[Social Engineering] Skill-based Cold Reading / Sherlock Scan? - Page 6

David Johnston2 · 05-31-2012, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

I consider it more likely that the geocentricism was a thing that Doyle included in his very first Holmes story, and which he later regretted.

Of course any character obsessed with crime-solving to the degree that Holmes is would dismiss true trivia (such as sports results - most of us would regard social gossip as trivia, but of course to Holmes the doings of important Londoners were sometimes of great importance), but it is not realistic for any genius detective to dismiss hard scientific fact.

But it is in character for a genius to lose patience with a lesser mind who insists on quizzing his knowledge of every discipline of knowledge known to man.

David Johnston2 · 05-31-2012, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

So the real-world inspiration of Sherlock (and perhaps a less-outrageous version of Sherlock) has Fortune-Telling?c

No. Doctor Bell was just using Diagnosis at a really high level to figure out what people's professions were from things like callouses, scars, stains and muscular development.

cosmicfish · 05-31-2012, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Carnifex

One way might to model them as a bunch of Hobby skills: essentially Hobby: London Soils, Hobby: Tobacco Ash, and so on.

I think Geology and either Connossieur (Tobacco) or Connossieur (Drugs) would be more appropriate - while he did no doubt possess the knowledge you described, he did so within the context of a much wider knowledge base that no doubt included some knowledge of tobacco before smoking and soils OUTSIDE of London.

vicky_molokh · 06-05-2012, 06:19 AM

Regarding the issue of many rolls:
Perhaps some sort of separation into primary and secondary skills would be appropriate, so that the first (primary) roll defines the maximum number of clues/conclusions, and then the secondary skills (or rolls) figure what sort of clues the character actually gets. (This is just an idea, not worked out.)

Or perhaps even do a single roll, with Primary-skill-based MoS defining max clues, but individual skill levels determining whether clues governed by particular skills are available. E.g.:
Observation 15, Diagnosis 11, Forensics 12, Thanatology 13 and some other skills. Roll comes up 12. That's a MoS of 3, so 3+1 clues max. 12 vs. Forensics and Thanatology are successes, while vs. Diagnosis is a failure. Thus, the Sherlock notices some bit of evidence, some superstitious behaviour/tick related to a recent death, but no medical clues about the encountered target; there is also place for 2 more clues based on other skills. Perhaps an Intelligence Analysis roll is required to actually analyse the clues (or just roll the lower of Observation/IA)?

Bira · 06-05-2012, 10:26 AM

I second those who said this is exactly what the Detective! skill would cover. My understanding of "bang" skills is that they can replace any skill roll as long as you're making it for the purpose of the skill. So no matter how many different skills you'd normally need to do a Sherlock Scan, you can use a single Detective! roll for that, because your purpose here is, well, performing the quintessential "cinematic detective" trick.

GURPS Monster Hunters uses bang skills extensively, and goes into some detail about them. That's what I'm basing the above paragraph on. One example it gives is the Guns! skill, which it says can even be used instead of Acrobatics as long as you have a gun on your hand. So using Detective! for the Sherlock Scan is more than reasonable.

06-05-2012, 06:19 AM	#54
vicky_molokh GURPS FAQ Keeper Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Kyïv, Ukraine	Re: [Social Engineering] Skill-based Cold Reading / Sherlock Scan? Regarding the issue of many rolls: Perhaps some sort of separation into primary and secondary skills would be appropriate, so that the first (primary) roll defines the maximum number of clues/conclusions, and then the secondary skills (or rolls) figure what sort of clues the character actually gets. (This is just an idea, not worked out.) Or perhaps even do a single roll, with Primary-skill-based MoS defining max clues, but individual skill levels determining whether clues governed by particular skills are available. E.g.: Observation 15, Diagnosis 11, Forensics 12, Thanatology 13 and some other skills. Roll comes up 12. That's a MoS of 3, so 3+1 clues max. 12 vs. Forensics and Thanatology are successes, while vs. Diagnosis is a failure. Thus, the Sherlock notices some bit of evidence, some superstitious behaviour/tick related to a recent death, but no medical clues about the encountered target; there is also place for 2 more clues based on other skills. Perhaps an Intelligence Analysis roll is required to actually analyse the clues (or just roll the lower of Observation/IA)? __________________ Vicky 'Molokh', GURPS FAQ and uFAQ Keeper

06-05-2012, 10:26 AM	#55
Bira Join Date: Jul 2009	Re: [Social Engineering] Skill-based Cold Reading / Sherlock Scan? I second those who said this is exactly what the Detective! skill would cover. My understanding of "bang" skills is that they can replace any skill roll as long as you're making it for the purpose of the skill. So no matter how many different skills you'd normally need to do a Sherlock Scan, you can use a single Detective! roll for that, because your purpose here is, well, performing the quintessential "cinematic detective" trick. GURPS Monster Hunters uses bang skills extensively, and goes into some detail about them. That's what I'm basing the above paragraph on. One example it gives is the Guns! skill, which it says can even be used instead of Acrobatics as long as you have a gun on your hand. So using Detective! for the Sherlock Scan is more than reasonable.