[Basic] Skill of the week: Connoisseur

[Kromm]

In my secret-agents campaign, Connoisseur gets used two ways:

1. To get invited to events where important people are. If you can show that your depth of knowledge of wine, opera, fine art, or whatever is both deep and broad, and if you can at least fake having had significant exposure to the kinds that you need Multimillionaire to afford, you can talk your way into places where such knowledge – and only that – matters. There are many real-world situations where Connoisseur is the only "suitable" or "appropriate" Influence skill. A lot of those are ones where wealthy, powerful individuals with rarified interests can be found without several layers of assistants, bodyguards, and interested onlookers.

2. As a complementary skill. Practically every form of Connoisseur is complementary to something. My gang likes Connoisseur (Fashion) as a complement to Sex Appeal, Connoisseur (Wine) as a complement to Savoir-Faire (High Society), and so on.

There are also some peripheral uses where it helps to evaluate goods, but that's not terribly important, given how the PCs are bankrolled.

[Not]

How is connoisseur fashion different from fashion sense? I mean, as a real life thing.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Not

How is connoisseur fashion different from fashion sense? I mean, as a real life thing.

It's the difference between being able to recognize when it's been pulled off well and being able pull it off on your own.

[Not]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

It's the difference between being able to recognize when it's been pulled off well and being able pull it off on your own.

Sure, but if you have access to a mirror doesn't the one imply the other?

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Not

Sure, but if you have access to a mirror doesn't the one imply the other?

No more the Connoisseur(Painting) with access to a canvas and paint imply Artist(Painting)

Being able to recognize what works together does not imply the ability to make you own blend of them.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Not

Sure, but if you have access to a mirror doesn't the one imply the other?

Nope. Just like a person can recognize a well written poem or story, but not actually create one. If you've got Connoisseur (Fashion), you could try your luck (or whatever skill you do have) trying to make yourself or someone else look fashionable, but Connoisseur (Fashion) won't come into play until you go to check your work (and if I'm the GM, I'm rolling it in secret unless its utterly trivial that you succeed).

Edit: Too slow on my part. Oh well, might as well have another example. ;)

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

No more the Connoisseur(Painting) with access to a canvas and paint imply Artist(Painting)

Being able to recognize what works together does not imply the ability to make you own blend of them.

But what about the other direction? That of Fashion Sense allowing the detection of others using it or some other equivalent skill?

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

But what about the other direction? That of Fashion Sense allowing the detection of others using it or some other equivalent skill?

Any Creative Skills default to the related Connoisseur(speciality)-3 now Faction Sense like languages being an "learned advantage" taking the place of a skill probably has some special default that I don't know the RAW to deal with. My gut call would give it an IQ roll default rather than normal IQ-5 default.

[Prince Charon]

Another one I'm using, that I forgot to mention earlier, is that I'm working on a Bronze Age Mesopotamian astrologer-priest who has Connoisseur (Beer) and the 'Beer snob' quirk. Beer is a sufficiently old beverage (and one that was popular in the location and era) that I'd say this is plausible, but I admit to not being 100% certain. Would there have been enough varieties of beers and brewers to make it a plausible skill?

I'm writing him up for the Low level psis thread.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Would there have been enough varieties of beers and brewers to make it a plausible skill?

At the time, the number of different beers available would have been huge: many households would make their own, as would everywhere that sold it. But it wouldn't be transported, and there's no such thing as branding: Connoisseur (Beer) would be mostly about who makes beer in particular styles.