Draft Update for CPS/Arrest rules

[Ymbert Montgomery]

A character charged with a crime must be arrested before he can stand trial. Before a character may be arrested, a warrant citing his crimes must be published in press.

Local guardsmen, members of regiments, the CPS and his two ferrets may arrest a character as a no-time action providing they are in the same place as the character.

Colonels and company commanders may dispatch men of their company / regiment to arrest a character in a similar manner. Any clergyman may offer sanctuary to a character with a warrant on him, and the character must remain in church that week and do nothing, but he cannot be arrested. A character that meets people trying to arrest him loses that week’s action.

A character wanted for trial may give himself up, giving him a +1 bonus at his trial.

A character that meets people trying to arrest him may try to resist arrest. He must make a check on a d20. If successful, he gains 1 status point for every cumulative successful resistance since that warrant was issued (i.e. 1 SP the first time, 2 SPs the second time, 3 SPs the third etc.) to a maximum equal to half his social level. The character who sent the men to arrest him loses 1 status point. A character who resists arrest even once has a penalty of -2 at his trial. If a character participates in a successful arrest they get an official commendation, which functions as a MiD for all purposes.

Results

1 or less – Fugitive is arrested and rolls on the death table (same as dueling)

2-3 Fugitive is badly hurt in arrest (lose 50% Endurance).

4-11Fugitive is arrested.

12-13 Fugitive escapes, but is injured in the attempt (-25% Endurence)

14-17 Fugitive makes a clear getaway.

18-19 Fugitive makes a dashing escape, gaining an extra 2 SP for the resistance that month.

20 All arresting parties roll on the death table! (A Fugitive can order that they will surrender rather than risk killing people if they want to avoid a possible murder charge)

Modifers

Fugitive has base Expertise of 3-5: -2
Fugitive has base Expertise of 6-9: -1
Fugitive has base Expertise of 10-12: +0
Fugitive has base Expertise of 13-15: +1
Fugitive has base Expertise of 16-18: +2
Fugitive's Thievery SCR Roll: From +2 to -2
Fugitive on 50-75% of Endurance: -1
Fugitive on 25-49% of Endurance: -2
Fugitive on less than 25% of Endurance: -4
All arresters are NPCs: +2
CPS makes the arrest personally: -3
Arrester includes member of the Paris Guard: -2
For each PC arrester over the first: -2
For each PC who has ordered an obstruction of the arrest: +2 (This is very likely to lead to charges!)

Once arrested, a character and is released on bail for the rest of the month.

The trial will be held the following month. If he does not attend the trial, he suffers a penalty of -2 to his defence and must be arrested again before sentence can be implemented. He also becomes a Knave.

If a character is at the front a warrant may still be served but they will not be arrested until their return. In this case the CPS has two options. They may postpone the trial until their return or they may hold it in absentia. If the latter a +2 bonus is provided to defense; judges are reluctant to convict those serving King and Country. If a warrant is extant for a character at the front, the CPS will not lose their role if no cases have been successfully brought in six months. However, once the character returns, if six months has passed and nobody has been convicted, an unsuccessful court case will instantly lead to them losing the appointment.

[Ymbert Montgomery]

What do people think? I'm trying to add a bit more colour to the CPS role and to arrests specifically.

[huillaume]

About the CPS

According the rules (24.10, under the Commissioner part):

He must trump up charges against at least one PC, and get a conviction, in his first 2 seasons in office or lose the appointment

Should he renew the appointment, has he to take another PC to trial in the first 2 months or this only applies “in his first 2 seasons in office” (after those, he has proven himself).

See that in the original rules (at least in the old edition I have access to) the sentence about his first two seasons is exactly the same, but there “Government appointments last until death or dismissal” (or resignation, I guess though is not in the exact sentence written there), so not needing to bring a PC to trial each year.

[Ymbert Montgomery]

It only applies once. Making you do this twice a year is a bit much!

[huillaume]

Feb 13, 2021 10:09:08 GMT Ymbert Montgomery said:

It only applies once. Making you do this twice a year is a bit much!

It seems I did not explain myself as well as I wanted... Let's try again:

I was not talkig about times a year, but about times while at the office.

So, if Huillaume keeps the post and renews it next year, will he have to accuse another PC next year, or it does only apply for his first term (and aftermath consider himsel already proven)?

See rules only talk about his first two seasons in office, and if he renews the post, those 2 seasons have already past, as the seasons this year are not his first ones.

As said, in the version I have of the original rules (not sure if it's 1^st or 2^nd edition), the CPS has to have some PC convicted in his first two seasons, but as he keeps the post (being a Government one) "until death or dismissal", once ha has had a PC convicted once, he needs not again in his lifetime (though he can, of course).

Of course, if he loses (or resigns) the post and latter successfully applies again, I understand it will apply again.

[Ymbert Montgomery]

It only applies once, so if it's renewed it won't apply.