'JUST WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SKILL, STRANGER?'

[Sifu Blackirish]

Some skills are limited by what career can get them.

Depending on the law level of your players' current world, this could mean trouble. Know how to get a balky cardkey reader to work, or give you something for free? You may be considered a thief or a rogue psion. Sitting in the bar, talking about firearms on a world where the company forbids them? Might be seeing detention or worse.

Works the other way too. How did this milquetoast bureaucrat patron casually hand you a live detonator? Bureaucrats do not usually gain Demolitions skill. Specialized documents or cardkeys immediately available? Perhaps the patron is a skilled forger and prepared them himself months in advance.

Some of you old timers might remember the 'IS THERE A DOCTOR ON THE LIFEBOAT' JTAS article. This is a bit of data manipulation and analysis in that vein.

I admit this is the kind of thing that makes Classic TRAVELLER such a joy, even after 40 plus years. It is a lot harder to do data manipulation like this in more modern, and therefore complex, systems.

Some skills have an * in front. This indicates a special condition needs to be met, by career type, rank or education.

#

ACQUIRED SKILLS BY CAREER [CONSOLIDATED]

+1 STREN. NAVY, MARINE, ARMY, SCOUT, OTHER, PIRATE, BELTER, SAILOR, DIPLOMAT, DOCTOR, FLYER, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,
+2 STREN. MERCHANT,
+4 STREN. BARBARIAN,

+1 DEXT. NAVY, MARINE, ARMY, SCOUT, MERCHANT, OTHER, PIRATE, BELTER, SAILOR, FLYER, BARBARIAN, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,
+2 DEXT. DOCTOR, NOBLE,

+1 ENDUR. NAVY, MARINE, ARMY, SCOUT, MERCHANT, OTHER, PIRATE, BELTER, SAILOR, DOCTOR, FLYER, BARBARIAN, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,

+1 INTEL. NAVY, SCOUT, ROGUE, NOBLE, HUNTER,
+2 INTEL. DIPLOMAT,
*+2 INTEL. DOCTOR,
*+3 INTEL. SCIENTIST,

+1 EDUC. NAVY, ARMY, SCOUT, DIPLOMAT, ROGUE,
+2 EDUC. BUREAUCRAT, SCIENTIST,
*+2 EDUC. DOCTOR,

+1 SOCIAL. DOCTOR,
*+2 SOCIAL. NAVY, DIPLOMAT,

-1 SOCIAL. OTHER

*ADMINISTRATION-1. NAVY, MARINE, ARMY, SAILOR, FLYER, NOBLE, SCIENTIST,
*ADMINISTRATION-2. DIPLOMAT, DOCTOR, HUNTER,
**ADMINISTRATION-5. BUREAUCRAT,

AIR CRAFT-4. FLYER,

BATTLE DRESS-1. SAILOR,

BLADE CBT-1. NAVY, MERCHANT, DIPLOMAT, DOCTOR, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE, SCIENTIST,
BLADE CBT-2. ARMY, OTHER, PIRATE, HUNTER,
BLADE CBT-4. MARINE,
*BLADE CBT-6. BARBARIAN,

BOW CBT-3. BARBARIAN,

BRAWLING-1. MARINE, ARMY, BELTER, SAILOR, FLYER, BARBARIAN, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE,
BRAWLING 2. PIRATE,
BRAWLING-3. OTHER,

BRIBERY-1. MERCHANT, OTHER, NOBLE,
*BRIBERY-2. ROGUE,

CAROUSING-1. SAILOR, DIPLOMAT, FLYER, BARBARIAN, BUREAUCRAT, NOBLE, SCIENTIST,
CAROUSING-2. ROGUE,

*COMPUTER-1. NAVY, MARINE, ARMY, SCOUT, MERCHANT, OTHER, PIRATE, BELTER, SAILOR, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE,
*COMPUTER-2. DIPLOMAT, DOCTOR, HUNTER,
*COMPUTER-3. SCIENTIST,

CUTLASS-1. MARINE,

DEMOLITION-1. SAILOR, ROGUE,

ELECTRONIC-1. NAVY, MARINE, ARMY, BELTER, SAILOR, FLYER, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,
*ELECTRONIC-1. PIRATE,
ELECTRONIC-2. SCOUT, MERCHANT, OTHER, DOCTOR,

ENGINEERING-1. PIRATE, BELTER, NOBLE,
*ENGINEERING-1. NAVY, SCOUT, MERCHANT,

*FORGERY-2. ROGUE,

FORWARD OBSERVER-1. NAVY, ARMY, BELTER, SAILOR,

GAMBLING-1. MARINE, ARMY, PIRATE, BELTER, SAILOR, DIPLOMAT, FLYER,
GAMBLING-2. OTHER,

GRAVITICS-1. SAILOR, FLYER, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,

GUN CBT-1. NAVY, SCOUT, MERCHANT, OTHER, SAILOR, DIPLOMAT, BARBARIAN, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE, SCIENTIST,
GUN CBT-2. PIRATE, FLYER, HUNTER,
GUN CBT-3. MARINE, ARMY,

GUNNERY-1. SCOUT, MERCHANT,
GUNNERY-2. NAVY, PIRATE,

HUNTING-1. NOBLE,
*HUNTING-5. HUNTER,

INSTRUCTION-1. BELTER, DIPLOMAT, BARBARIAN, BUREAUCRAT,

INTERROGATION-1. DIPLOMAT, BUREAUCRAT,
*INTERROGATION-1. BARBARIAN,

JACK O T-1 N.AVY, MERCHANT, OTHER
*JACK O T-1. BELTER, SAILOR, DIPLOMAT, FLYER, BARBARIAN, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE,
*JACK O T-2. SCIENTIST
*JACK O T-3. SCOUT,

*LEADER-1. ARMY, PIRATE, FLYER, BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,
*LEADER-2. BARBARIAN, NOBLE,

LIAISON-1. BUREAUCRAT, ROGUE, NOBLE,
*LIAISON-3. DIPLOMAT,

MECHANICAL-1. NAVY, MARINE, ARMY, MERCHANT, OTHER, PIRATE, BELTER, SAILOR, DOCTOR, FLYER, BARBARIAN, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,
MECHANICAL-2. SCOUT,

*MEDICAL-1. NAVY, MARINE, ARMY, OTHER, BELTER, SAILOR, FLYER, BARBARIAN, ROGUE, NOBLE, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,
*MEDICAL-2. SCOUT, MERCHANT,
**MEDICAL-6. DOCTOR,

NAVIGATION-1. SAILOR, NOBLE, SCIENTIST,
*NAVIGATION-1. NAVY, PIRATE, BELTER,
*NAVIGATION-2. SCOUT, MERCHANT,

PILOT-1. NOBLE,
*PILOT-1. NAVY, PIRATE, BELTER, FLYER,
*PILOT-2. SCOUT,

PROSPECTING-4. BELTER,

RECONNAISANCE-1. BARBARIAN,

RECRUITING-1. DIPLOMAT, BUREAUCRAT,

*REVOLVER-1. MARINE,

RIFLE-1. ARMY,

SHIPS BOAT-1. NAVY, NOBLE,
SHIPS BOAT-2. BELTER,

SHIP TACTICS-1. PIRATE, ROGUE,

*SMG-1. ARMY,

STEWARD-1. MERCHANT,

STREETWISE-1. MERCHANT, DIPLOMAT, DOCTOR,
*STREETWISE-1. SAILOR, BARBARIAN,
STREETWISE-2. OTHER, ROGUE,

SURVIVAL-1. FLYER, BARBARIAN, SCIENTIST,
*SURVIVAL-2. HUNTER,

TACTICS-1. PIRATE,
*TACTICS-1. BARBARIAN,
**TACTICS-3. MARINE, ARMY,

VACCSUIT-1. MARINE, SCOUT, MERCHANT, PIRATE, DIPLOMAT, FLYER,
VACCSUIT-2. NAVY,
VACCSUIT-4. BELTER,

VEHICLE-1. MERCHANT, OTHER, FLYER, SCIENTIST, HUNTER,
VEHICLE-2. MARINE, SCOUT, SAILOR, DIPLOMAT, ROGUE, NOBLE,
VEHICLE-3. ARMY, BUREAUCRAT,

WATER CRAFT-2. SAILOR,

 

[GypsyComet]

I'm not so sure the individual weapon skills like Cutlass or SMG really fit into such an analysis, since any incidence of Gun Combat or Melee Combat can be selected as any specific weapon. The grouped weapon skills are the rare ones.

 

[whartung]

Well, my stock reply when someone asks where I learned something:

"Prison."

 

[Grav_Moped]

Well, my stock reply when someone asks where I learned something:

"Prison."

"Yale."
"What, back on Terra?"
"Yes. It's also where I learned to fix Yump Drives."

 

[kilemall]

A few extra points.


S4 has LBB4-5 skills in it, so Ship Tactics for instance would be a Navy thing just as much as Pirate/Rogue, and Demolitions would be an Army/Marine thing.


DM+ for INT and EDU and to a lesser extent SOC are common benefit items, as are ultimately melee and gun skills (once one weapon has been taken).

 

[Brandon C]

Thanks. I had long considered the Book 1 skill tables insufficient and this gives graphic confirmation.

I will go ahead with my plans redo each career with skill tables more like MT.

 

[kilemall]

Thanks. I had long considered the Book 1 skill tables insufficient and this gives graphic confirmation.

I will go ahead with my plans redo each career with skill tables more like MT.

I finally have the MT rules, will probably look them over, but I've done a pretty easy 'CT refit' compressing some skills down and adding the LBB4-7 skills plus some of the MgT interaction skills into an extra Advanced Education table with INT 8+ to access.

 

[Brandon C]

I finally have the MT rules, will probably look them over, but I've done a pretty easy 'CT refit' compressing some skills down and adding the LBB4-7 skills plus some of the MgT interaction skills into an extra Advanced Education table with INT 8+ to access.

MT made use of more cascade skills on the skills tables. For example, one entry might be Space[/], so the player would pick one of Pilot, Navigation, Gunner, or Engineer. I think MT grouped interaction skills under Interpersonal[/].

This approach has two benefits. First, it makes more skills available to a career and secondly it gives a player more choice in creating his character.

 

[kilemall]

MT made use of more cascade skills on the skills tables. For example, one entry might be Space[/], so the player would pick one of Pilot, Navigation, Gunner, or Engineer. I think MT grouped interaction skills under Interpersonal[/].

This approach has two benefits. First, it makes more skills available to a career and secondly it gives a player more choice in creating his character.

Eh, I went the other way, less cascade, more Big Skills, with a familiarity element if one wants customization. That also solves the 'not improving the character except in years or sabbatical' element as say an Engineering-3 previously worked on small ACS but is getting familiar with big power plants- happens in weeks or months.

 

[ShapeShifter]

The Force?
The Infinite Improbability Drive?
Youtube?