[HR] Making Techniques Viable (as more than "one-trick" specialists)

[aesir23]

I like the concept. Somewhere on these boards someone else proposed a different system for reducing the cost of techniques that also looked interesting.

Personally, I think I'm just going to do the following in my next campaign: Style Familiarity increases all the Techniques in that style by 1.

[OldSam]

Nice ideas! With the RAW it seems that most characters tend to have only 1-3 techniques and are rarely using something different...

[Trachmyr]

Originally Posted by aesir23

I like the concept. Somewhere on these boards someone else proposed a different system for reducing the cost of techniques that also looked interesting.

Yeah... I think that was me actually. But that system used a convolted "Technique Points" which worked kinda like character points and had some other funkyness to it. The system above is much more streamlined, and based on the Dabbler Perk.

Personally, I think I'm just going to do the following in my next campaign: Style Familiarity increases all the Techniques in that style by 1.

Now that's streamlined! But it certainly benefits styles with large numbers of techniques, and might make players shy away from more "tightly focused" styles. Perhaps charge for style familiarity a number of points per level based on the number of techniques in the style, kinda the way Talents work.

For instance 5 or fewer techniques is 1/level... 2/level for upto 10 techniques, 3/level for 15 techniques, etc. Perhaps counting Hard techniques as double.

But what about improving non-style techniques? Same as normal, or at a reduced cost? Often I'd want a few TA's (and maybe a combo) in addition to what the style offers.

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Thanks for you feedback folks!

Anyone else with ideas or comments?

[mlangsdorf]

I've tried some games in which any Technique can be improved by +3 as a Perk, but your system seems a little more elegant for producing generalists.

[Dinadon]

Originally Posted by Trachmyr

Anyone else with ideas or comments?

Having gone and had a look at your previous idea, I have to say that was similar to an idea I had. However instead of making a new advantage, I decided to simply base it off of relative skill level. So someone with a high Knife skill could have many knife techniques, but wouldn't have any for that solitary point in Axe/Mace. It uses bonus points, and it always starts when you get the weapon skill to DX+1, so the relative level above DX would be used to calculate the number of bonus points. I haven't decided if it would be 2 or 3 points per level, but I did decide the a 1-3-6-10-... progression provided to few points at the low end, too many at the high end. In all, I expect one technique per two levels above DX with this scheme. I have to decide how it interacts with Styles though.

Perhaps counting Hard techniques as double.

I wouldn't, firstly because most techniques are hard and thus would make a better baseline. Secondly because the difference in difficulty is all about buy in. Once you have that first level in a technique the difficulty has no effect on subsequent levels

And to be honest, given that it's a point per +1 to a technique, a Dabbler style default improver seems overkill. You're exchanging things on a one for one basis either way.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Dinadon

So someone with a high Knife skill could have many knife techniques, but wouldn't have any for that solitary point in Axe/Mace. It uses bonus points, and it always starts when you get the weapon skill to DX+1, so the relative level above DX would be used to calculate the number of bonus points. I haven't decided if it would be 2 or 3 points per level, but I did decide the a 1-3-6-10-... progression provided to few points at the low end, too many at the high end. In all, I expect one technique per two levels above DX with this scheme. I have to decide how it interacts with Styles though.

You could just have the Style add the bonus techniques based on skill.

In other words, if someone takes the Shortsword Fighting Style, then when they get to Brawling at DX+1, Judo at DX+1, and Shortsword at DX+1, they get a bonus style Technique for each of those skills, at DX+2 they get have two bonus Techniques per skill of the style, and so on.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Trachmyr

Now that's streamlined! But it certainly benefits styles with large numbers of techniques, and might make players shy away from more "tightly focused" styles. Perhaps charge for style familiarity a number of points per level based on the number of techniques in the style, kinda the way Talents work.

For instance 5 or fewer techniques is 1/level... 2/level for upto 10 techniques, 3/level for 15 techniques, etc. Perhaps counting Hard techniques as double.

But what about improving non-style techniques? Same as normal, or at a reduced cost? Often I'd want a few TA's (and maybe a combo) in addition to what the style offers.

--------------------

Thanks for you feedback folks!

Anyone else with ideas or comments?

Actualy what about a talent?
Talent: Boxing or whatever your style is?
That already is practically RAW. modified so it doesnt affect skills direct just techniques maybe? So no double dipping and only helps when you fight using techniques rather then generic moves.

[Nosforontu]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Actualy what about a talent?
Talent: Boxing or whatever your style is?
That already is practically RAW. modified so it doesnt affect skills direct just techniques maybe? So no double dipping and only helps when you fight using techniques rather then generic moves.

Nice idea in theory, in practice though it might end up costing you points to purchase the talent rather than simply increasing your core skill. Improving the Karate skill for example by 1 level only costs 4 points and will also increase the value of all techniques based off of karate by 1 point as well.

[zylosan]

Isnt the whole point of techs. to simulate the specilized focus and training of a specific martial artist? A generalist just sinks points into the base skill and does not limit and specilize his training by not taking techs.

Random Idea.
If you want to encourage MA players to make use of a variety of techniques, create a varient Modular Ability that only applies to tecniques and has a preperation requirement of a couple of days dedicated training (or 4 hours if you want it to be more powerful.) This would represent the fighter practicing special moves and dedicated training to a specific set of moves.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by zylosan

Isnt the whole point of techs. to simulate the specilized focus and training of a specific martial artist? A generalist just sinks points into the base skill and does not limit and specilize his training by not taking techs.

That's the point of *buying up* techniques. But not the whole point of techniques, since many of them would still be interesting if you couldn't buy them up at all, simply as cool moves you can pull off at a penalty to skill.

It is clear that anybody with the skill can attempt any of its techniques at the listed default right? They aren't additional abilities - you don't have to buy anything other than the base skill to use them.