Rrakkma-hunt questions

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Azure's picture
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Rrakkma-hunt questions

A rrakkma is an illithid hunt that is not complete until the dead illithid number equil to the rrakkma band, correct?  This brings up a few question in my mind.

Suppose a rrakkma band sets off with 10 members.  They kill three illithid but lose four members in the process.  Do they need to kill 7 more (total 10) or 3 more (total 6, as in surviving members)?  I'm inclined to say the later, simply because otherwise it becomes incresingly difficult to come home.  What if you're the sole survivor out of an original dozen warriors?  Does that mean you have to come back with 12 illithid heads by yourself?

Does every member have to actually get a kill?  Is a kill considered 'shared' if, say, a spellcaster puts a buff on a warrior, a rogue collects valuable info, or a psion coordinates an attack?

What if two rrakkma bands meet?  Do they pool their kills?  What if both bands have lost members like in the first example?

Opinions please. 

Zimrazim's picture
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Azure wrote:Does every

'Azure' wrote:
Does every member have to actually get a kill?  Is a kill considered 'shared' if, say, a spellcaster puts a buff on a warrior, a rogue collects valuable info, or a psion coordinates an attack?

That would be rough on githyanki ghustil (healers), as well as other oddball specializations like diviners.  (Of course, I'm biased, having a PC with possibly the worst combat stats ever.)  Those oddball specializations, however, may be perceived as less glorious than the sort of warriors who do 120+ damage per round. :) 

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I think it would be pretty

I think it would be pretty extreme if every member literally are required to make a killing blow.

An effective rrakkma band, just like any adventuring party and any sort of combat group in D&D in general, works best when members cover various roles, a significant part of which isn't focused on actually killing. The healer that keeps the warriors alive certainly serves a critical role, and I can't imagine giths compromising the group's illithid-slaying efficiency by putting less resilient members in the line of fire.

 

I also think the rrakkma terms imply slain illithids = surviving members, not members at the start of rrakkma. If a gith has proven itself capable of surviving rrakkma and thus pretty valuable, why enforce a policy that will put them against increasingly impossible odds?

 

Hmm, this gives me a great idea for a character... An opportunistic and treacherous rrakkma survivor who figured his group had come as far as they could - and as a consequence murdered members until the group lived up to rrakkma terms. Or rather than directly murder, simply fail to do his job at critical moments, eventually slipping away when the last few survivors are caught up in a pivotal battle and thus leave them to their doom. 

Azure's picture
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Dunamin wrote: Hmm, this

Dunamin wrote:

Hmm, this gives me a great idea for a character... An opportunistic and treacherous rrakkma survivor who figured his group had come as far as they could - and as a consequence murdered members until the group lived up to rrakkma terms. Or rather than directly murder, simply fail to do his job at critical moments, eventually slipping away when the last few survivors are caught up in a pivotal battle and thus leave them to their doom. 

What an honorless snake!  I love it!  Let's add that to the list of rumors about Grazz the Accursed.

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It sort of reminds me of the

It sort of reminds me of the Serpico movie near its end when he's working in narcotics.

Azure's picture
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Heh ... I know Serpico.  He

Heh ... I know Serpico.  He lives in the town I grew up in.

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