Changeling/Goodwill

Court Goodwill

The Goodwill merit is a way of measuring just how highly members of a given Court hold you in their regard. It is a blend of IC popularity contest and an estimation of how similar your values are to theirs, and it cannot be bought with XP outside of CharGen.

In CG, you may only purchase up to Goodwill 2, and it costs the same as any other merit. Add any Goodwill requests to the +myjob created when you complete character generation; it is not purchasable under the +xps system, and will simply create another +job if you forget!

Note: this includes the Directional Courts (North/East/South/West). While you can't play them, you can certainly have met them in your backstory, and if you intend to purchase their Contracts, this will save you some PRPs.

Bear in mind:

• Goodwill has nothing to do with the Freehold. This is strictly how the Court feels about a given person. They could very well be an enemy of the Freehold, or from another Freehold altogether, and still have Court Goodwill.
• Goodwill is not an OOC popularity contest. It is an in-character representation of the Court's feelings toward the Goodwill holder.
• Goodwill is not about your OOC issues with X player. If you hate the player and don't think you can give an honest vote, abstain.

What Does Goodwill Give Me?

At low levels? Nothing much. At higher levels... that's another story. By default, for most* Courts, any character may purchase the first dot of Court Contracts at non-affinity price. Dot levels 2+ are restricted to those with Goodwill or Mantle high enough to buy them.

Benefits by dot:

1. You seem okay, and people think you're cool.
   • You gain access to the Court's channel and BBoard.
2. They like you more. You've done them some good turns.
   • +1 dice to Social rolls against members of the Court. Court member MAY ignore this bonus depending on the situation.
3. They like you even more. You're reliably there for them when they need a hand.
   • +1 dice to Social rolls against members of the Court. Court member MAY ignore this bonus depending on the situation.
   • You gain access to the second dot of Court Contracts.
4. Wow! You're pretty cool. You've done significant work for the Court.
   • +2 dice to Social rolls against members of the Court. Court member MAY ignore this bonus depending on the situation.
   • You gain access to the third dot of Court Contracts.
5. Really, why aren't you in our Court again?
   • +2 dice to Social rolls against members of the Court. Court member MAY ignore this bonus depending on the situation.
   • You gain access to the fourth dot of Court Contracts.

Asterisk!      The Dawn Court's Contracts of Potential may only be purchased by those with Goodwill or Mantle (Dawn), period, while Dusk's Contracts of Entropy are open to everyone, regardless of whether or not you have Goodwill or Mantle (Dusk).

Gaining Goodwill

Easy peasy: do things to make a Court like you. The first dot is pretty easy to earn. The fifth? Not so much.

Please remember that this is based on perception of your character, and even if your character is internally the Springiest Summer that ever sprung, if he's externally a cranky insulting irascible Summer no one wants to spend time with, he's not going to be getting Spring Goodwill. It doesn't matter what you feel. What matters is how other people see you. Sad truth.

Mechanically...

+req/fae <court> Goodwill=<Your Reasons>

Staff will set up a +vote for the Court you are requesting Goodwill in. The voting period will last 10 days or until all members have voted, whichever comes first.

You may only gain one dot of Goodwill at a time. Each dot will require a separate vote with appropriate time and interaction in between.

If the Court has agreed to give you their goodwill, staff will add the merit to your +sheet, let you know, and close the +job.

NOTE: Among <Your Reasons> in the request, you MUST include a brief writeup of why you believe you are eligible for the Court's goodwill. Give concrete examples. Saying, "You should give me goodwill because I've helped you out!" isn't as helpful as, "I think I deserve goodwill 3 because when the hobs attacked Andy, I almost got killed trying to protect him so the Court could finish their ritual with a live King."

Removing Goodwill

If you are a member of a Court, and someone with goodwill has been trampling all over your finer feelings and insulting your Court left and right, that is a very good reason for them to LOSE that goodwill. Actions have consequences.

Mechanically...

+req/fae Goodwill Removal=<Who and Your Reasons>

Depending upon the severity of the offender's actions, and their existing goodwill dots, this may amount to lowering the level of their goodwill or removing it altogether.

If someone is Goodwill 4, an offense might drop them back down to 3 until they managed to make it up to the Court, but if they, say, kidnapped the Winter Queen and sold her to the Gentry, that would be a veeeerry good reason to nix their goodwill entirely.

Voting for Goodwill

All +votes will have the following three options:

Yes - You agree that they deserve the Court's goodwill.

No - You disagree with their justification. They do not deserve the Court's goodwill.

Abstain - You don't know the character, or don't feel strongly either way.

While you are welcome to explain why you are voting a given way, only you and staff will see your rationale, unless the vote comes out, "No way!" In that case, staff will include a brief note to explain why the Court refused the prospective Goodwiller's request.

Tallying Votes

Votes are weighted by Mantle, with stronger Mantle ratings having more influence on the vote.

Goodwill 1-2: Win with simple majority, abstain votes discarded.

Goodwill 3-5: Win with simple majority, abstain votes counted as "NO" toward the total.

You cannot ICly gain Goodwill in the Directional Courts. If you are ever desperate to acquire it, staff will consider it viable if you have PRPs run for you where you demonstrate, in far-flung Asia (or a city here with a high ethnically Asian population), just how, and what, and why you deserve their high opinion of you.