| From: | Tzeentch tzeentch666@*********.net |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Alternate Skill System [Long] |
| Date: | Thu, 15 Jun 2000 11:01:34 -0700 |
decided how to handle skill defaulting or exactly how skills will be
purchased. Since this is intended both for my Shadowfuzion game and as a
optional house rule system for Shadowrun I'm shooting for compatibility with
both.
Specializations will be treated as SR3 specializations in that they increase
the concentrations level by 1 for that purpose but reduce it by 1 for
others.
For example, Bob purchases 5 levels in the Pistol concentration of the
Firearms base skill. If he specializes in the Glock-17 then his Pistol
concentration is reduced to 4 but his effective Pistol skill with the Glock
is now 6.
Any suggestions on how to price the skills would be appreciated. Some oft he
options I've considered:
1) High pricing the base skill, with concentrations costing less points.
Specializations decrease the rating in the concentration by 1 but increase
it by 1 for purposes of the specialization.
For example, Bob purchases 5 levels in the Pistol concentration of the
Firearms base skill. If he specializes in the Glock-17 then his Pistol
concentration is reduced to 4 but his effective Pistol skill with the Glock
is now 6.
2) Three levels of pricing, getting cheaper as you work down: Base skill,
concentration of base skill, specialization of concentration.
3) Two levels of pricing with punishing defaults. Concentrations would have
to be "bought up" from the default level.
For example, Bob has Piloting-4 but no concentrations. In this case each
skill costs 1pt/level but defaults are at like -3 to other concentrations.
Thus if Bob was piloting an Vertol his effective skill would be 1. It would
cost 1 pt/level to raise the default level. If Bob spent two points on the
Vertol concentration then his effective default for that one concentration
would only be -1, thus he could pilot a Vertol at an effective skill of 3.
For Shadowrun players, read REF and DEX as Quickness. ready BOD as Body, STR
as Strength, TECH and INT as Intelligence. Read PRE as Charisma. For vehicle
skills all are linked to Reaction.
BLUNT WEAPONS (Average/REF)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By specific weapon type (Clubs, Short Staff, Hammer, Cudgel,
Blackjack, Pipes, Mace, Flail, Two-Handed Mace/Maul)
Specialization: Art or Sport
This is the ability to use most types of short, non-edged weapons with a
Reach of 1 or less.
The specializations are those variations of the martial skill that are
cultivated for artistic, exercise, or tournament. The Art specialization of
a weapon concentrates on stance and various movements while the Sport
version concentrates on speed, but without actually inflicting damage.
EDGED WEAPONS (Average/REF)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By specific weapon type (Shortsword, Broadsword, Knife, Axe,
Two-Handed Sword, Rapier, Smallsword, Saber, Sai, Katana)
Specializations: Art or Sport
This skill covers the use of edged weapons with a Reach of 1 or less.
The Art and Sport specializations are as for the Blunt Weapons skill, but
the emphasis is usually on the artistic display of weapon mastery. Fencing
is perhaps the most well known Sport version of edged weapons skills,
notably with rapiers, smallswords, and sabers.
POLEARMS (Hard/REF)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By specific weapon type (Quarterstaff, Edged Polearm, Lance,
Spear, Harpoon)
Specializations: Art or Sport
This is the skill of utilizing long blunt or edged pole-shaped weapons such
as quarterstaffs, poleaxes, and various types of spears. It does not include
any skill in throwing the weapons.
Most specializations of polearm skills tend to be of the Artistic variety,
although quarterstaffs and other blunt polearms are often used in training
(Sport).
ENTANGLING WEAPONS (Hard/REF)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By specific weapon (Net, Lasso, Whip, Chain, Bola, Kusari)
Specializations: None
Entangling Weapons covers weapons that are designed specifically to entangle
an opponent, either thrown or wielded by hand. Weapons that have multiple
uses, such as the Manriki-gusari use the appropriate skill for which section
is being utilized.
BRAWLING (Easy/REF
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By specific Maneuver (Strike, Defense, and Grapple)
Specializations: None
Brawling is the unscientific science of fighting with your bare hands and
feet. Pretty much anyone can Brawl, and even without formal training a good
brawler can often best trained in more formal hand to hand combat styles.
Brawling only encompasses the three basic maneuvers and more advanced
techniques are not usually available.
MARTIAL ARTS (Hard/REF)
Prerequisites: WILL+DEX+REF >= desired skill level
Concentration: Art or Sport
Specializations: By specific Maneuver
Martial arts is the term applied to any trained hand-to-hand combat
technique, from boxing to judo. Specific martial art forms and specific
rules are noted under Appendix X, Martial Arts.
Not all martial art forms have an art or sport version, while some are
typically only found as one of the two. Some examples of sport-only martial
arts are boxing and art-only martial arts include many of the tai chi
schools. The art and sport concentrations default to the combat-useful
version at -3 to the core skill and vice versa.
For example, a character with Martial Arts (Muay Thai Sport)-6 will default
to standard Muay Thai at a skill level of 3. If a trained Muay Thai martial
artist with the no concentration entered a structured competition he would
be at -3 to his effective skill, and could possibly suffer dire
repercussions due to lack of control and unsportsmanlike conduct.
As a general rule the sport versions of a martial art are far easier to find
teachers for (although there are always exceptions). Also, typically only
the art version of a martial art can be used for Centering purposes.
FIREARMS (Easy/REF)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By weapon class (Pistols, Rifle, Musket, Shotgun, Light
Automatic, Machine Pistol, Needler, Grenade Launcher, Flamethrower, Light
Antitank Weapon)
Specializations: By specific weapon
This is training and knowledge of the operation of hand-held projectile
weapons. Energy weapons fall under the Beam Weapons skill while truly
ancient firearms (TL3- early TL5) are classified as Black Powder Weapons.
The Firearms skill includes knowledge of simple maintenance and gunsmithing
for the weapon. This includes knowledge of field-stripping the weapon,
cleaning procedures and the ability to follow simple instructions in adding
or removing accessories for the weapon.
GUNNERY (Average/TECH)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By weapon class (Machine Guns, Gauss Gun, Cannon, Railgun,
Grenade Launcher, Mortar, Flamethrower, Guided Missile, Torpedo, Rocket
Launcher, Beam Cannon, Bombs, Siege Weapons
Specializations: By specific weapon
The Gunnery skill covers all vehicular or tripod-mounted weapons.
The Gunnery skill includes limited knowledge of weapon maintenance. However
this is typically limited to swapping out components and running diagnostics
(or following a checklist). It provides no knowledge of how to perform
anything but the most basic of actual repairs or modification.
BEAM WEAPON (Average/REF)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By weapon class (Blaster, Electrolaser, Laser, Neural, Sonic)
Specializations: By specific weapon
Beam Weapons covers the use of hand-held energy weapons.
The Beam Weapons skill includes rudimentary knowledge of weapon maintenance
and modification, although typically the higher complexity of beam weapons
restricts the level of maintenance that can actually be performed.
MISSILE WEAPONS (Average/REF)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By weapon class (Bow, Crossbow, Blowpipe, Thrown Weapons,
Sling, Spear Thrower)
Specializations: By specific weapon
This skill covers the use of muscle powered or propelled projectile weapons.
It includes various thrown edged weapons such as knives and shuriken as well
as objects such as rocks or even grenades.
BLACK POWDER WEAPONS (Easy/REF)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By weapon class (Musket, Rifle, Pistol, Hand Mortar)
Specializations: By specific lock type/ignition system (cannon-lock,
matchlock, wheellock, flintlock, caplock)
This skill is the ability to use black powder weapons.
SORCERY (Hard/WILL)
Prerequisites: Magery 1 or greater
Concentration: Spell Category, Spell Defense, Dispelling
Specializations: Specific spell
The Sorcery skill represents the characters training in controlling magical
energy.
CONJURING (Hard/WILL)
Prerequisites: Magery 1 or greater
Concentration: Summoning, Banishing, Controlling
Specializations: Specific spirit type
This skill covers the summoning, banishment, and control of spirits.
Depending on the mages path some spirit types may fall outside their sphere
of influence. For example, shamans may not summon, control, or banish
elementals and hermetics may not affect nature spirits.
ATHLETICS (Hard/DEX, BOD, or MOVE)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Acrobatics, Running, Swimming, Jumping, Specific Sport,
Skating, Snowsport, Climbing, Bicycling
Specializations: Acrobatics (Tumbling, Balance), Running (Sprint or
Endurance), Jumping (Vaulting, Long Jump), Specific Sport (Position in
game), Skating (Figure, Speed), Snowsport (Downhill Skiing, Cross Country,
Snowboard), Climbing (Ice, Mountain, Rock, Building), Bicycling (Touring,
Cross-Country, Downhill, Acrobatic)
This skill is a catch-all for skills that are trained skills that hone the
characters body.
DIVING (Average/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Deep, Shallow
Specializations: Mixed-Gas, LBA, Open-Dress, Hard-Hat
This skill covers how to safely use various underwater breathing apparatuses
safely and effectively.
PARACHUTING (Easy/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Low-Altitude, High Altitude
Specializations: Display, Low-Opening, Sky-Surfing
This skill covers using a parachute.
SURVIVAL (Average/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Fishing, Foraging, Hiking, Hunting, Land Navigation, Sea/Air
Navigation, Tracking
Specializations: Desert, Plains, Arctic, Mountains, Woodlands, Jungle,
Island, Swamp, Urban
This covers a variety of "back to nature" skills.
WEAPONSMITH (Hard/TECH)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Firearms, Melee, Missile (bows, crossbows), Beam, Black
Powder
Specializations: Weapon Category (Pistols, Beam Cannon, etc),
This skill covers the skills necessary to maintain and repair various types
of weaponry. It does not necessarily include the ability to build a weapon
from scratch. But with the appropriate parts a skilled weaponsmith is
capable of putting the necessary components together into a function system.
CRAFT (Average/PRE)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Metalwork, Earthwork, Woodwork, Fabric, Glasswork, Fireworks,
Leatherwork, Cooking
Specializations: Metalwork (Blacksmith), Earthwork (Masonry, Jewelry,
Pottery), Woodwork (Carpentry, Shipbuilding, Cooperage), Fabric (Dyeing,
Needlecraft, Weaving, Netmaking)
Although many of these skills are quite simple they typically require
knowledge that is not immediately obvious based on casual observation.
ART (Average/PRE)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Painting, Drawing, Dancing, Music, Cinematography, Writing,
Sculpting, Performance
Specializations: Appreciation, Critic, Appraisal, Painting (Illumination),
Drawing (Calligraphy, Animation, Pictographs), Dancing (specific dance
style), Music (specific instrument, Composition), Cinematography
(Photography, Editing, Special Effects), Writing (specific genre), Sculpting
(specific material), Performance (Singing, Acting, Juggling)
The listed concentrations and specializations are just a small sampling of
the possible artistic skills.
MECHANIC (Average/TECH)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Various vehicle types
Specializations: Specific vehicle, Specific part (Engine, Frame, Control,
Weapons)
This skill covers diagnosis and repair of a certain class of vehicle.
PHYSICIAN (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Diagnosis, Surgery, Cybertech Installation, Biomod
Implantation, Pharmacology, Physiology
Specializations: Specific metahuman race
This is the professional skill that covers the ability to aid the sick and
treat injury.
FIRST AID (Easy/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Specific metahuman race
Specializations: None
First Aid is the skill used to quickly administer medical aid on an injured
party. Those with this skill can halt bleeding, treat for shock, perform
resuscitation, and treat administer treatment for burns, poison, etc.
ELECTRONICS (Average/TECH)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Communications, Computers, Security, Trideo, Medical,
Sensors, Weapons
Specializations: Specific system
Electronics is the "hands-on" skill that is used for maintenance,
construction, and actual operation of electronic devices. It does not
necessarily include understanding of the processes behind the devices (that
is what Engineer (Electronics) is for).
LAW (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: By nation/region
Specializations: Business, Criminal Defense, Divorce, Patent and Trademark,
International, Contract, Adoption, Property, Malpractice, Intellectual
Property, Personal Injury, etc
This is knowledge of the law for a particular region.
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Anthropology, Archaeology, Ecology, Economics, History,
Literature, Theology, Zoology, Psychology Paleontology, Philosophy,
Linguistics
Specializations: Specific region, group, subject or species
This skill grouping covers a wide variety of skills related to culture and
the study of mankind.
MATHEMATICS (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Statistics
Specializations: By specialty
This skill covers a wide range of mathematical specialties. As a general
rule the various concentrations and specializations will have no noticeable
game effect. The GM may rule that characters must possess a certain Rating
in the base skill before choosing any concentrations.
CHEMISTRY (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Organic, Inorganic
Specializations: Identify, Analysis, Synthesis, By specialty
This is the study of matter.
ECONOMICS (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Accounting, Macro, Investing
Specializations: Accounting (Auditing), Macro (by country or region),
Investing (by type)
This skill covers the study of money and exchange.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (Average/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Agronomy, Botany, Ecology, Meteorology, Zoology, Geology
Specializations: By region
These skills cover environmental skills related to the land, plants,
weather, animals, and their interactions.
ENGINEER (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Computer, Electronics, Architecture, Mechanical, Mining,
Cybernetics
Specializations: By specialty
This is the professional ability in a certain area. It does not necessarily
include much practical application of skill.
For example, repairing a computer is an Electronics task. Knowing how its
boptronic processor functions or identifying a certain processor is Engineer
(Computers).
CRIMINOLOGY (Average/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Profiling, Forensics, Police Procedures
Specializations: Profiling (Serial Killers, Terrorists, Deckers), Forensics
(Ballistics). Police Procedures (By country or agency)
Criminology is the study of crime and the criminal mind, as well as the
techniques used to combat it.
COMPUTER OPERATION (Easy/TECH)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Hardware, Decking, Programming, Archaic
Specializations: Hardware (Silicon, Hybrid, Optical, Boptronic), Decking (by
System Test), Programming (by software type), Archaic (by TL)
The skill in utilizing a computer system.
PROSPECTING (Average/INT)
Prerequisites: Environmental Science (Geology) at Πlevel of base skill
Concentration: By type (Oil, Gold, Silver, etc)
Specializations: By region
Applied geology used to locate valuable materials with on-site examination.
RESEARCH (Average/INT)
Prerequisites: Computer Operation at œ level of base skill
Concentration: By base skill
Specializations: By concentration of base skill
This is the ability to locate information on a specific topic.
ADMINISTRATION (Average/PRE)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Government, Corporate, Military, Criminal
Specializations: By nation, company, branch of service, or criminal
enterprise
This is skill in running a large organization.
LEADERSHIP (Average/PRE)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Politics, Commercial, Military, Gang
Specializations: Specific subgroup (political party, type of work, unit
type, or specific gang)
This is the ability to get a group of people to coordinate their actions
under the characters direction (sometimes against their better judgement).
ETIQUETTE (Easy/PRE)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Matrix, Corporate, Deckers, Tribal, Military, Gang, Street
Specializations: By region or group
The Etiquette Skill allows the character to function within a specific
subculture without appearing out of place.
MILITARY SCIENCE (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Tactics, Strategy, Intelligence
Specializations: Land, Naval, Aerospace, Analysis
This skill covers the ability to plan, execute, and analyze military
actions.
DEMOLITIONS (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Commercial, Improvised, Military
Specializations: Underwater, Mining, Combat
This covers the preparation and setting of chemical explosives.
NEGOTIATION (Average/PRE)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Barter, Fast Talk, Diplomacy
Specializations: Specific type of goods or situation
This covers the skill of interactions between two or more parties who are
attempting to reach different goals and arrange it so that one party comes
out ahead.
INTERVIEW (Average/PRE)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Intimidation, Interrogation
Specializations: Mental, Physical, Verbal
This skill is used to convince an unwilling subject to do what you tell
them.
TEACHING (Average/PRE)
Prerequisites: Skill to be taught at œ level of base skill
Concentration: By specific base skill
Specializations: By concentration
This is the art and skill of instructing others.
THIEF (Average/DEX)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Lockpick, Pickpocket, Shoplift, Counterfeit
Specializations: Lockpick (Improvised, Mechanical, Electronic), Pickpocket
(By environment), Shoplift (By item type)
This is a variety of skills typically only learned in the underground. The
player should have a good explanation for how he came by the skills
STEALTH (Average/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Sneak, Camouflage, Shadow
Specializations: Detect
This covers the skill of sneaking around undetected.
CRYPTOLOGY (Hard/INT)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Cryptoanalysis, Cryptography
Specializations: ???????
This covers the theory behind codes and ciphers (the base skill) as well as
the skill in breaking (cryptoanalysis) and making (cryptography) them. In
order to purchase either of the concentrations the player should have a very
good reason (typically the training is ONLY available from certain
intelligence agencies).
BOATING Average/DEX)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Small, Large
Specializations: Basic, Powered, Submersible
This is skill in the operation of naval vessels.
DRIVING (Average/DEX)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Automobile, Construction, Halftrack, Heavy Wheeled,
Hovercraft, Locomotive, Battlesuit, Tracked, Motorcycle
Specializations: By specific vehicle
This is skill needed to drive a specific type of vehicle.
PILOTING (Average/DEX)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Aerospace, Autogyro, Contragravity, Flight Pack, Glider,
Heavy Airplane, Helicoptor, High-Performance Airplane, High-Performance
Spacecraft, Light Airplane, Lighter-than-Air, Low-Performance Spacecraft,
Ultralight, Vertol
Specializations: By specific vehicle
This is the skill in operating a flying craft. Some vessels with multiple
operating modes may use different skills at different points.
DRONE PILOTING (Average/DEX)
Prerequisites: None
Concentration: Concentration of either Boating, Driving, or Piloting
Specializations: By specific vehicle
This is the skill in operating an vehicle by remote control.
Ken
---------------------------
There's a war out there, old friend, a world war. And it's not about who's
got the most bullets, it's about who controls the information. What we see
and hear, how we work, what we think, it's all about the information!
Cosmo, 'Sneakers'
