Skill limits

Vartax · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:26 pm Post subject: Skill limits

One of the skill limits that we have had for a while is that once you get to 8d in a skill you need to find someone or a way to help you train to get better. I've seen so many characters that have pretty maxed out one or two skills by suck when using skills other than blaster and dodge. It balances out the game a little.

Rathe Ehtar · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:37 pm Post subject:

Skill limits are a good idea, but I think there is always room to improve, even with high skills, someone out there is better. Many of my characters are skilled warriors, but lack in technical fields. I think it's part of who that character is, what s/he's skilled in and not skilled in. It's a little funny if you take a skilled warrior and put her/him in a situation that calls for a skill that they are lacking. Good Roleplaying moves beyond skill dice in those situations.
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Loc Taal · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 7:17 pm Post subject:

I like the concept of skill limits, but not necessarily forcing characters into it with a rule. I always try to encourage players to spend skill points in skills other than blaster and dodge. Adventures are much more interesting when the characters have other options open to them besides blasting their way in or out. Granted, good roleplaying can sometimes make up for a lack of skills, but that can only take you so far. If you simply don't know how to pick a lock, hack into a security system or administer first aid, you won't be able to perform those tasks. Focusing on combat skills is ok if your character is a prize fighter, but in most situations, other non-combat skills come in very handy.

Here's an idea: use an NPC that travels with the PCs and handles all of "the other stuff". He should be skilled in everything that the players are not: security, first aid, demolitions, computer programming, con, languages, etc. Let them come to depend on him a little bit too much for a few adventures. Then kill him off at a very inopportune time, when the PCs need his expertise the most. You'd be surprised how fast they start spending character points on these skills once their lives have depended on them. Very Happy

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Crell Damar · Line Captain Joined: 31 Jul 2003 Posts: 845

you are a very sneaky and mean game master loc...
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Esoomian · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 7:25 pm Post subject:

That is the very reason we have droids.

At the moment we have 3 droids on our ship (The Metal Wampa) a medical droid to operate our newly accquired bacta tank and perform first aid on those of us too big to fit into a bacta tank (That would be me Sad

)

And two astromechs for astrogation and the like. One of our astromechs is a burnt out wreck at the moment...

We found out the hard way that when your ship takes damage sometimes the crew takes damage too. With 1d in strength our droid didn't deal with it too well. It was a real shame because you really want your astromech functioning when your ship is badly damaged.

Vartax · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:23 pm Post subject:

That sounds good with the NPC, but why not just cut to the chase and ask them to roll for skills they don't have or haven't rasied. Repulsorlift ops is good one. Brawling Parry is another.

Loc Taal · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:43 pm Post subject:

Crell Damar · Line Captain Joined: 31 Jul 2003 Posts: 845

Rathe Ehtar · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 2:52 am Post subject:

Yeah, I agree with the using of low skills. I put my characters through so many different tasks that they have to invest in those skills sometimes. Only the stubborn ones don't get the hint. *coughRagnarcough*
Did you guys know that if you don't have the skill, the difficulty number is one level higher than if you do have the skill? Some incentive to learn those skills, huh.
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Tybalt · Sub-Lieutenant Joined: 20 Oct 2003 Posts: 50 Location: NC

Ragnar · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2003 12:19 pm Post subject:

why you gots to single me out? I'll get to those skills eventually. And you have to admit my low security roll made for a comical end to one of the last games. Laughing

Urhart the Fallen Angel · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2003 3:58 pm Post subject:

I like that idea Loc, but our problem is that the only npc that does thing that are really important does them over a rather long period of time, and he's a slicer. Otherwise I'd use that on the PC defel we have with us, because he's so important to many missions.
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Ray · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2003 11:50 pm Post subject: My Group...

My group has a fairly concrete idea for Skill Maxes, and we all agree with it.

Any higher than 9D (Of which there are *TWO* characters who have even CLOSE to that, out of almost a dozen!), and you'll have to spend a good deal of time just doing work with that particular skill just to keep it that high (The GM used the example of the Snowbirds, the Canaidan Armed Forces Stunt Pilots, who have to train for a week for every day they loose from their training schedual to get back into shape, or something similar).

If you don't exercise that particular skill, down it goes, no return on character points. 9D represents the highest possible without constant training and upkeep in the GMs mind, and we agree with him.

It keeps us from getting insane in the pointages (Seeing as we have one PC that's over 5 hard years old!), and keeps the GM from throwing 12D NPCs at us.

Oh... And one of the 9D Skills... It's in Astrogation for my Duros Scout Pilot... He's in the middle of nowhere... And I got it that high in case the NaviComp dies. He has an Archaic Astrogation Blotter in his Closet for just such an occasion... It might take him a week to calculate the jump to "Scout's End" which is the only connection we have with the Known Universe, but he has a good chance of getting us there!!!

Ray.

Loc Taal · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 12:23 am Post subject:

I like the idea of having to continuously train to maintain very high skill levels. Cool idea!
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Rathe Ehtar · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 4:37 am Post subject:

That is indeed a good idea. Training can easily be done in any game with hyperspace journies. 9D is still a lot of dice. Imagine raising all skills to 9D, just to get around the training control measure.
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