Point costs, defaults, incompetence, high attributes, and disatvantages

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

But doesn't that still leave the OP with the problem of the default score not being where he would like it to be and putting a point in it raises the DX based part of it too much?

Sure, but the stuff you listed has nothing to do with that. That is all stuff that justifies the IQ based default.

Why not an Attribute Substition Perk (IQ-based Driving based on DX)? Although really the problem seems to be that DX is too high if 1 point in Driving gives an undesirable level of still.

Also can you please not strip the attribution and quouted post links when you quote me? Thanks.

[JMason]

As a bit of warning: DX 18 is near superhuman level of reflexes.

I feel that if you have a concept of a character that is not "skilled" at driving or guns, then you are bound to find other skills that will come up and be at a much higher default than you would expect.

At this level most average DX skills are going to DEFAULT to 13, meaning that your character succeeds at DX based tasks that she's never been trained for, 84% of the time!

Just as an example, assuming you don't already have these skills or another skill that they could default from, your character has:

Throwing @ 15 (95.4%)

Flamethrower and Sewing @ 14 (90.7%)

Riding(any) and Stealth @ 13 (83.8%)

Pickpocket @ 12 (74.1%)

...and can type 70 words per minute

If you are fine with that then go ahead and roll with it, but I would be real careful before committing to such a concept (and point investment). Each level of DX could have been 5+ more skill levels in areas you actually are trained in.

[Figleaf23]

Originally Posted by BraselC5048

Two skills have that problem, and first is driving. It defaults to 13 for this character, which is actually about the level I want - decent, but nowhere near the best. The thing is, I do want the other effects of having points in the skill - essentially the IQ based rolls (basic map reading, to diagnose simple malfunctions, or to recall rules of the road.), perhaps at 11 or 12 (the character's IQ is 12).

Consider Sport (Rallying).

[trans]

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

I have never crewed a Pzkw.VI but I can tell you about them.

The Tigerfibel is a an absolute miracle among operating manuals. Sorry I don't know how to link yet on my tablet.

Edit: May be NSFW for some people, but I'll take any number of pin-up girls as long as there are no swastikas.

[Xplo]

Originally Posted by BraselC5048

That's the thing, I don't want all the effects of putting a point into driving, because I don't want the character to have a skill of 17.

If you didn't want the PC to be superhumanly good at all DX skills, you shouldn't have given them a superhuman DX.

(Technically RAW allows attributes up to 20 for normal humans, but realistically the peak is about 15; higher than that and you get into cinematic territory.)

Not really a Patron, it's better modeled like a soldier, IMHO. Extremely hazardous duty (15 or less)

Duty doesn't grant equipment; it's a disadvantage. Patron does. Soldiers have - or should have - their military organization as a Patron.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Xplo

Patron does. Soldiers have - or should have - their military organization as a Patron.

No, ordinary service isn't a Patron.

Originally Posted by p. B73

But the U.S. Army, though powerful, is not a likely Patron – at least for an ordinary trooper.

The rules in GURPS Social Engineering: Pulling Rank allow people with Rank in an organization to treat the organization somewhat like a patron for requests in the line of duty, however.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by BraselC5048

The character actually does drive, frequently. It's just that I don't want him to have Driving-17, and 13 actually happens to be both the default and the right skill level to fit the character.

What is the in-character justification for this? A person who's got superhuman or near-superhuman reflexes, and is familiar with the operation of an automobile in general, should be able to handle it very, very well; that comes with having that kind of reflexes. What is it about the character that makes them so very, very bad at driving (and shooting)?

[joppeknol]

A part of the problem with driving is that it can be seen as a totally IQ/per based skill instead of a DX-skill. Good driving is anticipating on the traffic and correctly estimating distances and speeds. Only a small part of it is turning the steering wheel correctly and bass pedal. I don't think a olympic gymnasiast with a driver's license is automatically a good driver.

I know there are counterarguments but you might want to house-rule driving into an IQ-based or per-based skill. That would solve your driving problem.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by BraselC5048

Two skills have that problem, and first is driving. It defaults to 13 for this character, which is actually about the level I want - decent, but nowhere near the best. The thing is, I do want the other effects of having points in the skill - essentially the IQ based rolls (basic map reading, to diagnose simple malfunctions, or to recall rules of the road.), perhaps at 11 or 12 (the character's IQ is 12).

I always allow you to lower your skills (or any of your other abilities) as much as you want, for zero points. I can't imagine a GM that wouldn't let you do this. Put your 2 points into Driving and just *list* your DX based skill as 12 or 13.

The second skill is guns, and I'd like to take incompetence for it as well (so DX-8, or 10.) The thing is, I also want some of the more classroom-instruction type of stuff a OK levels - basic gun safety, what kind of gun is that (in general terms - a M1911, .38 special, .357 magnum and the like), and how you go about loading and firing a gun, again in general terms, but without any sort of ability to actually shoot it, let alone fix a jam or maintain it. Perhaps 12 or so effective, considering most of these things would be at a big bonus, maybe +4 or more. (I think.)

Connoisseur (Guns) is the usual skill for recognizing firearms. A point in that probably ought to allow you most of this stuff.

On a completely different character, but lumped into this thread, is a character with essentially no personality, sort of the anti-charsmia. Never smiles, voice is only ever neutral, annoyed, angry, and harsh, face is aways the same way, if she ever feels happy, you'd never know it, never makes a joke, and has Callous to boot. She understands social situations well enough, and she can tell when she's the butt of a joke (and won't like it at all).

The thing is, no disadvantage and I can find models that.

Mostly because none of it is actually particularly disadvantageous. Though you might want to consider No Sense of Humor. If you want it to lower reaction rolls more than that, I might allow Odious Personal Habit (Expressionless) too. A fair number of the skills you want to drop are affected by Disturbing Voice, and you might be able to justify that.

If anything, it should give a slight bonus to Intimidation and Interrogation (+1 for all levels of it combined).

That's part of Callous, don't lump it in here again.

Finally, I'd just like to run by the forum a rather unique vow of poverty.

What this character has isn't a vow, it's a job. Her employer (the secret society) is what gets paid to do the assassinations or whatever. They provide a salary and expense account (that's free for something in line with whatever wealth level she has, sounds like Struggling more than Poor to me if you are affording even lousy hotel rooms, but YMMV) and also provide top of the line equipment, and rarely a large amount of money (that's a Patron *if* you can use it for your own purposes, still just part of a job if you can only use it for stuff your boss tells you to do).

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by joppeknol

A part of the problem with driving is that it can be seen as a totally IQ/per based skill instead of a DX-skill. Good driving is anticipating on the traffic and correctly estimating distances and speeds. Only a small part of it is turning the steering wheel correctly and bass pedal.

GURPS Driving is primarily tactical/action driving. It's driving in car chases and using the vehicle as a weapon. It's very much DX-based.

I know there are counterarguments but you might want to house-rule driving into an IQ-based or per-based skill. That would solve your driving problem.

Not really. Even if you call it IQ-based; DX-based rolls will still be at high level of skill. This only changes how it looks on the character sheet.