Recently noticed something. Running a game focused heavily on the winter phase with female and male PC's.
One of the players happened to create a female pc that acquired the pretty family trait on pg 40 of the main book which seems exceptionally potent in that it brought her appearance up to 26.
Anyway the pretty trait gives a female character +10 APP and seems much better than the other women's gifts in the main book.
Any thoughts? Who thinks that plus 10 APP is far to potent, could it be a misprint?
Did the designers want PC's who could optimally end up with 28 in a trait?

Did the designers want PC's who could optimally end up with 28 in a trait?


yes

Anyway the pretty trait gives a female character +10 APP and seems much better than the other women's gifts in the main book.


Don't be so sure that's the best Women's Gift. For example, imagine a lady with Stewardship-15 and the Caretaker gift (+10 Stewardship, total Stewardship-25). She'll have extra wealth to better handle tough economic times and survive childbirth, while attracting less unwanted male attention (remember the fate of Ygraine's husband).

Choices like that are why I let players *pick* their gifts/family characteristics during chargen.

I would say in most cases an attribute like APP is usually better than a skill

The benefits of APP vary, in many adventures and sometimes campaign groups it may give no benefit whatsoever. And it won't usually help when that lady is travelling across country and her part gets set upon by bandits or a giant (it may cause problems as the giant decides to carry her off). Whereas a gift like the healing one could be a very handy benefit to have. Gideon's suggestion of the stewardship one is a fantastic benefit to the knight she marries.

Well, going by the rules Greg posted in this forum long ago, a high APP gives you a rather handy bonus to a lot of skills.
Plus, but this may just be me, I'd be giving yearly Glory bonuses to a woman with 28 APP. By this point, demons and faeries are jealous of her unimaginable beauty...

Well, going by the rules Greg posted in this forum long ago, a high APP gives you a rather handy bonus to a lot of skills.


Which rules would this be? This sounds interesting.

I'm curious as well, rules to that effect don't appear either here (http://www.gspendragon.com/ladyglory.html) or here (http://www.gspendragon.com/ladystatistics.html). Speaking of the latter, at the bottom of the page it says "Ladies of ANY religion get the same bonus if they live up to their religion’s virtues. However, the bonus gained is different than a man’s. Ladies get the Special Feminine Mystique, explained below." Except there is no below, nor explanation. So what sorts of Religious Bonuses do women get?

I'm curious as well, rules to that effect don't appear either here (http://www.gspendragon.com/ladyglory.html) or here (http://www.gspendragon.com/ladystatistics.html). Speaking of the latter, at the bottom of the page it says "Ladies of ANY religion get the same bonus if they live up to their religion’s virtues. However, the bonus gained is different than a man’s. Ladies get the Special Feminine Mystique, explained below." Except there is no below, nor explanation. So what sorts of Religious Bonuses do women get?

I killed Mystique because the rules did not work well

Bonuses are in K&L

I killed Mystique because the rules did not work well

Bonuses are in K&L


Too bad, the various Religious Bonuses suit knights more than ladies. I might give Religious Pagan women the Potion-Brewer ability off the Women's Gift table from the third and fourth editions, and Religious Christian ones the ability to sacrifice their own lives to give birth to a child who'd die otherwise or bear a healthy child instead of an unhealthy one.

I don't think the "Pretty" gift is overpowered. APP is very useful in a courtly setting but less so elsewhere.

Regarding APP in general, one forum member - whose name escapes me - suggested a house rule which I nabbed straight away. He gave Glory for high APP in the same way Glory is awarded for high traits, passions etc; 1 Glory per point of APP if above 15.

I also recall Greg saying that low APP costs honour; -1 point per point of APP below 10, I believe.

Regarding APP in general, one forum member - whose name escapes me - suggested a house rule which I nabbed straight away. He gave Glory for high APP in the same way Glory is awarded for high traits, passions etc; 1 Glory per point of APP if above 15.


I know I've used that APP Glory rule, though I don't know if I was the first to suggest it. It seems a natural idea.





Any thoughts? Who thinks that plus 10 APP is far to potent, could it be a misprint?
Did the designers want PC's who could optimally end up with 28 in a trait?


Note: women roll 4d6 for APP, so a PC could end up with a 34 APP. In fact, in 1st edition Pendragon, that's the APP Guenevere had.
There are other women in arthuriana who have their beauty compared to hers. I see nothing wrong with a PC lady being one of those (and enjoying the kidnapping attempts that tend to come along with it :) )

This has actually been really helpful