges are gaining new facilities that gives new capabilities for the Lodge. They Edges are:

Alchemist's Lab: Gives a +2 bonus to a Ripper doing arcane research*

Armory: Gives a +3 bonus that can be spread out over the 5 stages of the Fighting Phase*

Chapel: Allows a PC to create Holy Water once per month. Pre-req: Church

Church: Gives a +2 bonus to Spirit rolls made in the Lodge*

Fame: The Lodge becomes famous. Members of this Lodge receive a +2 bonus to Charisma when working with other Rippers.

Foundry: You can craft special metals items (Silver Bullets, Cold-iron weapons). Pre-req: Workshop

Library: A Ripper using a Library receives a +2 Bonus.*

Library, Specialized: A library dedicated to one particular Knowledge skill, gives a +4 to Knowledge rolls in the Lodge.

Medical Center: Adds +2 to Healing rolls made in the Lodge and +2 to Vigor rolls for Natural Healing

Operating Theater: A successful Heal check can cure a permanent injury if reached within 2 days of the injury happening. Pre-req: Medical Center

Reliquary: Gives a +2 to researching holy items. Pre-req: Church

Ripper Lab: Required to install Rippertech

Secure Cells: Allows a monster to be safely contained while alive. Useful for extracting more Rippertech from it

Training Room: When using an advance that increases 2 skills, you may instead increase 3 of them. Pre-req: Seasoned Lodge

Workshop: Required to build any non-magical weapons or ammunition.

* This Edge can be taken once per Lodge rank. Each additional time you take it, you gain the bonus.

Lodge Hindrances:

Haven't thought up any yet.

XP, Advances & Ranks

Lodges gain XP each Lodge turn (see below). Like a character, Lodges gain an advance each 5 XP, go up a Rank at 20, etc. With an Advance, the Lodge can increase an Attribute, Gain an Edge, or Lose a Hindrance - same as a player does.

To advance a Rank, a Lodge must reduce the Cabal Threat to 0. A Lodge that has the XP to advance a Rank but that has not reduced the level earns no XP until they reduce the Threat to 0.

When a Lodge goes up a rank, the Cabal Threat Level resets to 5 (the lodge starts to deal with a wider area) and the Cabal Degree of Difficulty increases by 2 (the Lodge starts taking on tougher monsters).

The Lodge Turn

Once a month (in game time), we'll run a special "Lodge Turn". The Lodge Turn goes as follows:

Income Phase: The Lodge makes a roll based on their Income attribute. Each success and raise provides 1 Income. The players decide how they want that income to be used. It can be split among the following areas:

• The income goes to the treasury

• It can be used as a plus to the Research Phase (the lodge pours money into research)

• It can be used a a plus to each step of the Fighting phase

Research Phase: The Lodge makes a roll based on their Research attribute. Each success and raise provides 1 Research. Those points can be split among the following:

• Learn a new common Rippertech. For 2 points, learn an uncommon Rippertech

• Develop a new weapon (eg: Impaler, Gatling pistol) or a new technique (Silver Bullets, Cold-iron forging)

• Bonus to each step of the fighting phase (You learn about the enemy)

• Conduct thorough research on some topic.

Fighting Phase: A lodge has to fight the Cabal each month. To do this, the Lodge makes 5 fighting rolls against a target number of 4. The Cabal Degree of Difficult is subtracted from each of these rolls. Any points earned in the Income or Research that were dedicated to Fighting are added to this roll. A Lodge with 0 Income takes a -2 to the roll. The result for the month depends on the number of successes and raises:

• Less than 2: A disastrous month. The Cabal Threat Level increases by 2, the lodge loses 2 XP (members died).

• Less than 5: A poor month. The Cabal Threat Level increases by 1, the lodge gains no XP.

• 5: You battle the Cabal to a standstill. Lodge gains 1 XP.

• 6-9: Success! The Cabal loses 1 Threat Level. Lodge gains 2 XP.

• 10+: For each 4 points above the 6 (so 10, 14, 18, 22, etc), the players can claim an extra reward for the month. Possibilities are:

  • Cabal Threat Level reduced by another 1

  • Treasury gains 1 income (the Lodge does a lot of looting)

  • 1 Extra XP

Cards Each Phase: For each phase of fighting, 1 card is drawn. A club represents a complication and the fighting this round is done at a -2. A Heart is a chance for treasure - if the Fighting roll is a success, the PCs may gain some extra treasure (1 income, a minor relic, recovered a monster for ripping, etc.)

PC Involvement: If the PCs were in the lodge city for most of the month, they can Cooperative the rolls above. A PC can only coop one phase. A PC might aid the Income phase with a Smarts or Persuasion (charming donors) roll; the Research Phase with an Investigate, Streetwise, or Knowledge roll; or the Fighting Phase with a Shooting or Fighting roll (the players rolls once and adds that bonus to all 5 phases).

Income & The Treasury

The Lodge's money is tracked in generic "Income" and is earned in the Income phase. Lodge Expenses get paid out of that (a trip to Berlin might cost 1 Income, a steamer to the US might be 2.) The non-PC members of the Lodge are assumed to be paid and do not decrease the Treasury.

PCs can pay themselves from the Lodge. All PCs may take out $200 for 1 Income.