Steve Jackson Games Forums - What Skills Could I Use?

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What Skills Could I Use?

If you have read some of my other thread, you might be aware of how indecisive I can be at times and how much of a perfectionist I am. Also, you might know that I tend to (try to) be a "power gamer".

This request falls under that last category. My character is a blend between a warrior and an elemental magician. I've got Brawling, Broadsword, Fast-Draw (Sword), Intimidation, Symbol Drawing (Seidolon), Two-Handed Sword, and Writing. The campaign is TL 3+2 if that makes any difference. To narrow down the possibilities, there are already other characters that cover the engineer, assassin, guy-who-knows-a-lot-about-monsters, and airship pilot types.

Is there a specific skill that you would never go without? And why?

EDIT: Also, I'm gonna hi-jack my own thread and ask for good ways to help get the best out of parrying and boosting it. Thanks!

Re: What Skills Could I Use?

administration, diplomacy, savoir faire and tactics.

Re: What Skills Could I Use?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LemmingLord (Post 1440023)

administration, diplomacy, savoir faire and tactics.

Ooh... Tactics is a good one! Added! One down, at least four to go!

Re: What Skills Could I Use?

Savoir-Faire, Administration Research and Strategy are all rather useful given your character concept. In my experience, it is sometimes better to know who specifically to target with your attacks in order to have the maximum impact rather than simply cleaving your way through dozens of faceless mooks.

Re: What Skills Could I Use?

Kromm once posted a list of skills every adventurer should have -- unless you're deliberately designing a character that will in some areas depends on the rest of the party and be a frustration to them. Consider all of these, and if you're doing without, that should be a conscious choice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kromm

Relying on defaults -- whatever the game system calls them -- is rarely fun. In GURPS, I hint that certain skills are necessary for adventurers, true action heroes or not, to keep the story flowing without annoying breaks caused by PCs being incompetent at tasks that adventure fiction commonly treats as "everyman" skills:
Carousing, Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, or Interrogation -- Eventually, everybody wants to interrogate NPCs. I'm generous about what skills work, but some skill is required.

Climbing, Hiking, and Stealth -- The party is only as good at these things as its worst party member, and nearly every party has to move around as a unit at some point.

Driving or Riding -- Travel is vital to adventure, and while "every hero can drive/ride a horse" is often assumed, it isn't automatic in games that have skills for these things.

First Aid -- Effective bandaging isn't an unskilled activity, AD&D notwithstanding. Non-action heroes often want to do this to "contribute" to party combat effectiveness, so they especially need this skill.

Gesture -- Sooner or later, communication without making a sound will be vital to almost any party's survival.

Observation, Scrounging, or Search -- Noticing interesting things takes training, and finding clues and useful items is so central to adventures that no PC should lack at least basic training here.

Savoir-Faire or Streetwise -- Everybody came from somewhere. It's passing annoying when a player just assumes that her PC would "get on with folks in her element" without having any practical social skills to back up the assumption.
I further suggest -- strongly -- that action heroes have this list as well:
Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Knife, Shortsword, or Staff -- Wielding a stick, knife, or heavy tool to any real effect requires practice. These common improvised weapons are not idiot-proof, trivial, or safe to use without training.

Beam Weapons, Bow, Crossbow, or Guns -- However easy "point and shoot" looks, it's quite tough in reality. No credible action hero lacks competency at all ranged combat.

Boxing, Brawling, or Karate -- Fisticuffs are the worst place to be untrained. Your fists are the only weapons you always have, so learn to use them.

Forced Entry -- No, it isn't easy to kick in a door. Actually, unless you know how, you'll hurt yourself.

Holdout -- "Concealable" equipment only works if you have skill at concealment, and frustratingly few players realize this.

Judo, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling -- The number of people who think they should be able to grab others automatically is astounding. In fact, this is a difficult feat, trickier than hitting people, and absolutely requires training.

Throwing -- Whether you're tossing spare magazines to friends or grenades at enemies, this is a trained skill, so it pays to know it.
I think that players would be far less unhappy about surprises if more GMs made lists like this and did everything possible to get players to take them seriously. A PC with Brawling, Fast-Talk, Forced Entry, Holdout, Knife, Scrounging, Stealth, and Wrestling should be able to make and conceal a shiv, overpower a guard, steal his clothes, sneak away from the scene, talk his way past the other guards, and leave through an inadequately bolted back door.

http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...8&postcount=21

Re: What Skills Could I Use?

Connoisseur (Weapons), Thaumatology and/or Ritual Magic, Secret Lore (spirits)

Re: What Skills Could I Use?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raekai (Post 1440018)

Stealth. No adventurer should skip Stealth. I tend to put a point into First Aid and Survival too, just because any adventurer might need to bind a wound or start a fire. You may be a bit high tech for Riding, Packing, and Boating though they remain marginally useful even at TL8 - adventures tend to happen in hard to get to places. And though they aren't essential, a lot of people forget that Climbing and Swimming are skills, and may be surprised at how bad defaults are.

For this character concept I'd think about Innate Attack (for spell throwing).

Quote:

EDIT: Also, I'm gonna hi-jack my own thread and ask for good ways to help get the best out of parrying and boosting it. Thanks!

Combat Reflexes is worth it for *any* warrior if you can afford it. Enhanced Parry (one weapon) [5] is OK, though buying up your weapon skill by 2 [8] is usually better.

Re: What Skills Could I Use?

Some further thoughts:

Does your setting have a ranged weapon? TL3+2 might be expected to have a Guns equivalent. If it does, at least marginal competence in it is important.

You did buy all your melee weapon skills to an even number, right? Rounding is against you in the parry formula.

A point in Armoury (Melee Weapons) has paid off for me before for warrior characters - not so much to make them, but to assess qualities, maintain gear and make minor repairs. Housekeeping, the generic cook/clean/mend skill, may likewise pay off in allowing you to fix up non-weapon gear.

Competence in an additional language (3 points for Accented/Broken), can be either very cost effective, or totally useless, depending on how much the GM wants to stress language problems.

Playing on the "elemental magician" theme, consider mundane skills that link to the elements - Boating and Swimming, Weather Sense, Geology or Prospecting or Professional Skill (Mining), Explosives (Fireworks).

Re: What Skills Could I Use?

For my warriors i never skip:

Stealth, Survival, Swimming, Climbing, Throwing, First Aid, Tactics, Shield, Grip Mastery (Perk), and Holdout

For my Mages I never skip:

Thaumatology, Research, Holdout, Hidden Lore (Various),