As seen on the Combat Values section, Close Combat and Ranged Combat skills have been removed.
There are a couple skills that I find to be too overloaded. Addressing that might be an option in a 4th edition. The only reason I might hesitate is the skills were consolidated in 3rd edition down to 13 plus combat and expertise skills, down from over 20 skills plus profession, perform, and knowledge in 2nd edition. I do think the idea of trained only needs to be reexamined. Skills with multiple subskills probably have subskills that can be used without training.
Gateway Advantages: Assessment is an Advantage that gives you a "trained only" ability based on Insight. Assessment, Inventor, Ritualist, and similar advantages are basically gate keeper on special uses of skills. This ruleset proposes adding more gateway advantages. It seems odd than anyone who can Gather Information can also Analyze DNA.
Acrobatics (AGL): Four subskills are part of acrobatics: balancing, maneuvering, standing from prone, and tumbling. Balancing does not need to be trained only. Otherwise, there are no changes to this skill.
Athletics (STR): No change.
Close Combat: No longer a skill, see CCB in the Combat Values section.
Deception (PRE): No change.
Expertise (INT): No change. Additional emphasis on non-Intellect based Expertise should be explored in the rule book.
Insight (AWE): No change.
Intimidation (PRE): No change.
Investigation (INT): Like Acrobatics, there is no reason for the base subskills of Investigation to be trained only. Gather Evidence and Analyze Evidence should be gated by an advantage called Investigator. Search and Gather Information should not require training.
Perception (AWE): No change.
Persuasion (PRE): No change.
Ranged Combat: No longer a skill, see RCB in the Combat Values section.
Sleight of Hand (DEX): Concealing, Escaping, and Stealing should be possible without training. Contorting and Legerdemain should require training. But they probably do not need a gateway advantage.
Stealth (AGL): While this is normally an untrained skill, giving Tailing the trained requirement might make sense.
Technology (INT): This skill presents a lot of issues. It is practically a kitchen sink of all "manipulate stuff" skills. I'll go into more depth on this one below.
Treatment (INT): No change. All of this skill should require training.
Vehicles (DEX): This skill should probably be part of Technology. After all, what is Operating a tech device that is not similar to Operating a vehicle? More details below.
Interaction Skills and Raw Presence Checks
It should be very rare that one needs to make a Presence check without applying one of the three Presence-based skills to the roll. In general, Interactions with others are either attempts to deceive, persuade, or intimidate. If the interaction does not involve one of those things, it is probably not a Presence-based interaction: teaching, for example, would be an Intellect-based interaction; reading someone's mood is Awareness (insight) based.
Technology
Technology has the following sub-skills: Operating, Building, Repairing, Demolitions, Inventing, and Security. Inventing has three different gate-keeper Advantages: Artificer, Inventor, and Ritualist. The proposal here is to add Demolitions and Security Systems as Advantages that gate-keep those trained abilities.
Vehicles
Like technology, gate-keeper Advantages are needed here for sound logic. Someone who knows how to drive a car is not also adapt at piloting a submarine or a blimp. Pilot, Seaman, and Space Jockey are the new gate-keeper Advantages for access to non-ground vehicles. In some campaign, Heavy Equipment might also exist gating off backhoes and tanks from SUVs.
Summary
All skill ranks cost 1 PP.
Close Combat and Ranged Combat have been turned Combat Values
Acrobatics, Investigation, and Slight of Hand have untrained uses.
New Advantages: Investigator, Demolitions, Security Systems, Pilot, Seaman, Space Jockey.
No comments:
Post a Comment