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Old 04-22-2013, 08:42 AM   #11
Vaevictis Asmadi
 
Join Date: May 2007
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Default Re: [Houserule] Changing Defaults to Techniques

What about a totally different solution: No default use of a skill can be better than Attribute + 2 or 3, not counting bonuses from Talents.

This is realistic because Skill-12 or 13 is the typical level for a professional, Skill-14+ for an expert. Having a default "level" that high wouldn't make sense without having learned the skill itself.

An additional option is to say that if a character persists in using a skill at default frequently, at some point the GM can just tell them they have to put some XP into it.
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Old 04-22-2013, 09:12 AM   #12
Langy
 
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Default Re: [Houserule] Changing Defaults to Techniques

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Originally Posted by Vaevictis Asmadi View Post
What about a totally different solution: No default use of a skill can be better than Attribute + 2 or 3, not counting bonuses from Talents.

This is realistic because Skill-12 or 13 is the typical level for a professional, Skill-14+ for an expert. Having a default "level" that high wouldn't make sense without having learned the skill itself.

An additional option is to say that if a character persists in using a skill at default frequently, at some point the GM can just tell them they have to put some XP into it.
That's misinterpreting what defaults are in GURPS. A default is either about 'knowledge gained while working on the primary skill' or, more commonly, 'utilizing the primary skill to do things that the defaulted-to skill typically does'.

An example where this rule doesn't make sense is Physician. First Aid defaults to Physician at Physician+0 (there is no default penalty between the two skills). This is because Physician includes everything in First Aid and more.

Similarly, restricting the Shortsword default off of Broadsword doesn't make sense, since that default penalty represents the difficulty of using Broadsword techniques while swinging a Shortsword.
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Old 04-22-2013, 09:14 AM   #13
malloyd
 
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Default Re: [Houserule] Changing Defaults to Techniques

I think once you are down at the level of techniques, there *are* no default skills. What you have are two skills that share a lot of the same techniques, with different defaults to them. Defaults are a much more blunt instrument.

I think if I were going this route to do away with combat skill defaults, I'd consider making each weapon, not each skill, a technique of the skills defaulted from, which would allow shifting the defaults some for stuff that seemed more or less similar.
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Old 04-22-2013, 01:11 PM   #14
jacobmuller
 
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Default Re: [Houserule] Changing Defaults to Techniques

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Originally Posted by tbone View Post
I think I see what you mean...
That's why I like 2 points to raise the defaulting skill
You got it and your idea does help out.
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fail many a roll to resist Compulsive Replying... : )
Ditto...
I was delighted to see your work appearing in Pyramid - always good stuff.
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Old 04-22-2013, 02:53 PM   #15
kirbwarrior
 
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Default Re: [Houserule] Changing Defaults to Techniques

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That's why I like 2 points to raise the defaulting skill...
The halfway point, of course, is making them Hard Techniques. Close enough skills cost 50% more (Shortsword-2 bought off is [3]), while further ones are 125% more (if it's a -4).

I've always been confused for the need for Hard Techniques, but it might work for this situation.
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Old 04-23-2013, 09:04 AM   #16
Edges
 
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Default Re: [Houserule] Changing Defaults to Techniques

The Weapon Adaptation perk gets around the issue in a lot of cases (and for less points).
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