|
09-18-2017, 11:33 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, TX
|
Flight Skills
Am I correct in interpreting the piloting skill specializations do not care about the design/shape of the airframe, just the lift mechanism, environment, and speed/acceleration?
For example, a winged, species-compatible battlesuit that flies at 300 mph in atmosphere only would still use Light Airplane, correct? My other thought, is there a formal way to limit the scope of a specialization like you can with ads/disads and similar? In the above example, how do I prevent that character from being able to sit behind the yoke of a Cessna and fly it? I'm leaning towards just good old-fashioned common sense and saying they're not the same thing. I know I can create other specializations (I tend to avoid that if possible, though). I just want to make sure I'm not missing any other tools at my disposal. Ads/Disads get discussed a lot, I haven't seen much on skills. |
09-18-2017, 11:48 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Aug 2008
|
Re: Flight Skills
Idhmbwm, but you could use Comtragrav, Low-Performance Aircraft, or VToL, depending on the flight characteristics and technology. You also wouldn't be out of place to create a Mecha specialization, if you wanted one.
As for limiting the scope across a specialization, that is usually handled with familiarity penalties. Those are typically -2 to skill, but can be set more steep, if you want.
__________________
Buy My Stuff! Free Stuff: Dungeon Action! Totem Spirits My Blog: Above the Flatline. |
09-18-2017, 12:00 PM | #3 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Poland
|
Re: Flight Skills
Quote:
Quote:
__________________
My irregular blog: d8 hit location table |
||
09-18-2017, 01:58 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, TX
|
Re: Flight Skills
But it is based on the lifting mechanism, the environment, and the speeds, and not airframe shapes, correct?
|
09-18-2017, 02:41 PM | #5 | ||
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
|
Re: Flight Skills
Quote:
Quote:
|
||
09-18-2017, 03:51 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, TX
|
Re: Flight Skills
Well, I was just using that as an example because I used to be a big Rifts player a decade or two ago and the SAMAS has always been a great visual in my head which also fit the parameters I was picturing (not aerodynamic, only lifting surface are a couple of wings and fins, and massive thrusters on the back - and how transitioning from that to an airplane would be very illogical). I didn't think Battlesuit or Driving (Mecha) for cockpit mechas would transition over to flight charateristics, though?
I'm really more concerned with the differentiation in the Piloting skill itself instead of the aircraft. That's why my first sentence was about the lift mechanism (wing, rotor, brute-force thrust, etc.), environment (atmospheric, space, transatmospheric), and speed (<600mph, <.1G). Looking through the specialties, I see nothing about shape, streamlining or anything that makes me think of an F-16 or F-18 or the Millenium Falcon or a Firefly-class ship. Plus, it's not in the game I'm running. I was just thumbing through the skills and stopped to reread that and got myself on a tangent. |
09-18-2017, 05:23 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Jul 2016
|
Re: Flight Skills
Coming from a background in Palladium games myself, the generalizations of GURPS can seem a bit odd. But I agree that specialization/familiarity is the way to handle these issues.
Look at the Guns skill (p. B198) as a prime example. All the wide array of different characteristics found in various firearms are grouped together under the single word "Guns". You must specialize, with most of the specialties defaulting to the others at -2. In fact, the Rifle specialty is used to describe this exact sort of scenario: Quote:
|
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|