Quote:
Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless
It's basically my understanding that for most skills the default assumption of a skill use is unrehearsed.
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I respectfully disagree.
Except in in unusual circumstances, it's a given that any performance type skill is based on your repertoire of pieces you
have practiced. E.g., Spontaneous use of Performance skill uses scenes from Shakespeare, etc. that you've previously memorized and performed.
High skill levels with Performing, Musical Instrument, etc. imply not only technical proficiency, but also a deeper "standard repertoire" of memorized and practiced pieces.
Example: A novice guitar player working at default skill can just pick out "Iron Man" or "Smoke On The Water," while world a class professional musician with skill 18+ and a couple of levels of Talent has memorized entire fake books of tunes and can jam (i.e., improvise) for hours.
For truly novel works - like sight reading a piece of music that was just dropped onto your music stand - penalties for lack of preparation time should apply unless you've had a minimum amount of time to practice.
IIRC, it takes something like 60 hours of practice per hour of theatrical performance. The same seems to be true for ensemble musical pieces - choirs and orchestras spend weeks or months rehearsing before opening night. The GM might multiply or divide the required time for very simple or very complex pieces.
Certainly, Group Performance skill rolls are required to make best use of practice time for ensemble pieces. For major works, skills like Administration, Artist (Costume Designer), Professional Skill (Set Designer, Lighting Director, etc.) and would all be complementary.
I've also seen house rules for an Improvisation Technique for Musical Instrument and Singing which allows you to buy off penalties for creating new music on the fly. The same idea could be used to create a technique called "Improv" for Performance skill. Of course, "Improv Performance" is also called Acting skill, hence the generous defaults between the two.
The same concept applies to military and paramilitary ops. Special operators spend weeks or months in specialized practice prior to any operation against a fixed target. Even Quick Response Teams try to get some practice in before an operation organized "on the fly."
Penalties should apply for lack of planning and training, with high skill levels representing rigorous "core" training and drills which allow special operators to overcome the inevitable "friction" which occurs when a plan meets reality.