Skill Adaptation and Combat/Art/Sport

[pawsplay]

So, the rules are set up such that you can do, say Skill Adaptation (Acrobatic Feints) or Skill Adaptation (Brawling techniques default to Karate).

Skill Adaptation (Katana defaults to Katana Art)

Thoughts? Reactions?

[Joseph R]

That isn't required.

EDIT: What I mean is, that such Techniques default to the Art/Sport version of a combat skill anyway. That is why Skill Adaptation perk is not needed for such instance.

[pawsplay]

Ah, but you would eliminate the -3 penalty.

[Joseph R]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Ah, but you would eliminate the -3 penalty.

I think we might be talking at crossed-purposes here.

My understanding of the Skill Adaptation perk is that it simply "unlocks" a Technique or group of Techniques for a skill that would not normally be allowed to be the default for such Technique(s). The technique itself still needs to be "learned" as usual by putting the points into it.

The Art/Sport skills can already be the default for any Technique that is valid for the combat version. Just base the Technique off the Art or Sport skill directly if that's what you want - you don't need the perk for this.

[pawsplay]

Currently, Broadsword defaults to Broadsword Art -3. Skill Adaptation (Broadsword to Broadsword Art) means Broadsword techniques default to Broadsword Art. You seem to be thinking I mean Technique Adaptation or something.

[Joseph R]

See p. MA64 - combat Art/Sport skills are a specific case.

You can already base any Technique that is valid for the Broadsword skill off Broadsword Art or Broadsword Sport directly should you so wish.

A hypothetical Perk of "Skill Adaptation (Broadsword to Broadsword Art)" would not achieve anything extra - it would be a wasted CP, surely?

[pawsplay]

No, it would not. You clearly do not understand that X defaults to Y means something different than X defaults to Y-3, and I am not able to explain it to you.

[agentCDE]

X defaults to Y-3

But it doesn't - You don't need to worry about the default to combat skill penalty when using a technique with an art/sport skill... I think. IDHMBWM.

...of course, you're still at -3 to use the technique in life-or-death combat - because you're not using a proper combat skill. But you're fine using, say Feint (Broadsword Sport) to feint while playing Singlestick, for example.

[pawsplay]

Originally Posted by agentCDE

But it doesn't - You don't need to worry about the default to combat skill penalty when using a technique with an art/sport skill... I think. IDHMBWM.

MA p.55.

Basic set p. 184.

[Joseph R]

Right pawsplay, the -3 penalty when using Karate Sport in a streetfight (combat skill) or when using Wrestling in a 'pro-wrestling' match (Art skill) is not affected by the Skill Adaptation perk. I'm not sure what benefit you think the perk would give.

You mentioned Katana and Katana Art originally. Let's use that for a couple of examples:

Hypothetical PC1 has Katana skill of 15 and technique Back Strike (Katana) of 14. The -3 default means that should PC1 try to use a Katana in a staged performance, their skills would be Katana Art 12 and Back Strike (Katana Art) of 11.

Hypothetical PC2 has Katana Art skill of 15 and technique Back Strike (Katana Art) of 14. The -3 default means that should PC2 try to use a Katana in a real fight, their skills would be Katana 12 and Back Strike (Katana) of 11.

Giving either of these PCs a Skill Adaptation perk of (Katana defaults to Katana Art) or (Katana Art defaults to Katana) would not change this. That is not what the perk of Skill Adaptation is for.

Do you actually believe that such a perk would eliminate the -3 default penalty? Is that what you are proposing?

The perk Skill Adaptation doesn't eliminate existing penalties. That is not what this perk is for. It is for basing one or more Technique(s) off a skill that is not normally allowed to have them at all.

Originally Posted by Skill Adaptation (p. MA51)
You can learn techniques that don’t default to a skill as if they did, at the usual default penalties.

Well pawsplay, if you want to eliminate the default -3 penalty for a combat art/sport skill, then buy off that penalty (Improving Skills from Default p. B173). Doing this with a 1-point Perk would not seem to me to be balanced within the RAW.

However, for a cinematic game it is quite possible for the GM to remove the need for separate art/combat skills altogether and just use the one skill for all three purposes. That would be a simpler solution anyway.