Custom skills list

[Adam Dray]

As I put together custom (CE) rules for my Main Sequence setting, I'm dinking about with skill lists. Here's what I've done. Comments and criticisms about the particulars of the list are welcome, but "why are you even doing this?" comments aren't helpful.

Oh, and it's based on the three different skills lists put out by Universal Machines Publications.

SKILLS

These generally let you do something.

Art
* Performer
* Holography
* Instrument
* Visual Media
* Write
Athletics
* Agility
* Battle Dress
* Endurance
* Flying
* Strength
* Vacc Suit
* Zero-G
Bow Combat
* Bow
* Crossbow
* Thrown
Bureaucracy
* Administration
* Advocacy
* Bribery
* Broker
Computer Ops
* Communications ("Comms")
* Programming
* Search
* Sensors
Drive
* Hover
* Mole
* Tracked
* Walker
* Wheeled
* Ocean Ships
* Personal Watercraft
* Sailboats
* Submarines
Engineer
* Gravitics
* Jump Drive
* Life Support
* Mechanic
* Maneuver Drive
* Naval Architect
* Power Plant
* Robotics
Explosives
Farming
* Animals
* Crops
* Hydroponics
Forgery
Gambler
Gunner
* Bay Weapons
* Ortillery
* Spinal Mounts
* Turrets
* Forward Observer
Gun Combat
* Archaic Weapons
* Automatic Weapons
* High Energy Weapons
* Lasers
* Shotgun
* Slug Pistols
* Slug Rifles
* Submachine Guns ("SMG")
* Heavy Weapons
Instruction
Investigate
Language
* Anglic
Leadership
Medical
* Cybernetics
* Diagnosis
* Pharmacology
* Psychiatry
* Surgery
* Xenobiology
Melee
* Blade
* Bludgeon
* Thrust/Pole
* Natural
* Unarmed
Navigation
Persuasion
* Carouse
* Deception
* Interrogation
* Manipulation
* Recruiting
Pilot
* Airship
* Gravitics
* Drones
* Rotor
* Spacecraft
* Wing
Profession
* Assembly
* Belter
* Biological
* Civil Engineering
* Fabrication
* Gravitic Construction
* Hydroponics
* Pharmaceuticals
* Polymers
* Space Construction
* Sub-surface Construction
* Surface Construction
* Underwater Construction
Protocol
* Diplomacy
* High Life
* Low Life
* Military
* Steward
Stealth
Tactics
* Military
* Naval
* Reconnaissance ("Recon")
* Screens
* Security
* Situational Awareness
Survival

KNOWLEDGES

These generally let you know stuff, but do not let you do stuff.

Academics
* History
* Mathematics
* Philosophy
* Theology
Life Science
* Biology
* Botany
* Organic Chemistry
* Ecology
* Genetics
* Veterinary
* Psionicology
Physical Science
* Astrophysics
* Physical Chemistry
* Geology
* Physics
* Planetology
Social Science
* Anthropology
* Archeology
* Economics
* Linguistics
* Paleontology
* Psychohistory
* Sophontology

Summary of changes:

Deleted:
Cargo Handling, Combat Engineering, Field Artillery Gunnery (Guns, HEW, Missiles), Melee / Brawling, Fly / Ornithopter, Science / Astronomy.

Combined Astrogation with Navigation.
Combined Fly with Pilot.
Combined Watercraft with Drive.
Combined most Gun Combat skills together.
Combined most Melee Combat skills together.
Combined Artillery into Gunnery.
Grouped numerous things under Tactics, Persuade, Bureaucracy, Computer Ops, Farming.

Split Sciences into Life Science, Physical Science, Social Science -- all under Knowledges.
Expanded Medic to Medical so doctors can be cooler.
Moved Zero-G under Athletics and collapsed it.
Moved Comms/Remote Ops to Pilot/Drones.
Killed JoT; will replace with Jacks system for specific areas, or not needed now that skills are in such large groups.

 

[casquilho]

Overall I do like where you are going with this list.

I think that Skill level zero would be a good way to bridge the skills and knowledge categories that match up. Say a Skill of X level grants you a level zero of it's corresponding knowledge category maybe?

I look forward to seeing your ideas for rules to go with these lists.

 

[wellis]

Deleted:
Cargo Handling, Combat Engineering, Field Artillery Gunnery (Guns, HEW, Missiles), Melee / Brawling, Fly / Ornithopter, Science / Astronomy.

What is the reason for deleting these, like cargo handling or combat engineering? Are they under different skill names or something?

 

[infojunky]

Why so many skills?

Honestly skill proliferation is one of my core arguments verses T5 and GURPS.

 

[mike wightman]

I have reduced the CT/CE skills list to the bare bones for my games.

 

[kilemall]

If I were redoing the CE/CT skills, it would be more towards big globby skills (CT Engineering) with a familiarization aspect that is more open-ended then defined subskill.

Kills two birds with one stone- lets experience happen faster in specialties ("I worked on big naval drives for my career, I'll just have to learn A-drives on this Free Trader"), and fewer skills overall means more powerful chargen.

I squished a lot under Persuade including the CE Advocate, CT Bribery, the dealing with bureaucracy aspect of Admin while retaining Admin as a separate 'how to run big organizations' MBA ops sort of skill.

I have CE Explosives/CT Demolitions combined with Combat Engineering.

More examples can be found in my CT thread on the topic.

The categorization of this list is logical, but the 'squish factor' still feels inconsistent.

 

[rhialto]

I'm likewise reducing the CE skills to be more in line with CT's much broader skills, as well as doing away with 0-level skills. It's part of my broader goal of a Sword-and-Planet flavored version of CT/CE, where PCs are more heroic than standard CT PCs.

 

[Adam Dray]

The more you squish skills, the more powerful PCs become. There's a weird balancing act I have to play.

Also, I need a finer detail for the hyperrealistic feel I want for my game.

 

[wellis]

The more you squish skills, the more powerful PCs become. There's a weird balancing act I have to play.

Also, I need a finer detail for the hyperrealistic feel I want for my game.

What would the equivalent of Engineering (Jump Drive) be for your setting, since it uses sungates instead?

Engineering (Sungates)?

 

[casquilho]

Also, I need a finer detail for the hyperrealistic feel I want for my game.

I would imagine that you would need to allow a greater number of skills though as you granulize the skills to keep an honest "realistic" feel to the characters. The number of skills in Character Generation is based on some of the skills being wide ranging skill "sets". Just a thought.

 

[Adam Dray]

What would the equivalent of Engineering (Jump Drive) be for your setting, since it uses sungates instead?

Engineering (Sungates)?

Yep!

 

[Adam Dray]

I would imagine that you would need to allow a greater number of skills though as you granulize the skills to keep an honest "realistic" feel to the characters. The number of skills in Character Generation is based on some of the skills being wide ranging skill "sets". Just a thought.

I think I agree with you.

Can you give me an example of a change you'd make to my list to push closer to that goal?

 

[rhialto]

I think I agree with you.

Can you give me an example of a change you'd make to my list to push closer to that goal?

Just do more than 2 skill rolls/term.

In my nascent house-rules for my Sword & Planet version of CT I have 3 or 4 skill rolls/term, depending on how heroic the PCs are supposed to be (John Carter would be 4/term, Northwest Smith 3/term).

 

[wellis]

You keep on mentioning your game will be "hyperrealistic."

Is there any common tech that won't be in your setting? Are there certain careers that won't be around?

Will ships require radiators as part of your ship design?

 

[casquilho]

Can you give me an example of a change you'd make to my list to push closer to that goal?

I would need to really think about the details so as not to have a negative impact on the game, but I would think about doing something with cascade skills. Maybe use them to allow some kind of "subject expert" type situation.


Keeping in mind this is off the top of my head but allow something like this:


My character receives three skill points in "Engineering" during creation. As we want to use a more granule list, give them a 1.5 value rounded up. from within the cascade list. So rather than giving them just three points, the character is allowed to spend an additional two. They might end up looking like this....

Engineer (3 points)
* Gravitics - 1
* Jump Drive - 2
* Life Support - 1
* Mechanic - 0
* Maneuver Drive - 1
* Naval Architect - 0
* Power Plant - 0
* Robotics - 0


This means the character feels more like an Engineer while allowing a more granular approach to the skill list. And a more granule skill check environment in the game itself.


Like I said this is just an off the cuff example and you would need to make sure they didn't pull a "Jump -5" out of it and defeat the whole point of the extras. but I think this would give you an idea of what my base thinking would be. Details would need to be worked out on a more thoughtful way of course.

 

[rhialto]

Engineer (3 points)
* Gravitics - 1
* Jump Drive - 2
* Life Support - 1
* Mechanic - 0
* Maneuver Drive - 1
* Naval Architect - 0
* Power Plant - 0
* Robotics - 0

Another way to approach this would be: Engineer - 3 (Jump Drive), then allow all other cascade skills under Engineer at 1 or 2 levels lower. A little simpler, but keeps the granularity without having to dole out more skill ranks.

 

[casquilho]

Another way to approach this would be: Engineer - 3 (Jump Drive), then allow all other cascade skills under Engineer at 1 or 2 levels lower. A little simpler, but keeps the granularity without having to dole out more skill ranks.

That works too.

I just shot from the hip, but agree your idea is a cleaner way to deal with it.

In any case, as the skill list is increased to create granularity the impact on character creation has to be addressed.

 

[kilemall]

Would OP like me to hash out the familiarization mechanic?

 

[vegas]

I have reduced the CT/CE skills list to the bare bones for my games.

Has your list come along any further since you posted this list here a year ago?

 

[Adam Dray]

Deleted:
Cargo Handling, Combat Engineering, Field Artillery Gunnery (Guns, HEW, Missiles), Melee / Brawling, Fly / Ornithopter, Science / Astronomy.

What is the reason for deleting these, like cargo handling or combat engineering? Are they under different skill names or something?

Missed this before. Reasons:

Cargo Handling -- Yawn. And this seems like "skill tax." Do refs make players roll to handle cargo?

Combat Engineering -- Use either Explosives or an appropriate Engineer skill.

Field Artillery Gunnery -- Is this really needed? Can't it be a Turret or Bay weapon on the back of a trailer or whatever?

Melee/Brawling -- Subsumed under Melee/Unarmed.

Fly/Ornithopter -- I really have a hard time imagining needing this.

Science/Astronomy -- Covered by Physical Science/Astrophysics.