Zero-level Skills Made Easy

[Golan2072]

I've decided to simplify my over-complex "default skills" (Zero-Level Skills) system to a few "rule-of-a thumb" guidelines in semi-accordance to LBB1.

Note that these depend on Homeworld - which should be chosen before chargen (I'll eventually have a map of MTU, anywhere within the Solar Triumvirate would be ok). The homeworld's TL and trade codes should be noted on the character sheet.

Using a skill with no skill (not even skill-0) should incur a -4 DM in most cases (referee discretion; some actions are quite easy to perform without any training whatsoever).

Weapon "proficiency" is a rule-of-a-thumb, and shouldn't be listed on the character sheet in most cases - the character's career signifies what weapons he or she is "proficient" (i.e. skill-0) without having a real skill. "Proficiency" is equivalent to having a few firing ranges with the gun, knowing how to cock it, how to operate the safety, how to load a magazine, the basic firing position, what kind of recoil to expect and so on, but not real training or experience with the weapon as signified by a skill of 1 and more.

The Referee may also apply the "unskilled" -4 DM to weapons above the character's homeworld TL if he so desires.

So, on to the skills:

1) Transportation Skill: All characters have either Equestrian-0 (or Animal Handling in my variant) if their homeworld's TL is 4-, Ground-Car-0 if their homeworld's TL is 5-9, or Grav-Vehicle-0 if their world's TL is A+.

2) Weapons Skills: There are four levels of weapon familiarity (i.e. Skill-0):
2-A) Barbarian - Skill-0 in Brawling, Bows, Crossbows and all melee weapons. Applies only to Barbarians.
2-B) Civilian - Skill-0 in Brawling, all non-automatic LBB1 weapons (that is, everything but the Auto-Rifle and SMG), Laser Pistol (Striker or JTAS), Snub Pistols (LBB4), Dagger, Blade and Cudgel. Applies to Merchants, Belters, Diplomats, Doctors, Bureaucrats, Scientists, Technicians and Colonists.
2-C) Paramilitary - Skill-0 in Brawling, all LBB1 weapons, all melee weapons, and all LBB4 Slug-Throwing Small Arms. Applies to Scouts, Pirates, Nobles, Hunters and Law Enforcement personnel.
2-D) Military - Skill-0 in Brawling, all LBB1 weapons, all melee weapons, all LBB4 Small Arms, LMG, LAG, all Grenade Launchers and TAC-missiles. Applies to Navy, Marines, Army, Sailors and Flyers.

3) Every non-Barbarian has Vacc-Suit-0 and Steward-0.

4) Every Barbarian has Survival-0 and Hunting-0.

 

[Golan2072]

I've decided to simplify my over-complex "default skills" (Zero-Level Skills) system to a few "rule-of-a thumb" guidelines in semi-accordance to LBB1.

Note that these depend on Homeworld - which should be chosen before chargen (I'll eventually have a map of MTU, anywhere within the Solar Triumvirate would be ok). The homeworld's TL and trade codes should be noted on the character sheet.

Using a skill with no skill (not even skill-0) should incur a -4 DM in most cases (referee discretion; some actions are quite easy to perform without any training whatsoever).

Weapon "proficiency" is a rule-of-a-thumb, and shouldn't be listed on the character sheet in most cases - the character's career signifies what weapons he or she is "proficient" (i.e. skill-0) without having a real skill. "Proficiency" is equivalent to having a few firing ranges with the gun, knowing how to cock it, how to operate the safety, how to load a magazine, the basic firing position, what kind of recoil to expect and so on, but not real training or experience with the weapon as signified by a skill of 1 and more.

The Referee may also apply the "unskilled" -4 DM to weapons above the character's homeworld TL if he so desires.

So, on to the skills:

1) Transportation Skill: All characters have either Equestrian-0 (or Animal Handling in my variant) if their homeworld's TL is 4-, Ground-Car-0 if their homeworld's TL is 5-9, or Grav-Vehicle-0 if their world's TL is A+.

2) Weapons Skills: There are four levels of weapon familiarity (i.e. Skill-0):
2-A) Barbarian - Skill-0 in Brawling, Bows, Crossbows and all melee weapons. Applies only to Barbarians.
2-B) Civilian - Skill-0 in Brawling, all non-automatic LBB1 weapons (that is, everything but the Auto-Rifle and SMG), Laser Pistol (Striker or JTAS), Snub Pistols (LBB4), Dagger, Blade and Cudgel. Applies to Merchants, Belters, Diplomats, Doctors, Bureaucrats, Scientists, Technicians and Colonists.
2-C) Paramilitary - Skill-0 in Brawling, all LBB1 weapons, all melee weapons, and all LBB4 Slug-Throwing Small Arms. Applies to Scouts, Pirates, Nobles, Hunters and Law Enforcement personnel.
2-D) Military - Skill-0 in Brawling, all LBB1 weapons, all melee weapons, all LBB4 Small Arms, LMG, LAG, all Grenade Launchers and TAC-missiles. Applies to Navy, Marines, Army, Sailors and Flyers.

3) Every non-Barbarian has Vacc-Suit-0 and Steward-0.

4) Every Barbarian has Survival-0 and Hunting-0.

 

[jfetters]

I agree with the transportation list, but not with Civilians having a default weapon skill, even brawling.

While one can argue that Brawling is nothing more than swinging your fist, there are right ways and wrong ways to do it.

Skill-0 in a weapon or combat to me denotes a basic familiarity (e.g., this is how you hold the pistol to control recoil) and anything else above that denotes more refined execution of that skill (i.e., a better shot).

A civilian can go their entire career without touching a gun.

Having said that, you can always fudge by having the ex-Marine corporal in the party teach the civilians weapons basics, thus giving the level 0 skill.

 

[jfetters]

I agree with the transportation list, but not with Civilians having a default weapon skill, even brawling.

While one can argue that Brawling is nothing more than swinging your fist, there are right ways and wrong ways to do it.

Skill-0 in a weapon or combat to me denotes a basic familiarity (e.g., this is how you hold the pistol to control recoil) and anything else above that denotes more refined execution of that skill (i.e., a better shot).

A civilian can go their entire career without touching a gun.

Having said that, you can always fudge by having the ex-Marine corporal in the party teach the civilians weapons basics, thus giving the level 0 skill.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Not everybody in a TL4- society will be able to ride a horse (or dinosaur or camel or what-have-you). Actually, most won't. They'll have to walk everywhere. Maybe farmers will know how to ride a cow....

Why would Bureaucrats have any weapons familiarity? Please........

And, why would anyone not living in space or in a profession that regularly goes there have Vacc Suit-0? And, Steward? Please, most people will hardly know how to boil water in a very Hi-TL society.

As far as the weapons skills, I am breaking mine up by how the weapon operates (so, machine guns are different from rifles/carbines are different from pistols are different from revolvers are.....) Most weapons are similar, though - if its already loaded and the safety is off, anybody who has fired weapons can probably get a few shots off. 0-g and Laser weapons will not get the default level, though, as they have some serious differences (don't lead the target with a laser, for one).

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Not everybody in a TL4- society will be able to ride a horse (or dinosaur or camel or what-have-you). Actually, most won't. They'll have to walk everywhere. Maybe farmers will know how to ride a cow....

Why would Bureaucrats have any weapons familiarity? Please........

And, why would anyone not living in space or in a profession that regularly goes there have Vacc Suit-0? And, Steward? Please, most people will hardly know how to boil water in a very Hi-TL society.

As far as the weapons skills, I am breaking mine up by how the weapon operates (so, machine guns are different from rifles/carbines are different from pistols are different from revolvers are.....) Most weapons are similar, though - if its already loaded and the safety is off, anybody who has fired weapons can probably get a few shots off. 0-g and Laser weapons will not get the default level, though, as they have some serious differences (don't lead the target with a laser, for one).

 

[Golan2072]

I'm not saying that the avarage person on a low-TL world knows how to ride a horse (I was thinking of something such as a donkey or mule, btw - far more common than horses and far easier to ride), I was talking about a very broad assumption in the spirit of LBB1.

Similarly, most bureaucrats won't see weapons in their lives, but a few do - and remember than most PCs had an inclination to adventure from early on in their lives, and probably went, for the very least, to a few firing ranges before going on adventuring.

And weapons AREN'T grouped into one group in one cases - they are split into several ones (see the CharGen document in my sig) - defaulting means very basic familiarity that suffices to know how to load the weapon, operate the safety and point it a target and shoot; it isn't even enough to clear the jam.

And Vacc Suit-0 is in place so that characters die just because they don't know how to wear a vacc suit - I figure that everybody who intends on travelling alot gets to a short course (a few hours? a few days?) of basic vacc-suit use.

I was just following the LBB1 guidelines for zro-level skills, and getting far more stringent than them in the regard of weapons.

 

[Golan2072]

I'm not saying that the avarage person on a low-TL world knows how to ride a horse (I was thinking of something such as a donkey or mule, btw - far more common than horses and far easier to ride), I was talking about a very broad assumption in the spirit of LBB1.

Similarly, most bureaucrats won't see weapons in their lives, but a few do - and remember than most PCs had an inclination to adventure from early on in their lives, and probably went, for the very least, to a few firing ranges before going on adventuring.

And weapons AREN'T grouped into one group in one cases - they are split into several ones (see the CharGen document in my sig) - defaulting means very basic familiarity that suffices to know how to load the weapon, operate the safety and point it a target and shoot; it isn't even enough to clear the jam.

And Vacc Suit-0 is in place so that characters die just because they don't know how to wear a vacc suit - I figure that everybody who intends on travelling alot gets to a short course (a few hours? a few days?) of basic vacc-suit use.

I was just following the LBB1 guidelines for zro-level skills, and getting far more stringent than them in the regard of weapons.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I understand, 2-4601. I think its perfectly OK for a character to be at risk for something like no weapons or vacc suit skill, though. Of course, they probably want to pick that up pretty quickly - which gives an incentive for somebody to have Instruction skill.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I understand, 2-4601. I think its perfectly OK for a character to be at risk for something like no weapons or vacc suit skill, though. Of course, they probably want to pick that up pretty quickly - which gives an incentive for somebody to have Instruction skill.

 

[mike wightman]

I used to give characters level 0 in all the skills on the Aquired Skills Table for their career, except for the 8+ Education Advanced Skills table.

I've now decided to limit this to just level 0 in the Service Skills.

 

[mike wightman]

I used to give characters level 0 in all the skills on the Aquired Skills Table for their career, except for the 8+ Education Advanced Skills table.

I've now decided to limit this to just level 0 in the Service Skills.

 

[Prospero]

What do you think about level-0 in ship's boat for character's with an asteroid home world. Seems like it might be a common way of getting around from one place to another...or would they just use grav craft of some sort?

 

[Prospero]

What do you think about level-0 in ship's boat for character's with an asteroid home world. Seems like it might be a common way of getting around from one place to another...or would they just use grav craft of some sort?

 

[aramis]

To borrow from T4, why not simply roll on a table for civilian level-0's (rather than T4's level 1's), say,

Combat, 1d
1 Brawling
2 Brawling
3 Civil Firearms
4 Blades
5 Blades
6 Any combat

Vehicles, 1d, DM+2 if TL A+, DM -2 if TL4-
1- Equestrian
2 Wheeled Vehicle
3 Watercraft
4 ATV
5 wheeled vehicle
6 Tracked Vehicle
7 Air/raft
8 Grav Vehicle


I usually allow my MT characters to swap any one level 0 for something useful...

 

[aramis]

To borrow from T4, why not simply roll on a table for civilian level-0's (rather than T4's level 1's), say,

Combat, 1d
1 Brawling
2 Brawling
3 Civil Firearms
4 Blades
5 Blades
6 Any combat

Vehicles, 1d, DM+2 if TL A+, DM -2 if TL4-
1- Equestrian
2 Wheeled Vehicle
3 Watercraft
4 ATV
5 wheeled vehicle
6 Tracked Vehicle
7 Air/raft
8 Grav Vehicle


I usually allow my MT characters to swap any one level 0 for something useful...

 

[Takei]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
I used to give characters level 0 in all the skills on the Aquired Skills Table for their career, except for the 8+ Education Advanced Skills table.

I've now decided to limit this to just level 0 in the Service Skills.

Nice and simple, and related to what they do. I like it.

Originally posted by Prospero:
What do you think about level-0 in ship's boat for character's with an asteroid home world. Seems like it might be a common way of getting around from one place to another...or would they just use grav craft of some sort?

Makes sense.

 

[Takei]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
I used to give characters level 0 in all the skills on the Aquired Skills Table for their career, except for the 8+ Education Advanced Skills table.

I've now decided to limit this to just level 0 in the Service Skills.

Nice and simple, and related to what they do. I like it.

Originally posted by Prospero:
What do you think about level-0 in ship's boat for character's with an asteroid home world. Seems like it might be a common way of getting around from one place to another...or would they just use grav craft of some sort?

Makes sense.

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Ship's boat makes perfect sense. Grav Craft are too slow for much else besides planetary work. Some environments should garner automatic skills.

IMTU, extreme environment homeworlds get you a 1, forgot that zerolevel crapola. I posit that living on a Vacc world with skill 0 in vacc suit, would decrease your chances of making it to 18 considerably. likewise, if you lived on a waterworld, that is watercraft 1. From canoe to submarine, dependent on tech level.

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Ship's boat makes perfect sense. Grav Craft are too slow for much else besides planetary work. Some environments should garner automatic skills.

IMTU, extreme environment homeworlds get you a 1, forgot that zerolevel crapola. I posit that living on a Vacc world with skill 0 in vacc suit, would decrease your chances of making it to 18 considerably. likewise, if you lived on a waterworld, that is watercraft 1. From canoe to submarine, dependent on tech level.