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Notoriety & Nemeses

Notoriety​

The world is full of rival factions and powerful creatures that are going to angered or annoyed by your quests. Delving into ancient ruins may disturb the ghost haunting it, performing at a noble's party may draw the ire of another troupe, protecting a town from a goblin invasion will put your party at odds with the goblin camp, and so on. To reflect this, your party acquires notoriety as they complete quests. After a quest or conflict with an opponent, your party takes notoriety according to the nature of the operation:

  • 0 notoriety: Smooth & quiet; low exposure.
  • 2 notoriety: Contained; standard exposure.
  • 4 notoriety: Loud & chaotic; high exposure.
  • 6 notoriety: Wild; devastating exposure.

Add +1 notoriety for a powerful or well-connected target.

You mark notoriety levels on the notoriety tracker on the party sheet.

When your notoriety level reaches 9, you gain a nemesis and clear your notoriety (any excess notoriety “rolls over,” so if your notoriety was 7 and you took 4 notoriety, you’d reset with 2 notoriety marked).

Nemesis​

Your nemesis represents actual tangible threats resulting from all the notoriety you've accumulated.

When you gain your first nemesis, it means your rivals have decided that your party is a thorn in their side that they're going to deal with directly. The ghost from the ancient ruins has tracked you down, the rival troupe has hired a bounty hunter, goblins from the camp have been sent out.

Subsequent nemeses represent you gaining additional threats. For example, 3 nemeses may mean that you've got a ghost and a bounty hunter and a goblin band after you.

Reducing Nemeses​

The only way to reduce your party's nemeses is a direct confrontation.

This may mean a fight. If your party manages to kill or destroy nemeses, reduce your nemeses by 1 for each nemesis destroyed. If your nemeses kill or similarly incapacitate members of your party (by marking their fourth trauma, for example,) reduce your nemeses by 1 for each party member killed or incapacitated.

A troupe of four adventurers have 3 nemeses. They confront one them, a bounty hunter, and end up killing him, but not without cost. One of the troupe had to mark her fourth trauma during the fight. The troupe reduces their nemeses by 2.

Confronting your nemeses can take other forms as well. You may placate the ghost with a specific ritual, offer the bounty hunter a larger some of money, persuade the goblin band to let you help them against their rivals. If you succeed in convincing a nemesis to not be a threat to you, reduce your nemeses by 1.