This is an alternative campaign ruleset. Alternative campaign rulesets are chosen by the gm when creating the campaign, and present alternative ways to play Stuff of Legend
Monster Collectors lets you play characters who don’t fight directly, but instead collect monsters to fight on their behalf.
The Collectors
The PCs are replaced by Collectors. A Collector functions like a normal PC, except they do not have any tracks or features. They gain a perk point whenever a normal PC would gain a facet. In combat, they always have permanently lowered target priority as long as they don’t use any actions, and will die if they reach -10 hp.
Since these restrictions make it very hard to fight, they instead fight by collecting monsters and sending them to fight in their stead.
Collecting Monsters
To collect a monster, the collector must be of equal or greater tier to the monster. Then they must either befriend it or break it.
Befriending a monster involves approaching it in a non-threatening context, and having positive interactions with it – giving it food, petting it, etc. Once the Gm had decided a sufficient bond has been forged, the monster will willingly join your roster.
Breaking a monster means you have established dominance over it so it will obey you. This is typically done by defeating it in combat, then nursing it back to health. This will allow it to be added to your roster.
Maintaining a bond with a creature sufficient to allow it to fight for you requires a lot of continual time and effort, and so only 4 monsters may be on your roster at once. Other monsters may still belong to you, and could be left back home, at your stables, or some other suitable locale, but taking the time to re-establish that fighting bond will require leaving another monster behind if you are at your limit.
Monsters belonging to another collector cannot be collected, as they already have a bond.
Starting monsters
It would be common to start each collector with 1 monster. It may have been gifted to them, or they may have already forged a bond of friendship with it, or have acquired it in some other way.
You could start them with 0 if you want getting their first monster to be part of gameplay, or start them with a larger or full roster if they are more experienced collectors.
Fighting with monsters
When a collector gets into a battle, they may choose one monster from their roster to go out and fight for them. They control this monster as if it were their character. Only one monster may fight for you at a time.it is only due to the bond with their collector that they are willing to fight for them, and that requires the collectors full attention.
Fighting with monsters is fraught with peril. A match against another collector may be fought with a gentleman’s agreement, which means only one monster will be sent out, and it will not be killed if defeated. When not under such an agreement, such as a malicious battle or a battle against wild monsters, a monster will be killed if brought to -4C hp, but another monster may be sent out to replace your current monster. A monster cannot take actions on the round it is sent out.
Leveling up monsters
When a collector levels up, they may also level up the monsters on their roster.
They can each learn a feature, and if the collector gains a tier, so do their monsters, and they will gain a tactical ability as per normal monster advancement rules.
Collector Classes
Each collector may also select a special collector class, which can grant them a unique ability.
Monster Rider
The Collectors may ride upon their monsters back in and out of battle. This position protects them from all harm.
Horde Collector
A Horde Collector may send out two mooks to fight at once. While these individually are more likely to die, they have a lot of them available. Each roster slot taken up by a mook is a species of monster they have ready access to, and can bring two with them at a time and quickly replace a lost one between battles.
Empathic Collector
An Empathic Collector has an easier time forming the necessary bond with their monsters, and may have up to 6 monsters in their roster.
Friendship Collector
A Friendship Collector has one monster that is their deepest companion. This monster will not die unless it hits its negative max hp, but must always remain in their roster.