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malloyd 11-24-2023 10:56 AM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Harald387 (Post 2508306)
"I JUST DO OKAY."

That's what makes this sort of thing just a perk. A sudden change in when the Great Temple will become a ruin, or who will rule your country two centuries from now, to something peculiar strongly indicates something adventure-worthy is happening, which is worth knowing, but it doesn't tell you much about [what].

cptbutton 11-24-2023 04:32 PM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Harald387 (Post 2508306)
"We have a problem."

"What?"

"The new date is two days from now."

"Which date?"

"The date the last living human will die."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?"

"I JUST DO OKAY."

So, that's when they invent the $1 immortality pill?

Varyon 11-24-2023 05:31 PM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaraxes (Post 2508311)
The description also says "or Luck". So, the Perk could allow ignoring the "effective skill >= 3" restriction, and allowing a roll no matter what the effective skill level. Of course, only a crit will succeed with an impossibly-tiny target number -- hence the Luck. (Works even better if the Buying Successes rule is in play.)

Luck allows you to roll 3 times and take the best result. If your skill is below 3, it would either be outright unusable (on account of the GM not allowing a roll, which is the RAW) or only serve to make you less likely to roll a critical failure (if the GM is using a houserule that allows for a roll but doesn't allow you to succeed, the roll is just a check of "how badly do you fail").

Anaraxes 11-24-2023 05:55 PM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Varyon (Post 2508345)
Luck allows you to roll 3 times and take the best result.

So you'd have three chances to roll a crit success. Still no great odds, only about 1.5% chance of making the impossible shot, but there we are. It is just a Perk, after all.

Or just read "Luck" not as that specific advantage, but as use of some similar rule that gives players meta ability over the dice result -- Buying Successes, say. So, the player that finds the Perk attractive can hang on to a CP or three just to let them make the impossible shot, should that situation ever actually come up in game.

Ignoring the "not being allowed to roll" rule is already covered by the Perk. Otherwise, there's no point in even having the discussion. To argue that it's not possible is quite easy -- there's no such rule literally permitting this in RAW; done, end of discussion. The point of making a new Perk is to try to invent a rule that _does_ allow this to happen.

mburr0003 11-24-2023 05:56 PM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Varyon (Post 2508345)
Luck allows you to roll 3 times and take the best result. If your skill is below 3, it would either be outright unusable (on account of the GM not allowing a roll, which is the RAW) or only serve to make you less likely to roll a critical failure (if the GM is using a houserule that allows for a roll but doesn't allow you to succeed, the roll is just a check of "how badly do you fail").

If the GM is ignoring the "no rolls below skill 3" hopefully they aren't ignoring "3 and 4 are always successes/critical successes" on pgs 343 and 347.



My House Rule ignores "cannot roll if effective skill drops below 3", but I don't allow "self imposed penalties"* to be applied in those cases, and I always treat 3 as critical success and 4 as regular success.


* So no Deceptive Attack, no Hit Location choices (unless it's the only attack they can make), etc. Positional penalties, Distance, Speed, Manuever choices, those aren't really what I call 'choices" for this purpose.

But I run ACTION! so over the top nonsense "1-in-1000 chances" has it's place at my table.

malloyd 11-24-2023 08:49 PM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by cptbutton (Post 2508340)
So, that's when they invent the $1 immortality pill?

Ooh, do you think the generous billionaire who preordered a dose for everybody subcontracted with Santa Claus to deliver to everyone that fast? I've always wanted a closer look at his reindeer and he doesn't stop at my house anymore for Christmas....

Pursuivant 11-25-2023 09:38 AM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Varyon (Post 2508297)
I'm not entirely clear on how this works from the description.

As I read it, it means you have a bare chance of getting a clear shot at a target regardless of conditions. For example, on a foggy day you will know that the fog will lift just enough in a particular location that you can make a long-ranged sniper shot. Or, if you're you're a space fighter pilot, you know that there's this one unshielded reactor vent that leads directly to the main reactor. A hit there might just destroy your target, as long as you can get through the point defense weapons and enemy fighters and make tricky high-speed torpedo attack.

Alternatively, or additionally, the perk allows you to take shots where your effective skill is less than three or where the weapon's inherent accuracy limits normally make the shot impossible. That allows you to roll the dice, multiple times if you have Luck, and hope for that magic roll of 3.

Each of these is a weak perk on its own, but together they might have some appeal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varyon (Post 2508297)
"Unbeatable at <Specific Game>" is probably a legitimate Perk in most campaigns, unless it would serve to readily enrich the character (like "Unbeatable at Blackjack" in a campaign set in Las Vegas). In a situation like that, I'd only allow it if it came with the caveat that the player wasn't allowed to abuse it to make the character wealthy. They could certainly suggest such a game to resolve things in situations where it makes sense, and as GM I'd reserve the option to have a "You must win in this game to advance the plot" incident (to make use of the character's talent).

That's the way I'd do it. In the right sort of campaign, I might even let a player abuse the hell out of the Perk as long as they can pay for the ensuing benefits - one way or the other. ("O.K., you're now Filthy Rich, but until you come up with the CP to pay for it you also have -50 points of Enemies in the form of the Vas Vegas Mob, the IRS, and a Cabal of Mammon Cultists who want your power for themselves.")

Pursuivant 11-25-2023 10:14 AM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Harald387 (Post 2508306)
"Which date?"

"The date the last living human will die."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?"

"I JUST DO OKAY."

Tell me that isn't a great adventure hook!

Flyndaran 12-22-2023 01:40 PM

Re: New perks
 
Easier to be healed/repaired.

Anyone attempting to heal/repair you gets a bonus to their respective skill to do so.

How much bonus makes sense, +1 or +2?

Bicorn 12-24-2023 11:36 AM

Re: New perks
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JulianLW (Post 2443154)
I Have a Bad Feeling About This

Prerequisite: Danger Sense or Intuition and Strategy or Tactics

This perk gives +1 to either your Strategy or Tactics skill. You may buy this perk once for each skill.

Great Body ‡

Prerequisites: Fit or Very Fit and Sex Appeal.

You're in great shape, and people can tell. If you are Fit and have spent at least one point on Sex Appeal, you may buy one level of Great Body for an additional +1 to Sex Appeal. If you are Very Fit, you may buy a second level of Great Body for +2 to Sex Appeal.

Yeah, no. A perk can't just give a universal bonus to a skill; it needs to be limited in some way. Just having a prerequisite is not a limitation.


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