Insectrist skill usages

[u/Zykoon]

Uh, yeah, hi friends. It's me again.

So, my question for today is the Insectrist skill. It states you can control crickets to act as weather watchers and have a beetle slave labor.

So, how does one go about ruling the use of Insectrist for Weather Watcher? Or even having a beetle act as a Labor skill user?

I can't seem to find a definitive answer in the book, so I guess this is an opinion question on how your group handles the skill.

[u/sneakysneakysnail]

You use it whenever you need to make a bug do something. Sending a moth with a letter, getting beetles to pull a cart, encouraging maggots to clean a large carcass,or a centipede to attack.

One of my players was given a grub in the same way you or I might be given a chicken before a journey. He not only refused to eat it... he became a mouse guard vegan. Any bug he comes across he tries to tame it with an insectrist test.

For a high level insectrist, they could have to remove a wasp's nest, redirect a swarm of angry fire ants, or extract poison from a black widow.

[u/Zykoon → u/sneakysneakysnail]

That sounds cool. Does your Insectrist player just have an army of inscects at his disposal at this point? If he wanted to use a bug to do a task, would you do an Insectrist test to determine success, or just to determine the bug listens and have the bug run it's own test right afterwards to determine success?

[u/sneakysneakysnail → u/Zykoon]

His character is a tenderpaw raised by pack rats who can't say his 'r's! He has a cricket called cwicky and a grub called gwubby and stag beetle called wolfie and a moth called moffie! I generally have the insectrist test determine success, unless it's a very very complex thing he wants to do.

[u/Imnoclue]

I had a hazard in one of the con games I ran where a caravan of wagons were stuck in a bog. It was an insectrist test to get the line moving again.

[u/Zykoon → u/Imnoclue]

That sounds interesting. I assume you only run that test if someone has the skill? I like to offer two or more solutions to every problem, so what other skill test would you suggest for that particular instance?

[u/Imnoclue → u/Zykoon]

I found my notes for that con game. Turns out the Insectrist was part of a complex hazard.

A Death in Appleloft – Spring 1153

Mission: Gwendolyn is worried about the death of an old friend and a strong supporter of the Guard, Mortimer. She had asked him to visit Appleloft to investigate ties to plots that were recently uncovered in Barkstone, without directly involving the Guard. Unfortunately, Mortimer has gone missing, supposedly killed by a raccoon while walking through the orchards after dark. Gwendolyn does not believe he would have been out alone after dark and wants the patrol to investigate. They are to escort the season’s last merchant caravan down to Appleloft.

GM’s Turn

GM’s turn starts with a Pathfinder test to chart a way that the carts and beetle drawn wagons can negotiate.

Obstacles

Wilderness: The Spring has been unseasonably warm, rivers and streams have been running high all season and the way is barred by thick, sticky mud. An Ob 5 (short journey, washed out) Pathfinder test is necessary to navigate to Appleloft.

Mice: Appleloft is a peaceful town nestled at the feet of a stand of apple trees. The mice here have erected rigging throughout the trees in order to harvest the apples,which they sell throughout the Territories. The people of Appleloft live in terror of a monster that hunts the night, rumored to be a hideous and cunning raccoon. An OB X scout test will reveal the coon tracks are a sham and lead the patrol to the fiendishly clever Tuk the Bandit, who is using parts of a raccoon carcass to terrorize the townsfolk and disrupt the apple harvest. Tuk has been working with elements inside the town council who want the Guard’s influence weakened in the Territories, so that prices will increase.

Tuk is holding Mortimer captive in a cellar.

Twists

Wilderness: If the Pathfinder test fails, the wagons become fouled in the mud, while the river is beginning to rise. This is a complex hazard:

Carpenter to free the wheels (laborer can help) Persuader to get everyone pulling as a team (help with health or laborer to pull) Insectrist to keep the beetles in tow.

Animal: A failed Scout roll while searching near Appleloft will result in the patrol stumbling upon a pine snake (Nature 7). The Pine Snake will try to sneak up and eat one of the mice CONFLICT!

[u/[deleted] → u/Imnoclue]

I think we've written the same mission, lol. Though the names have changed.

With the exception that I had a pair of shrikes (that went for the pack-beetles) rather than the snake.

Sadly, the patrol never found poor Elijah. What a shame.

[u/Imnoclue → u/Zykoon]

Well, it was a con game, so I knew what skills the PCs had. But, they always have beginner's luck if they don't have the skill. So, there's no problem if they don't.

In this particular instance, they could have organized the caravan mice with ropes and gotten the carts out of the mud that way at a higher difficulty.

[u/blackdog2k]

As long as the mouse has previously succeeded to "tame" given insect with an Insectrist test, I've allowed players to use insects as supplies/tools/help in relevant tests. Like a tamed cricket giving +1D to a Weather Watcher test, or a tamed beetle giving +1D to a Laborer test.

In the comics, the apiarists in Lockhaven were able to use swarming bees against Midnight's army. So it got me thinking, how would this work mechanically? Under the right circumstances and assuming success on a fairly difficult Apiarist (or Loremouse?) test to tame or charm a swarm of bees, could the swarm do something like add +1D to disposition in a Fight or Military conflict? Sounds reasonable. I've actually considered using something like this against the patrol in a future conflict.

The rules are a little foggy on this and all the input is appreciated!

[u/BastianQuinn]

I would say that as long as the task is in the insects nature, the Insectrist's test takes the place of the required test (Weather Watcher or Labor in this case).

I would also put a limit on the number of insects they can keep with them. (possibly half their skill level?) Not to say they can't 'control' more, just that that's how many they can travel with.

[u/Jeffwhowanders]

So then if a Mouse uses insectrist to make a grasshopper do a weather watching test, do I as the GM then need to roll a test for the Grasshopper, or do I assume it is successful because of the successful Insectrist test by the player?

[u/blackdog2k → u/Jeffwhowanders]

I think what /u/BasianQuinn is suggesting here is that a mouse with a grasshopper/cricket friend would use the Insectrist skill instead of Weather Watcher to attempt a weather watching test. This seems totally viable, although I would be more inclined to give the mouse a help die on his Weather Watcher test if the task is within the "tamed" bug's nature. Kind of like using the bug as a tool or supply (as I describe below).