Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
- Jack of All Trades -
Of all the skills listed in the basic CT skill list, JOT is probably the most mis-understood. Because it is so misunderstood, there are tons of House Rules that alter the rule to some other vision of it.
And, as Traveller is written into other editions of the game, JOT seems to be changed with each edition.
The way I read the rule, and the way I think it is meant to be used, rules as written, is that the skill will benefit the character in two primary ways.
First Benefit of JOT - having JOT allows the character to use any skill listed in the basic CT skill list as if the character had the skill at Level-0. The benefit here is that the character will never suffer penalties for not having a skill.
Not all CT skills have penalties associated with them. There are a lot of throws in the game where skill is optional. But, there are also some clearly spelled out situations where not having a skill confers a penalty. If a character has JOT, then the character does not suffer that penalty when making a throw even if the character does not have the skill and would usually qualify to be penalized.
This is the primary benefit of JOT. The rule says, "Unskilled people have no idea how to even start many projects; jack of all trades can apply this to such a project as if he or she has this skill." Therefore, penalties do not apply.
Second Benefit of JOT - is that having the JOT skill allows the character to make a throw when usually the character would be barred from making the throw because the character lacks a required skill.
The rule says, "The jack of all trades skill can attempt activity which is not normally possible due to the absence of skills or referee."
But, also note that the Ref has final say as to when the JOT skill can be used. He is directed to consider the character's appropriate personal characteristics, availability of equipment, and environmental or situational factors (is it raining or foggy or too cold to manipulate the controls; is it too dark to see what the character is doing?).
Using JOT.
So, could JOT be used if a character wants to sign on as Pilot for a starship? No, because having JOT skill never confers expertise greater than Pilot-0.
But, the character could pilot the ship in a pinch if an emergency situation appears and the regular pilot is incapacitated.
What about JOT level?
If JOT never confers skill above Level-0, what's the use of a JOT skill level above JOT-1?
The character's JOT skill level is another factor that the Ref uses to decide whether the use of JOT applies to a situation.
For example, a 15+ throw is needed to detect that a valuable piece of art is a forgery. The throw is a standard roll of 2D, and DMs are +2 per level of Forgery skill.
Obviously, the piece of art is so well crafted that it takes a character with Forgery-2 or better to even have a chance of detecting the forgery. A character with JOT-2 could attempt the throw (the Ref allows him to succeed on a roll of 12 exactly), but the Ref will not allow a character with JOT-1 to attempt the throw.
Of all the skills listed in the basic CT skill list, JOT is probably the most mis-understood. Because it is so misunderstood, there are tons of House Rules that alter the rule to some other vision of it.
And, as Traveller is written into other editions of the game, JOT seems to be changed with each edition.
The way I read the rule, and the way I think it is meant to be used, rules as written, is that the skill will benefit the character in two primary ways.
First Benefit of JOT - having JOT allows the character to use any skill listed in the basic CT skill list as if the character had the skill at Level-0. The benefit here is that the character will never suffer penalties for not having a skill.
Not all CT skills have penalties associated with them. There are a lot of throws in the game where skill is optional. But, there are also some clearly spelled out situations where not having a skill confers a penalty. If a character has JOT, then the character does not suffer that penalty when making a throw even if the character does not have the skill and would usually qualify to be penalized.
This is the primary benefit of JOT. The rule says, "Unskilled people have no idea how to even start many projects; jack of all trades can apply this to such a project as if he or she has this skill." Therefore, penalties do not apply.
Second Benefit of JOT - is that having the JOT skill allows the character to make a throw when usually the character would be barred from making the throw because the character lacks a required skill.
The rule says, "The jack of all trades skill can attempt activity which is not normally possible due to the absence of skills or referee."
But, also note that the Ref has final say as to when the JOT skill can be used. He is directed to consider the character's appropriate personal characteristics, availability of equipment, and environmental or situational factors (is it raining or foggy or too cold to manipulate the controls; is it too dark to see what the character is doing?).
Using JOT.
So, could JOT be used if a character wants to sign on as Pilot for a starship? No, because having JOT skill never confers expertise greater than Pilot-0.
But, the character could pilot the ship in a pinch if an emergency situation appears and the regular pilot is incapacitated.
What about JOT level?
If JOT never confers skill above Level-0, what's the use of a JOT skill level above JOT-1?
The character's JOT skill level is another factor that the Ref uses to decide whether the use of JOT applies to a situation.
For example, a 15+ throw is needed to detect that a valuable piece of art is a forgery. The throw is a standard roll of 2D, and DMs are +2 per level of Forgery skill.
Obviously, the piece of art is so well crafted that it takes a character with Forgery-2 or better to even have a chance of detecting the forgery. A character with JOT-2 could attempt the throw (the Ref allows him to succeed on a roll of 12 exactly), but the Ref will not allow a character with JOT-1 to attempt the throw.