From you guys, I need ideas for illegal mods
getting bonuses isn't cheating, that's already in the game with items and mods and stuff, so what makes some "cheating" and others not?
partly it's arbitrary (the league says "no" the mafia says "but actually yes") but also partly its how it interacts with the rest of the game
So before I talk crunch, let's talk fluff. When it comes to items that give flat buffs, it's mostly fluff that makes it illegal compared to a legal mod. Because of the risk of suspicion, these should be a bit better than their legal counterparts, either in effect or in cost. Crank-strictor Plate is a good example of the latter, being the same effect as the 12 Coin Breakaway module for the low low Mafia bargain pricing, and frankly you can flesh out an entire section of the illegal mod category just by refluffing existing mods to sound cheaty and be cheap.
Another fluff reason something is illegal is that it alters the pool of basic available interactions. Dirty Weapons is an example of this- attacking other player's Momentum is perfectly legal, but attacking their Kart to inflict Hiccups is cheaty. Any new effect that alters how the various resources interact with one another or are acquired is a window for a new illegal mod.
Finally, and most funly, something might be illegal if it provides an advantage for an unforeseen circumstance (or rather, unforeseen except by the dastard who engineered it!) For example, maybe the Mouser Mafia provides a mod that provides a +5 bonus against Banana hazards. The mod itself is very strong, but very niche, so no reason to be suspicious... until a blimp flies over the track and throws bananas all over the course. All part of the service package, and such service packages can be tailored to any mod that gives a buff- either explicitly as the reason to take the mod, or as "friendly advice" that it will be useful due to sabotage being performed by Sponsors or whatever. That kind of insider advice could also be a reason to want high Respect/Profitability scores with the Mouser Mafia!
It's worth mentioning that when we say "cheating" we REALLY mean "utilizing alternate mechanics," which means from a design standpoint they ideally need to A) be worth the risk and B) not be completely busted.
Illegal Mod, Podobo, I all like as is. Dark Star Fuel Injector is I assume 3 uses total? Might want to buff it to +2/use, get a bit more bang for your buck
Item Glitcher, and other reroll suggestions- I'm not a huge fan of rerolls in RTDs that require input during/after the turn, since I find it makes the gamestate a bit fuzzy until all the communication is done, which can slow the game down. I do like automatic rerolls of specific results as another way to modify probability besides modifiers- a reroll means you don't have to worry about certain results being impossible to achieve like with a modifier (e.g a +1 Rocket Start means you can't critically fail, while a reroll 1s means you could reroll into that 1 and fail anyway.) Mathematically, reroll 1s is often a bit better than just a +1, and gets better the lower the "success" threshold is. Assume all rerolls only work once (e.g don't reroll 1s, then reroll into a 1, reroll
that into a 1, reroll
that...)
Here's some mods- obviously if you can do a better job with the fluff, go nuts
Itemfinder- The Mouser Mafia has hidden an single-use item box on the track, and your Itemfinder can lead you straight to it! Before the race, pick an item- this can be any item (popular choices include items to access shortcuts, Boos, and catchup items.) The Mafia places the item in a random segment of the track. Picking up the item is free, you merely have to declare that choice when driving through the segment (and potentially path) where the item is located. On pickup, roll a d6 and add the tier the item is from (course unique items have no tier)- on a 5+ gain suspicion.
Frame-job Fender- Before the race, choose a hiccup. Whenever another player deals Momentum damage to your Kart, your Kart gets a Black Mark. On your next turn you may choose to activate the Frame-job Fender to clear the Black Mark and cause part of your Kart to fly off! You immediately gain the hiccup you chose before the race, and since you just-so-happened to have sensors "monitoring" that exact part, there's no doubt your attacker is a dirty dirty cheater! After the race, roll a d6- on a 2+ the other driver gains a point of suspicion and is automatically embroiled in a scandal, but on a 1 your trick is found out, and those consequences happen to you instead!
Headhunter- As the racers finish their pre-race checklist, the Mouser Mafia plants a homing signal on the Kart of one competitor of your choice! For the rest of the race, Thrown Items and Straight Projectiles used by you have a +3 bonus to hit that racer, and Homing Projectiles and Headshot items instead always target that racer. If the effects of this module are the reason the racer is hit (e.g projectile beats racer by <3, Blue Shell hits someone not in first) then roll a d6- on a 3+, you gain suspicion.
Supercharged Engine- The limiters which keep your engine functioning safely have been removed, increasing performance- at a risk! During the cleanup phase, do not reduce your Momentum to your Kart's cruising speed. Instead roll d6 + Cruising Speed - Momentum. On a 4+, your Kart does not lose any Momentum, on a 2-3 your Kart loses ONE Momentum, and on a 1 or less your Kart keeps its Momentum but suffers a mid-race Hiccup! If your Kart suffers a mid-race Hiccup in this way, roll d6- on a 4+ gain suspicion.
Personal Pit Crew- The smallest and most nimble of the Mouser Mafia have, er, "nested" in your Karts undercarriage, and have some tools to help you out! Once per race, the Pit Mice can perform Repair Work or Inventory Shuffle as if you were in a Pit Stop, or if you fall to 0 Momentum in your Cleanup phase the Pit Crew will automatically boost your engines for a Rocket Start instead of normal momentum gain- without even asking! The Personal Pit Crew can be resupplied at an actual pit stop.
Banana-Vac- After extensive study of the Banana Magnet hiccup, the Mouser Mafia have not found a way to eliminate the effect, but instead utilize it to ensure the bananas stick to non-critical systems! Gain a +5 bonus to avoid Banana hazards- if the Hazard roll succeeded by less than 5, the course Hazard is deducted by one and the Banana-Vac gets +1 Banana! Whenever the Kart takes Momentum loss from a projectile or ram, if the Banana-Vac has any Bananas then one Banana is automatically dropped as a hazard behind this Kart! That's bananas!
Item Glitcher- Before the race, pick one item or item tag. You can then specify that either any results you get from an item box containing that item or tag are automatically rerolled, OR that any results are rerolled UNLESS they contain that tag, allowing you to either fish for specific items or dodge certain others.
BOOm Box- You've got a Boo! In a box! Once per race, you can free the Boo from the box, adding a special Bad Boo to your reserve Item Slot. The Bad Boo works similarly to the Boo Buddy, with the following exceptions- he doesn't play by the rules, so can target any racer on the track, but doesn't appreciate being stuffed in a box, so does not have the Cleanse or Invisible tags. The Undead Rights Association will be very upset by the use of this module- on a 3+, gain 1 suspicion after the race.
Oops! Nothing but Mushrooms!- Activate this mod in your action phase. The Mouser Mafia will hack into the item database and temporarily delete everything that doesn't have the word "Mushroom" in the item name! For one turn, all items deleted in this way are replaced with Red Mushrooms.
