View Single Post
Old 08-02-2016, 05:17 AM   #39
Mailanka
 
Mailanka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Default Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Physician and Physiology

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
The GURPS skill system is a compromise between reflecting how education and training actually work, and providing numbers for characters to roll against in a manner that makes for a fair game. These are not fully compatible objectives. Physiology skill is definitely a symptom of the first objective.
Were it up to me, Physiology would be reduced down to a "Anatomical familiarity" perk. If you have it, you can perform surgery at no penalty, or target the race's vital organs with attacks.

A skill should be something you roll against, ideally with potential modifiers, so it's obvious how someone with skill 10, 15, 18 and 25 differ from one another. Physiology lets you roll, but it's not really clear to me why. Sometimes you remember that Vulcan hearts are located where human livers are, and sometimes you don't? From a gamer's perspective, that makes more sense as "something you know or don't." Hence, perk.
__________________
My Blog: Mailanka's Musing. Currently Playing: Psi-Wars, a step-by-step exploration of building your own Space Opera setting, inspired by Star Wars.
Mailanka is offline   Reply With Quote