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Old 06-28-2017, 07:42 PM   #81
Prince Charon
 
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
Given how narrow the topic 'poisons' is compared to 'biology' or 'chemistry' or 'physics', it pretty well should.
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Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen View Post
Well, it is a TL skill. To me, that suggests that equipment bonuses or penalties are appropriate, and that it should improve with TL generally. I think that suggests that TL 8 Poisons skill should involve lab work.
Agreed. That doesn't mean it can't be used without one, but I tend to assume that when it comes to the analytical part of the skill would be greatly aided by having access to one. Likewise, creating an antidote is explicitly covered by Poisons, and is something a lab would really help with.
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Old 06-28-2017, 08:57 PM   #82
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

It's fairly impossible to extract and refine ricin or synthesize VX without a lab.
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Old 06-29-2017, 01:36 AM   #83
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

How's this?

Autopsy (Surgery). Hard, default Surgery+6, cannot exceed Surgery+10 (See Bio-Tech, p139). This allows you to buy up skill in the dissection part of an autopsy, which is fairly standardised.

Pathologists, for whom doing autopsies is a routine activity, don't normally have high surgery skill, or do surgery on living patients. Depending on how your game treats specialisations of Surgery, Pathology may be a required specialisation, which covers the entire body, but isn't concerned about keeping the patient alive.

Finding evidence or clues during or after an autopsy usually requires rolls against Diagnosis, Forensics, Physiology and/or Poisons, but Biology (Entomology or Microbiology) is sometimes needed. Lab tests for toxicology are Poisons. Roll against the lower of these skills and the Autopsy technique level; it isn't necessary for all the rolls to be made by the same investigator, provided all the investigators can examine the body, or lab testers have adequate samples. This makes equipment bonuses for Autopsy valuable, see Bio-Tech p127.

This technique is Hard because you only get one try at dismantling a corpse; a "second autopsy" involves another pathologist making new Diagnosis (etc.) rolls, at -1 if the corpse has been frozen or -2 if it has been embalmed (which also gives -3 or worse to further toxicology tests).
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Old 07-07-2017, 03:28 AM   #84
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

Many existing techniques simply buy off situational penalties. Judging which ones need to be Hard for game balance reasons, or can't buy off the whole penalty can take some care: ones where you only get one try tend to be both, at least by analogy with combat skill techniques like Targeted Attack. The Technique Mastery perk is useful for overcoming such limitations. However, some games limit the number of perks you can have.

Complex Bullets (Armoury). Average, cannot exceed Armoury. This lets you buy off the penalties for Jacketed Bullet (Armoury-1), Jacketed Silver Bullet (Armoury-3), and APHC Bullet (Armoury-2), among others. For more details, see High-Tech p174, "Handloading and Reloading."

<location> (Fast-draw (weapon type)). Average, cannot exceed Fast-draw skill. This allows you to buy off the penalty for Fast-drawing a weapon from an odd position, see Tactical Shooting, p42.

<Specific person> (Mimicry (Speech)). Average, cannot exceed Mimicry (Speech) This allows you to buy off the -3 penalty to imitate a specific person's voice.

Last edited by johndallman; 07-16-2017 at 06:40 AM. Reason: Yellow-out re-invented Basic set technique
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Old 07-07-2017, 04:24 AM   #85
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

Snatcher (Specific Item): Snatcher takes a penalty for items being unusual. This technique allows you to buy off the skill penalty for a single object. Hard Technique, Defaults to IQ-whatever penalty the GM sets, can't be higher than IQ.
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Old 07-08-2017, 03:36 PM   #86
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

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Additional ideas:

Docking (Shiphandling -2 (H), or Boating -1 (A). Roll to bring a vessel to a halt in alignment with a static structure without damage or trouble.
Sure... but the one that this really makes me think of is Navigation (harbor/river pilot) bonus to navigation in your specific body of water. you know where all the currents are and what the traffic patterns will be.
Could also require Area Knowledge as a prerequisite.
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Old 07-08-2017, 09:41 PM   #87
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

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<location> (Fast-draw (weapon type)). Average, cannot exceed Fast-draw skill. This allows you to buy off the penalty for Fast-drawing a weapon from an odd position, see Tactical Shooting, p42.
I would definitely allow this is a realistic campaign. If you are practicing enough to get Fast-Draw, it's likely this is what you have anyway -- one for a specific weapon and a specific location, rather than a general FD for every location. Also, I'd consider allowing it as a Perk to buy off the whole penalty for a location in certain more cinematic campaigns.
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Old 07-09-2017, 12:55 PM   #88
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

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Snatcher (Specific Item): Snatcher takes a penalty for items being unusual. This technique allows you to buy off the skill penalty for a single object. Hard Technique, Defaults to IQ-whatever penalty the GM sets, can't be higher than IQ.
Hmm.

I can see the appeal, but I don't think there's any precedent for a Technique not based on a Skill.
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Old 07-09-2017, 05:26 PM   #89
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

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I can see the appeal, but I don't think there's any precedent for a Technique
not based on a Skill.
There are a few:

Cane Travel {Underground Adventures}, Skidding {Action 3}, and Toe Flip {Action 3} are all bought from a DX default.

Memory Palace {Social Engineering: Back to School} is bought from an IQ default.

Edit: Also, it's perfectly possible to modify Snatcher to use a skill roll rather than IQ.
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Old 07-14-2017, 07:44 AM   #90
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Default Re: New Technique of the Week: an ongoing thread

Making up <subject> (Occultism). Average, default prerequisite, no upper limit. This lets you buy up skill in inventing a convincing narrative about an occult subject. This is mostly useful for creating fiction, or in settings where predictions about the occult aren't susceptible to testing that will convince believers. People who use this technique may well regard it as the product of research.

This technique is also possible for many schools of Hidden Lore, some kinds of Theology, and some Professional Skills. When applied to modern sciences, it usually produces pseudo-science.
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