Compliments to Boasting
With Dogs on the Isle well underway, I've begun contemplating ways characters could progress other than the classic Boasts. Luke Gearing's Alternatives to Boasting is excellent, but these are not meant to be alternatives. These are things you pile onto a Boast-based system, seasonings on the steak that Luke Gearing laid on the grill that is my hobby space.
Some more accoutrements for a Boasting system are Taunts by Oldhawkeyes, Obligations by LG and Vows by Nathan Bateman. I have not playtested these as of yet. But when has that ever stopped me from running my stupid bitch mouth?
Bonds
The ones you love tie you to this world so that you may endure it.
A Character may choose another Character that they have spent significant time with to forge a Bond with. This can be done in any number of ways (marriage, parenthood, bonds of fraternity, etc), but generally speaking a character may not hold more than one Bond of a certain category. Once a Bond is forged, the beneficiaries of it gain a +1 to all Saves. You can't die here! There are people waiting for you back home!
To maintain a Bond requires time and effort. You must spend at least part of your free time between adventures with your Bonds to stay grounded.1
The price of love is the risk of grief. If your Bond dies, you receive a permanent -1 to all Saves.
Wagers
Who will slay more orcs in the fjord? Who can lift the heaviest boulder in a single try? We will see who gets these honors- and who shrinks away from their loss.
Wagers are for when two characters wish to test themselves in direct competition. They must set a goal that cannot be done cooperatively; it is a matter of a winner and a loser. The winner of the Wager gains 1 HD while the loser(s) loses 1 HD. Any number of Characters may partake in a Wager, but there can only ever be 1 winner. To be brought to 0 HD by losing a Wager sets your Max HP to 1, bereft of all status and aura. You may not Wager again until you have regained HD (and dignity) through some other method.
You may not have a Wager and a Boast active simultaneously.
Proclamations
Sometimes, you must remind the world, and yourself, exactly who you are. Recite one of your accomplished Boasts, and call upon this deed for a burst of strength. If the called-upon Boast gave you an additional HD, you regain HP equal to 1d6+1, a second wind. If the called-upon Boast improved your attack bonus, you may make a second attack this turn, adding +2 to hit.2
Once a Boast is called upon in this way, its power wanes. You lose the benefits gained from this boast permanently.
In my game, our downtime system is as simple as 2-3 Activities per downtime. To maintain a bond, you must "spend" an Activity doing something with your Bonded character. Go too long without maintaining, and the benefit will fade.↩
Depending on the Boast being proclaimed, it could provide some other benefit if the situation called for it. For example, a Boast to have climbed down a cliff face bare-handed might be called upon while performing a feat of strength, turning a difficult Strength test into a medium one.↩