Re: Subskills

["dbarrass_2000 <david.barrass@ed.ac.uk>" <david.barrass@ed.ac.uk>]

--- In dq-rules@yahoogroups.com, Rodger Thorm <dqn@e...> wrote:
> I'm sure that no matter how we carve things up, there will be 
instances where a player's character concept won't fit, and the 
player and GM will need to work something out that is beyond the 
rules, even expanded rules.  I think that it's better to focus on 
what is reasonable for the majority of cases, rather than trying to 
address every possibility.
> 
> Another thing to think about is the provenance of the skill.  
Where, for example, does this orator learn his skill, if not from a 
Troubador?  DragonQuest places a strong emphasis on instruction in 
support of learning new skills.  Mages have to find someone to teach 
them spells, and characters learning new skills or weapons abilities 
get great benefit from learning from someone who already knows the 
ability.
> 
> It is also important to keep from breaking everything down into a 
list of individual tasks.  (If I wanted that, I'd go play GURPS.)  
Healer, in particular, is a whole skill and should not be broken into 
individual skills.  Some things may not be taught, except as part of 
a larger body of knowledge.  (Imagine trying to learn just how to do 
an appendectomy, without becoming a doctor, for example.)
> 
> 
> My first reaction was that maybe Military Scientist is a better 
choice if the character wants armies to follow him :-)  
> 
> Bardic Voice is a magical ability, above and beyond merely 
persuasive oration, just as the Healer's abilities are above and 
beyond medicine.  If the player really wants to play Marc Antony and 
be able to move crowds with political speeches, I would either see if 
there's enough room in Troubador to play it as is (option B), or add 
some extra sub-specialties that were appropriate and useful to that 
player (options C/D).  


OK I can live with that

> I think that each task or subskill should be evaluated 
individually, rather than breaking it out as a percentage of its 
parent skill.  Some in particular may warrant higher EXP costs based 
on game balance and playability (in order to make sure that it 
doesn't become less expensive to cherry pick subskills, rather than 
taking the parent skills).  

Ther are a lot of subskills, working out EXP cost for these will take 
a long time :-(. I was hopeing to either work out a formula for 
costing or to catagorise them into easy, moderate, hard, extremely 
dificult etc with EXP cost by catagory. (hmm its beginning to sound 
like GURPS :--( )

The basis for disisision could be (some of which I posted before):-
Power of the skill (for game ballance)
Based on the base chance (higher = easier)
Increase for each rank, (again higher easier)
how much of the value of appropriate characteristics is worth in the 
use of  the ability. (again higher easier)
I'd like to add ease of finding someone to teach you the skill

Feedback anyone?
 
> Finally, there are two other questions to consider:  If a character 
has more than one subskill of a particular skill, can they rank those 
separately, or should they be tied together in some way?  And 
secondly, how does ranking in subskills factor into characters 
progressing from Mercenary through Adventurer to Hero?

Good Question!

David