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Old 11-18-2018, 10:29 PM   #1
Donny Brook
 
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Default Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

The Incompetence trait is listed among the Quirks in Basic Set. It gives the usual quirk value [-1] for being completely unable to learn a given skill and having an addition -4 on defaults. It says you can't take it on a specialization of a skill but only on the whole base-skill. You can't take it for Guns (Shotgun), only on Guns in toto.whatever skill you take it on it is still [-1].

I think this pricing is unfortunate.

Firstly, since it is just a quirk, the rules are overdoing it to insist it cannot apply to a specialty. Other quirks are barely of any inconvenience, so there seem to be no point of being so tough with this one.

More significantly, there is a vast gulf of value between different incompetencies, depending on the campaign. For instance, usually, being incompetent in Guns will impose a severe handicap, whereas incompetence with Carousing is only a minor inconvenience which can be covered with other social skills.

I think Incompetence should be a full blown disadvantage with variable value based on the utility of the foregone skill.
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Old 11-18-2018, 10:36 PM   #2
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

The quirk errs on the side of caution, since often an Incompetence taken is flavor rather than a serious handicap (say, the Archer that doesn't use Guns... or the bookworm isn't good at carousing). I'd venture to say any concept that will put you in danger or inconvenience you enough to be worth more is already covered as a different disadvantage.

Besides, if you follow the line of reasoning that some skills are more valuable than others you have a much better issue.
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Old 11-18-2018, 10:50 PM   #3
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

I fully do agree with Naloth and would like to add two points.

1) The incompetence may be built with another disadvantage: incompetence with guns, for instance, may come from a phobia of guns, which is more expensive.

2) The quirk is cheap, yes, but it also means that it is easy to buy it off.
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Old 11-18-2018, 11:36 PM   #4
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

Quote:
Originally Posted by Donny Brook View Post
I think Incompetence should be a full blown disadvantage with variable value based on the utility of the foregone skill.
It's a Quirk because the high likelihood is that anyone taking it intends to never have to roll that skill.


You turn it into a full on 'disad' and it's just "free" points for the taking.
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Old 11-19-2018, 12:30 AM   #5
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

Yeah, incompetence is basically "if you choose not to learn this skill, you can get an extra point back by being really really bad at it".
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Old 11-19-2018, 12:34 AM   #6
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

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Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
It's a Quirk because the high likelihood is that anyone taking it intends to never have to roll that skill.


You turn it into a full on 'disad' and it's just "free" points for the taking.
This is generally true - 99% of characters would have Incompetence in things that aren't central to the character, so effectively it's supposed to be a background colour trait.

However, I'm wondering what you'd do with characters like Discworld's Rincewind, who despite his occupation and training being "Wizzard", was completely unable to cast any spells.

It doesn't necessarily have to be high-farce either- it could be a student at a fencing school who can't poke the broad-side of an oak tree, but who was forced to enrol by his overbearing father, for example.

IOW- what disadvantage is it to be hopeless at a core character-concept adventuring skill? Cursed?
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Old 11-19-2018, 12:37 AM   #7
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

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Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
IOW- what disadvantage is it to be hopeless at a core character-concept adventuring skill? Cursed?
It's a reputation (inept wizard) plus putting points into things unrelated to the thing you're bad at.
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Old 11-19-2018, 12:55 AM   #8
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

For such a character (someone incompetent in an important part of his job), I would search for a true disadvantage, rather than just Incompetence.

After all, what means being incompetent? If it just means not being trained enough, then the answer is simple: just don't spend points on the skill. But if it means more than that (phobia, clumsiness, absent mindness, combat paralysis...), then, the better thing to do is to choose that disadvantage.
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Old 11-19-2018, 01:05 AM   #9
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

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It's a reputation (inept wizard) plus putting points into things unrelated to the thing you're bad at.
However, this is more lenient skill-wise than the Incompetence quirk. And it's only a Reputation if people know about it, which isn't a given.
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Old 11-19-2018, 01:27 AM   #10
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Default Re: Incompetence - wild divergence in price fairness

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Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
However, this is more lenient skill-wise than the Incompetence quirk.
So? While the fluff may be incompetence, from a game mechanics standpoint he just has low points spent.
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