Better Damage Bonus for combat skills using Skill Adaptation perk

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by GURPS Power-ups: Perks p.17

Alternatively, you can add
specific skill applications – like getting a parry based on the
skill – which techniques don’t cover. Either must be borrowed
from another, related skill.

So my question is this, could you buy this perk for something like Skill Adaptation (Brawling gets Karate Damage Bonus). Yes I know it seems munchkiny and I sure as heck would be leery about putting this in any game I run but could it be possible? Is it legal.

Thanks for any responses

Ghostdancer

[Cybren]

So with that perk you could have spent 9 points (perk, dx+1 karate) for +1 per die on damage or 13 points (perk, dx+2 karate)?

wouldn't special exercises (striking strength +1) be a better, clearer, and less dubious option?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Cybren

So with that perk you could have spent 9 points (perk, dx+1 karate) for +1 per die on damage or 13 points (perk, dx+2 karate)?

wouldn't special exercises (striking strength +1) be a better, clearer, and less dubious option?

Well Karate gives +1 per die at DX+0 and then +2 per die at DX+1 so 4 or 8 pts. So for 2 pts (Brawling DX+1) and the perk you would get the equivalent of a 5 pt difference for Karate by itself vs. Brawling + perk.

You could stack it with Striking ST so I don't know if it would be better per say...

I differently think its a bit of a point crock, but still curiosity does beg the question.

Ghostdancer

Edit: miscalculated points.

[aesir23]

I'd say no. For the obvious reason that it's clearly an attempt to get Karate for the price of Brawling.

Better go the other way: Weapon Adaptation (Brawling Improvised Weapons default to Karate.) + Bite Mastery. No you have the best of both worlds for slightly more than the price of one.

As far as, is it legal? There's no particular rule that says no, but this is a totally invented quirk, and therefore a house rule and up to the GM. Skill Adaptation, IIRC, is for adapting maneuvers or Techniques from one skill to another. There is no precedent for transplanting bonuses.

(e.g. clinch allows grapple with a striking skill, but no perk gives the Wrestling ST bonus to another skill.)

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by aesir23

I'd say no. For the obvious reason that it's clearly an attempt to get Karate for the price of Brawling.

Better go the other way: Weapon Adaptation (Brawling Improvised Weapons default to Karate.) + Bite Mastery. No you have the best of both worlds for slightly more than the price of one.

Another good route

Originally Posted by aesir23

As far as, is it legal? There's no particular rule that says no, but this is a totally invented quirk, and therefore a house rule and up to the GM. Skill Adaptation, IIRC, is for adapting maneuvers or Techniques from one skill to another. There is no precedent for transplanting bonuses.

Invented quirk> No, its a RAW published perk from GURPS: Power-Ups 2. It does however transplant capability, in the listed case of Alchemy style analysis possible with Herb Lore. That's a pretty potent micro-ability crossover.

Originally Posted by aesir23

(e.g. clinch allows grapple with a striking skill, but no perk gives the Wrestling ST bonus to another skill.)

Thats one of the reasons why I am determining the scope of this perk, so I just wanted a couple of people's takes on this.

Ghostdancer

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Invented quirk> No, its a RAW published perk from GURPS: Power-Ups 2. It does however transplant capability, in the listed case of Alchemy style analysis possible with Herb Lore. That's a pretty potent micro-ability crossover.

I didn't mean that Skill Adaptation was an invented perk, I meant that using it to transfer a numerical bonus from one skill to another is invented, even if you do use the name of an existing perk.

Using Herb Lore to analyze or Boxing to Clinch, or Karate to Bite are all minor uses of the skills that require success rolls. That's what Skill Adaptation is for. There are many examples of Skill Adaptation perks in Martial Arts, all of them work this way, a single maneuver or technique available to one skill is transplanted to another.

What you're proposing is, IMHO, a totally different animal, and like I pointed out, without precedent. It bears only a passing resemblance to the description and existing usages of Skill Adaptation.

I don't think that the damage bonus from Karate, or the ST bonus from Wrestling or Sumo Wrestling, or the Retreating Parry Bonus from Fencing, count as "applications" of the skill.

[Kromm]

Yes, the Skill Adaptation perk is intended to add dynamic applications that you must roll to use, not to add static bonuses that stem from merely knowing a skill. You can add a limited grappling ability to Brawling – or for that matter a bat parry to Sports (Baseball) – because those are things that still call for success rolls. You can't add a flat bonus because that's something that adjusts a roll rather than being a roll in itself.

[SimonAce]

Originally Posted by aesir23

I didn't mean that Skill Adaptation was an invented perk, I meant that using it to transfer a numerical bonus from one skill to another is invented, even if you do use the name of an existing perk.
SNIP r the Retreating Parry Bonus from Fencing, count as "applications" of the skill.

Exactly. Fir the last bit BTW, if allowed you'd use weapon adaptation (Broadsword or Short Sword) to Sabre or Rapier fencing -- not Skill Adaptation. This would let you use the weapon with a different skill -- and while Herr Doktor would know better I suspect its balanced well enough for strong perk ...

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Yes, the Skill Adaptation perk is intended to add dynamic applications that you must roll to use, not to add static bonuses that stem from merely knowing a skill. You can add a limited grappling ability to Brawling – or for that matter a bat parry to Sports (Baseball) – because those are things that still call for success rolls. You can't add a flat bonus because that's something that adjusts a roll rather than being a roll in itself.

Cool. So if I wanted to add say, Judo's throw ability to Wrestling I could, but not Wrestling's ST bonus to Judo.

What about something like a Karate style parry to Brawling to avoid penalties vs. weapons and such?

Ghostdancer