New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by johndallman

OK, how about this as a technique?

Lock-blocking (Lockpicking or Mechanic (Locks and Safes)). Average, default prerequisite, cannot exceed prerequisite+4.

This lets you buy up skill in making locks very hard to open. A success makes it impossible to open the lock in the normal way, and the success roll is used in a quick contest with a Lockpicking or Mechanic (Locks and Safes)* roll to open the lock. Taking extra time to open a blocked lock is common.

Equipment is important for this technique. Basic equipment is the tools of the prerequisite skill, plus some coarse sand and some kind of space-filling glue, resin, caulk or cement. Improvised equipment might be some clay and ordinary sand. Quality equipment would be modified keys intended to be broken off in the lock, or fluid glues intended to be infiltrated into a combination lock.

Removing the opening handle of a safe or the dial of a combination lock also works, although it's obvious. Setting off a safe or vault's relocker* is the best method, if it's available.

*See "Safes and how to Open Them", in Pyramid #3/47

Personally, I don't think you need a skill roll to just wreck a lock and certainly don't need 200 hours of instruction to learn. Also , I don't think it's something that locksmithing would train up particularly.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

Personally, I don't think you need a skill roll to just wreck a lock and certainly don't need 200 hours of instruction to learn. Also , I don't think it's something that locksmithing would train up particularly.

Sure, wrecking a lock is possible with no skill. But it will likely be easy for someone who does have skill to open.

A locksmith isn't trained in damaging locks, but having a decent understanding of any machine tells you a lot about how to stop it working.

[Donny Brook]

What about some generics for tech skills of various kinds?

-Quick Work (H)(reduces the penalty for reduced time).

-Work by Touch (H)(reduces the penalty for low light conditions or other inability to see the work).

-Line Familiarity (A)(allows a bonus when working with a specific line of products from a particular manufacturer).

-Fine for Ducks (A)(reduces the penalty for working in bad weather).

-Making Do (A)(reduces the penalty for inadequate tools).

-Makeshift (H)(gives a bonus for a repair or construct that only needs to last a little while or a few uses).

[Donny Brook]

Animal Handling:

-Soothing (gives a bonus on calming an animal).

-Dominating (gives a bonus for the handler to deal with animals who have a hierarchical social structure).

-Provoking (gives a bonus for the handler to trigger useful aggression in the subject animal).

[Donny Brook]

Mermaid Swim (Aquabatics +-0).

Hammer Rhythm (Smith -1) (Shorten forging time by margin * ?%, some kind of protection against injury and fatigue loss) [Maybe this one is only a Perk?]

Double Clutching (Driving -3) In any given continuous phase of acceleration of at least 5 seconds, a success gives you Move +1 in the third second. (Works only with manual transmission.)

[Donny Brook]

Here are a few more ideas:

Gambit/Bluff (Games (type) -2)

Textual Analysis (History, Law, Criminology, Intel Analysis, Propaganda, Literature, ...? -4)

Cross-examination (Law -3)

For Stage (Make-up -0)
For Lens (Make-up -2)

[johndallman]

Thanks - I'll respond properly as soon as I can get my brain in gear.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

Quick Work (H)(reduces the penalty for reduced time).

We have examples of that: DF11 has Speed-Exorcism (Exorcism) and Speed-Bandaging (First Aid). Both have prerequisites of Unique Technique perks plus Power Investiture, and I suspect we should have something similar for tech skills: an applicable Talent plus a Unique Technique perk seems reasonable.

Work by Touch (H)(reduces the penalty for low light conditions or other inability to see the work).

That's fine: we have precedents for Lockpicking and Traps.

Line Familiarity (A)(allows a bonus when working with a specific line of products from a particular manufacturer).

Maybe. I think I'd demand that the product line be fairly distinctive for this to be plausible.

Fine for Ducks (A)(reduces the penalty for working in bad weather).

This one's hugely variable by skill, and sometimes by activity. Got some examples?

Making Do (A)(reduces the penalty for inadequate tools).

Might this work better as buying up using specific inadequate tools? "Swiss-army servicing" sounds good.

Makeshift (H)(gives a bonus for a repair or construct that only needs to last a little while or a few uses).

Yes, I think so. Using the bonus tends to produce repairs that won't last, but sometimes that's fine.

[mikeejimbo]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Maybe. I think I'd demand that the product line be fairly distinctive for this to be plausible.

I think it would at least offset familiarity penalties for working on something in the same line. Like if you have worked on every model of car by Subaru, and they come out with a new one, you could roll this technique instead of your Mechanic (Automobile) with the familiarity penalty. Though that would depend on how distinct tyne GM is being with familiarity penalties.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

Animal Handling:
Soothing (gives a bonus on calming an animal).

I think this may be a "core use" of the skill, since it's a prerequisite for doing just about everything else with it. If so, it would not be a valid technique.

Dominating (gives a bonus for the handler to deal with animals who have a hierarchical social structure).
Provoking (gives a bonus for the handler to trigger useful aggression in the subject animal).

These seem plausible.