CT Only: Adding more skills to character creation

[jaz0nj4ckal]

I am on a trend with doing some house rules to CT. Due to the latter, I have been playing around with heavily house ruling GURPS to give a CT feel.

However, the more I house rule GURPS - the more I come back to CT. But what has me stuck now - is how GURPS characters start with more skills that have a 50% of success. Due to the latter,

Question:
How can I give my CT characters additional skills with out totally unbalancing the system?

Currently - I am running my CT game that base chance of doing something is 7+; however, if they do not have the skill it is a 9+ (this does not include combat).

However, this is still missing all the additional skills GURP characters get from the start.

So, I tried giving careers the ability to roll for additional skills. A list of 8 skills, each requires a 6+ to acquire that skill at level 1.


Question:
How do you folks handle additional skills in your games? Am I trying to be too technical?

Thanks

 

[TNE2300]

MT added a 'Special Duty' roll after the roll for promotion
success added a skill

MT also added 'Home World' skills
similar to the 'Rank and Service' skills in CT

also also in MT
if a Commission, Promotion, or Special Duty roll is 4 above the required number
then 2 skills are gained instead of the usual 1

this was to allow characters from 'Basic' generation
to have a similar number of skills as characters from 'Advanced' generation

as a house rule
I allow a Promotion roll for enlisted characters as well as commissioned

 

[mike wightman]

I use a lot of level 0 skills and assume a lot of the basic skills you want from GURPS are made by characteristic rolls in CT.

 

[kilemall]

I'm closing on my IMTU entry getting into the task resolution system (including combat), but I'll say that I too use the character stats as a base for rolling, so average success, ehhhh, that depends VERY much on what they are trying to do, how difficult it is, and how well they are set for the relevant stats.

I usually use the base stat 7 and skill-1 for reality checks for average rolls, routine tasks are 0 modifier so 7+1 equals the base chance, that character will succeed on that task roll on an 8 or less.

Don't want to get away too much from the skills counting, so they count very much for difficulty rating, but you can override that with education, maybe.

And of course don't forget the awesome JOAT skill.

A lot of the base skills can cover what you want, for instance for what is now usually known as sensor ops, I would accept electronics skill in general, navigation for using sensors for astronomical hazards and gunnery for detecting and locking onto potential enemy vessels.

Remember, there is a basic limit of intelligence and education stats total equal your total skill level possible, so I would tend to keep away from a whole lot of very specific defined skills.

The whole driver/specialty or weapon/specialty thing from especially Mercenary/HG etc., I tend to go ahead and go with the special designation but let them have the skill -1 in related craft/guns.

 

[GypsyComet]

The GURPS default skills are probably best handled by sprinkling zero-level skills around, and not counting them toward the INT+EDU limit (or counting as half) unless the PC raises them to a 1. This can be done via homeworld skills or the Basic Training that Mongoose uses, in which all six of the Service Skills for the career are awarded at zero.

 

[kilemall]

The GURPS default skills are probably best handled by sprinkling zero-level skills around, and not counting them toward the INT+EDU limit (or counting as half) unless the PC raises them to a 1. This can be done via homeworld skills or the Basic Training that Mongoose uses, in which all six of the Service Skills for the career are awarded at zero.

OOoooOOOoooh, gonna have to look at that. Common sense stuff, those Mongoose boys aren't all bad.

 

[rancke]

The GURPS default skills are probably best handled by sprinkling zero-level skills around, and not counting them toward the INT+EDU limit (or counting as half) unless the PC raises them to a 1. This can be done via homeworld skills or the Basic Training that Mongoose uses, in which all six of the Service Skills for the career are awarded at zero.

Zero-level skills never did count towards the INT+EDU limit (at least not in MT). The limit is on skill levels, not skills. And if your character receives a new skill level that would bring it over the limit, you can reduce any other skill of your choice by one level.


Hans

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

I use a lot of level 0 skills and assume a lot of the basic skills you want from GURPS are made by characteristic rolls in CT.

Mike - what do you mean by

characteristic rolls in CT

Thanks

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

The GURPS default skills are probably best handled by sprinkling zero-level skills around, and not counting them toward the INT+EDU limit (or counting as half) unless the PC raises them to a 1. This can be done via homeworld skills or the Basic Training that Mongoose uses, in which all six of the Service Skills for the career are awarded at zero.

I don't have Mongoose, and will not be able to get a copy for a few weeks. How or what will be a good way to achieve this in CT?

Thanks

 

[aramis]

Mike - what do you mean by


Thanks

Throw 2d6 for ≤ Str.
Throw 3d6for ≤ Dex
etc...

For a typical PC, 1d is easy, 2d is even odds, 3d is risky, 4d is bloody hard, and 6d+ is (Usually) "Why waste the time?"

Note also - Marc's adventures used such throws. Loren's tended not to.
I've heard from grogs that Marc's used Xd6 vs Stat+Skill for decades. It's implied in CT book 0...

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

Throw 2d6 for ≤ Str.
Throw 3d6for ≤ Dex
etc...

For a typical PC, 1d is easy, 2d is even odds, 3d is risky, 4d is bloody hard, and 6d+ is (Usually) "Why waste the time?"

Note also - Marc's adventures used such throws. Loren's tended not to.
I've heard from grogs that Marc's used Xd6 vs Stat+Skill for decades. It's implied in CT book 0...

If I am understanding you correctly - If a character does not have a skill and I want them to make a skill check, I would do it against the stat that best fits the action?

For example: A commando climbing a cliff would possibly need Str and Dex check. Due to the character having the correct equipment I set this at 'even odds', so I make the character roll two check with 2d6 with targets of STR- and DEX-

 

[aramis]

If I am understanding you correctly - If a character does not have a skill and I want them to make a skill check, I would do it against the stat that best fits the action?

For example: A commando climbing a cliff would possibly need Str and Dex check. Due to the character having the correct equipment I set this at 'even odds', so I make the character roll two check with 2d6 with targets of STR- and DEX-

Yep.

 

[GypsyComet]

I don't have Mongoose, and will not be able to get a copy for a few weeks. How or what will be a good way to achieve this in CT?

Thanks

Looking at the Basic character generation in Book 1 and Supplement 4, you look at the second skill table "Service Skills", and award all six skills at zero. If there are choices to be made for one, like Gun Cbt, you do that for each incidence. The only one that is an issue is the Scout, since one of those skills is JOAT. I'd probably treat that as a wild card to pick another zero.

The advanced careers are more problematic, but they also tend to get more skills anyway. I would look back at those careers' Basic forms and use those six Service Skills, then move into Advanced normally.

 

[kilemall]

Looking at the Basic character generation in Book 1 and Supplement 4, you look at the second skill table "Service Skills", and award all six skills at zero. If there are choices to be made for one, like Gun Cbt, you do that for each incidence. The only one that is an issue is the Scout, since one of those skills is JOAT. I'd probably treat that as a wild card to pick another zero.

The advanced careers are more problematic, but they also tend to get more skills anyway. I would look back at those careers' Basic forms and use those six Service Skills, then move into Advanced normally.

I really liked this idea, until I realized every barbarian would have a Gun-0 rating and other oddities.

I'd say give em 2 rolls for 0 skill on the Service Skills Table, or pick 2 that every specific service always trains for besides the default Skill-1 given.

 

[mike wightman]

Ref discretion - if it doesn't fit your campaign don't give them it.

 

[Frankymole]

If I am understanding you correctly - If a character does not have a skill and I want them to make a skill check, I would do it against the stat that best fits the action?

For example: A commando climbing a cliff would possibly need Str and Dex check. Due to the character having the correct equipment I set this at 'even odds', so I make the character roll two check with 2d6 with targets of STR- and DEX-

If it is a very long climb / high cliff with more than one roll, perhaps the second could also use END because you'd need endurance for a gruelling lengthy climb... Maybe use the lower stat of STR and END as the target? So a stronger character might do the climb quicker but a tougher character could take longer and still manage it.

 

[GypsyComet]

I really liked this idea, until I realized every barbarian would have a Gun-0 rating and other oddities.

I'd say give em 2 rolls for 0 skill on the Service Skills Table, or pick 2 that every specific service always trains for besides the default Skill-1 given.

Depends on the Barbarian, but I do see your point. The rest of the barbarian's Service skills (Brawling, two blades, and two bows) don't feel like a problem to me, though ideally Survival would be on that list.

The Scientist also gets JOAT, and several S4 careers are getting stat bumps, so mapping the Mongoose method straight is not ideal. The Mongoose career skill tables are arranged with this rule in mind, so they have fewer issues.

 

[Easterner9504]

CharGen: Best I liked was 13Mann's; roll 11d6 with last roll (the 12th) automatically a 5. Divide into 6 pairs and create 6 stats with results, cuts down on loser characters i.e. 397C2C or 9372CC.

Pre-skills: Divide Edu by 3, round up. That # result is received as 0 skills of players choice. Advise pick ones that are unlikely to be received in career.

Basic Training: as stated above. JOT is just not received as JOT has to be a 1 to work so JoT 0 just gets ignored.

Promotion: Roll 2d6 for 8+ (with standard dr mods) and get a Free roll on career table.