[Limitation] Requires Multiple Different Skills

Jinumon · 05-07-2018, 09:23 PM

Hey all,

Been a while. I'll admit I took something of a break from GURPS after my last project came to a grinding halt, but I'm back at it and once again a humbly request the opinions of our most esteemed community.

So I was wondering on how to price a Limitation in which multiple different skills are required by the user to appropriately master. I am well aware of the Requires Skill Roll, -10% Limitation.

For instance: a super with Create Solids wants to divide his use of the power into several different disciplines, such as Flesh, Plant, Metal, and Stone. In order to properly master his powers, he'll need to put points into multiple different skills rather than just one.

How much more limiting than Requires Skill Roll is this, based on how many different skills it requires?

Thanks as always, guys. You're awesome.

Jinumon

Kelly Pedersen · 05-07-2018, 09:44 PM

I wouldn't price this more than -10%. The reasoning for this is that this is effectively a couple levels of the Hard to Use limitation (Power-Ups 8: Limitations, p. 14), which applies a -3 to use the ability per -5% - since skills to use abilities are usually Hard, and that defaults to its attribute at -6.

I'd note, though, that doing this probably won't produce characters with multiple ability-use skills. I suspect what will happen instead is that the players will end up buying up one or maybe two of the skills up very high, leaving the rest at default, and just buying up the controlling attribute or power Talent.

Multiple skills tends to just push the character design logic back to buying up your attribute. Say you take Control, with separate IQ-based skills for Air, Earth, Water, and Fire. Buying up all four skills will eventually start costing 16 points/level (once you get past the low-hanging fruit of the first three levels). If you're spending 16 points to raise the levels of four skills, you're almost certainly better off just saving up an extra 4 points, and buying up a level of IQ, which will raise all four skills by a level and give a bunch of other skills a boost. The math just gets better in favor of attributes if the attribute is cheaper, too, and Talents definitely count as attributes here. If the ability has a standard 5-point/level Talent, then you can't even buy two skills up before it makes more sense to just pour the points into Talent.

Anaraxes · 05-08-2018, 04:32 AM

The base assumption of "Skills For Everyone" is that each ability has its own skill. Having one skill that's common to all abilities of a power is being generous. There's no extra discount just for having multiple skills on the character sheet.

If you wanted to require multiple skill rolls to actually activate an ability, that would be more limiting, because you have a lower probability of success for making two or three rolls together instead of just one.

05-07-2018, 09:23 PM	#1
Jinumon Join Date: Mar 2013	[Limitation] Requires Multiple Different Skills Hey all, Been a while. I'll admit I took something of a break from GURPS after my last project came to a grinding halt, but I'm back at it and once again a humbly request the opinions of our most esteemed community. So I was wondering on how to price a Limitation in which multiple different skills are required by the user to appropriately master. I am well aware of the Requires Skill Roll, -10% Limitation. For instance: a super with Create Solids wants to divide his use of the power into several different disciplines, such as Flesh, Plant, Metal, and Stone. In order to properly master his powers, he'll need to put points into multiple different skills rather than just one. How much more limiting than Requires Skill Roll is this, based on how many different skills it requires? Thanks as always, guys. You're awesome. Jinumon

05-07-2018, 09:44 PM	#2
Kelly Pedersen Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada	Re: [Limitation] Requires Multiple Different Skills I wouldn't price this more than -10%. The reasoning for this is that this is effectively a couple levels of the Hard to Use limitation (Power-Ups 8: Limitations, p. 14), which applies a -3 to use the ability per -5% - since skills to use abilities are usually Hard, and that defaults to its attribute at -6. I'd note, though, that doing this probably won't produce characters with multiple ability-use skills. I suspect what will happen instead is that the players will end up buying up one or maybe two of the skills up very high, leaving the rest at default, and just buying up the controlling attribute or power Talent. Multiple skills tends to just push the character design logic back to buying up your attribute. Say you take Control, with separate IQ-based skills for Air, Earth, Water, and Fire. Buying up all four skills will eventually start costing 16 points/level (once you get past the low-hanging fruit of the first three levels). If you're spending 16 points to raise the levels of four skills, you're almost certainly better off just saving up an extra 4 points, and buying up a level of IQ, which will raise all four skills by a level and give a bunch of other skills a boost. The math just gets better in favor of attributes if the attribute is cheaper, too, and Talents definitely count as attributes here. If the ability has a standard 5-point/level Talent, then you can't even buy two skills up before it makes more sense to just pour the points into Talent.

05-08-2018, 04:32 AM	#3
Anaraxes Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: [Limitation] Requires Multiple Different Skills The base assumption of "Skills For Everyone" is that each ability has its own skill. Having one skill that's common to all abilities of a power is being generous. There's no extra discount just for having multiple skills on the character sheet. If you wanted to require multiple skill rolls to actually activate an ability, that would be more limiting, because you have a lower probability of success for making two or three rolls together instead of just one.