Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-27-2017, 11:01 AM   #1
Cowrie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Default Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

I'm statting up a swan maiden character and I honestly cannot decide whether her swan form should have the Amphibious advantage or a few points in Swimming as a racial skill. Furthermore, I can't figure out which would be more appropriate for waterfowl as a whole. And if amphibious is more appropriate, how should it be represented that underwater swimming doesn't come as naturally for most waterfowl? (Diving ducks being an exception.)
Cowrie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 11:17 AM   #2
ravenfish
 
Join Date: May 2007
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

I would lean towards amphibious. A duck can, for example, stay on the water indefinitely without risk of tiring out and drowning. Moreover, while a dabbling duck is not overly graceful in the water, my impression is that it isn't much more graceful when walking about on dry land.

A creative solution, of which I may not have considered all the implications, would be to give dabbling ducks Walk on Liquid (refluffed as "Float on Liquid") so they can hang out on the surface all day unimpeded, but need to make swimming rolls like anyone else if they want to dive [EDIT: and suffer the usual non-aquatic penalties to skills while doing so].
__________________
I predicted GURPS:Dungeon Fantasy several hours before it came out and all I got was this lousy sig.
ravenfish is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 11:42 AM   #3
Tinman
 
Tinman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: New York City
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ravenfish View Post
A creative solution, of which I may not have considered all the implications, would be to give dabbling ducks Walk on Liquid (refluffed as "Float on Liquid") so they can hang out on the surface all day unimpeded, but need to make swimming rolls like anyone else if they want to dive [EDIT: and suffer the usual non-aquatic penalties to skills while doing so].
I think this is an excellent solution.
Tinman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 11:51 AM   #4
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinman View Post
I think this is an excellent solution.
Personally, I'd aspect it. Walk on liquid is more costly than amphibious, and for good reason. Walk on liquid lets you tap dance on the water. Or you could aspect amphibious to "surface only". either way I'd charge [5].

Actually Amphibious (Surface only -50%) [5] sounds like a good fit.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 12:49 PM   #5
jason taylor
 
jason taylor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

Wouldn't swimming be more a skill you add to your normal form whether or not it has appendages for swimming? Humans do not get Tactics just from having a brain, do they?
__________________
"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison
jason taylor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 02:39 PM   #6
Ulzgoroth
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason taylor View Post
Wouldn't swimming be more a skill you add to your normal form whether or not it has appendages for swimming? Humans do not get Tactics just from having a brain, do they?
Well...kind of yes, actually. At IQ-6.

It does seem a bit questionable to give racial skills for gross anatomy, though. On the other hand, something like a biomod that gave innate buoyancy control doesn't conveniently map to any Advantage I can think of, but wouldn't be too unreasonable to treat as a Swimming bonus, perhaps with a limitation.
__________________
I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident.
Ulzgoroth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 03:22 PM   #7
Anthony
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

I'd generally go for Amphibious, possibly with a limitation if water performance is sub-par.
__________________
My GURPS site and Blog.
Anthony is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 05:25 PM   #8
whswhs
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason taylor View Post
Wouldn't swimming be more a skill you add to your normal form whether or not it has appendages for swimming? Humans do not get Tactics just from having a brain, do they?
No, but we get Walking from having legs. On the other hand, a person with no legs might need a skill to learn to walk on their hands, probably Acrobatics.
__________________
Bill Stoddard

I don't think we're in Oz any more.
whswhs is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 09:47 PM   #9
jason taylor
 
jason taylor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
No, but we get Walking from having legs. On the other hand, a person with no legs might need a skill to learn to walk on their hands, probably Acrobatics.
Yes but a human's walking is default(walking 20 miles a day for a whole week would be closer to walking skill). If someone changes to a swan their skills would not be what a humans skills would be if they were equiv to the default skills of a swan. They would be the default skills of a swan.
__________________
"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison
jason taylor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2017, 06:23 PM   #10
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: Waterfowl: Amphibious or Racial Swimming Skill?

Most modern humans are rather sedentary all things considered, so using our "default" walking isn't really comparable in my opinion.
I'm a lazy nerd, but have no problem walking all day aside from horrible boredom. I'm too oblivious to safely wear headphones outside.
Our species lack of instinctive swimming is odd for a mammal, but not so much for a primate.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:11 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.