From:	"Ojaste,James [NCR]" <James.Ojaste@**.GC.CA>
Subject:	Re: Pool Use (was; Summer Time)
Date:	Thu, 21 May 1998 09:34:05 -0400

Mongoose wrote:
> Ideally, If you used two or more pools, each would be reduced by the
>same fraction as the other, as you only have so much attention to spread
>around, IMO. This is not at all practical, but is a good "base
>concept", I think.

Agreed.

> A simpler mechanic would be that any dice used in one pool that do
>not
>exceed those in another pool come out of both pools. Sound complex, but
>is actually simple; If you have 8 combat and 5 magic, and use 3 magic,
>combat goes down by 3. If you then use 3 combat, magic does not go
>down, as combat is 5, magic 2- both go to 2. If you then use 2 from
>EITHER, both are gone.

Hmm. I'd probably take dice away from the top, so to speak. With
8 CP and 5 MP, using 3 MP leaves you with 5 CP and 2 MP. Using 4 CP
drops you to 1 CP and 1 MP. "If the pool that you are using dice
from has more dice than any other pool, treat the final level of that
pool as a maximum limit for the other pools."

Actually, I guess that works out to a "floating pool". Just take your
largest pool (8 CP in this case), and get that many dice. You can't
use more than 5 of them as MP.

> Does this seem reasonable? Is it a"problem" that even needs fixing?
>The example of mages using combat pool for damage resistance only (and
>thus having more availible there than samuria) indicates to me it DOES
>need fixing.

Well, apart from the fact that mages tend to get geeked a lot easier
than sams (relatively low bodies, no cyber, etc)...

It depends, as you implied above, on how you define a pool. If it is
indeed "concentration and focus", then limiting the pool used/available
is a good thing. If instead it represents something different (or
perhaps several different things), then it might fall apart. MP doesn't
seem related to concentration, but is limited by skill (and to an
extent, inherent magical ability). CP is determined by attributes.
This would seem to indicate that there are at least two different kinds
of pools.

James Ojaste