Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-09-2021, 04:21 PM   #1
JulianLW
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Default Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

Let's say you have Wild Talent with Retention +25% and you use it for a skill for which you'd have no default, i.e. a caveman flying a starfighter. But you don't have a spare CP to invest either. How much of an enhancement do you think it should be to say that this one successful use of Wild Talent (without exercising the Retention option) gives the caveman a default for Pilot: Starfighter in the future?

Edit: The entry for Wild Talent Retention says "This enhancement does not let you learn skills from a TL higher than your own." Nevertheless: how much would you rate an enhancement that made such a default possible?

Last edited by JulianLW; 02-09-2021 at 04:32 PM.
JulianLW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2021, 05:10 PM   #2
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianLW View Post
Edit: The entry for Wild Talent Retention says "This enhancement does not let you learn skills from a TL higher than your own." Nevertheless: how much would you rate an enhancement that made such a default possible?
+250%, i.e., an extra 50 points. That's enough to buy High TL +10, which you're effectively gaining.
johndallman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2021, 05:21 PM   #3
JulianLW
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
+250%, i.e., an extra 50 points. That's enough to buy High TL +10, which you're effectively gaining.
I think that's a bit excessive. You're not gaining High TL since you only get a default on a skill you've successfully used your Wild Talent for in the first place. In other words, for each level of WT, you can potentially gain a single High TL skill at default for the future....
JulianLW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2021, 05:24 PM   #4
kirbwarrior
 
kirbwarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

That sounds about as useful as a 10pt Unusual Background, so whatever that would be as an enhancement (+50%?)
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmicfish View Post
While I do not think that GURPS is perfect I do think that it is more balanced than what I am likely to create by GM fiat.
kirbwarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2021, 05:50 PM   #5
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianLW View Post
I think that's a bit excessive. You're not gaining High TL since you only get a default on a skill you've successfully used your Wild Talent for in the first place. In other words, for each level of WT, you can potentially gain a single High TL skill at default for the future....
For each level of WT, you can buy a single High TL skill at one-point level, per session. GURPS does generally assume that players take advantages with the intention of using them.
johndallman is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2021, 06:00 PM   #6
Prince Charon
 
Prince Charon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

I think (were I the GM in this scenario) I would just allow defaults on skills that you've used Wild Talent for if you have Retention, since you remember what you did when you had the skill.
__________________
Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life.

"The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates."
-- Tacitus

Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.
Prince Charon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2021, 07:14 PM   #7
kirbwarrior
 
kirbwarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
I think (were I the GM in this scenario) I would just allow defaults on skills that you've used Wild Talent for if you have Retention, since you remember what you did when you had the skill.
Oh, oops, my bad, I misread OP. Yes, if a character has successfully done something with Wild Talent, I would absolutely rule they can default it, even with skills that have no default whatsoever.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmicfish View Post
While I do not think that GURPS is perfect I do think that it is more balanced than what I am likely to create by GM fiat.
kirbwarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2021, 08:31 PM   #8
JulianLW
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

Quote:
Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
For each level of WT, you can buy a single High TL skill at one-point level, per session. GURPS does generally assume that players take advantages with the intention of using them.
I thought so, too, but no. Read the last sentence on B99. I'm inclined to agree with Prince Charon and kirbwarrior that using a Wild Talent once should give you a default for future uses. But I can also see how this might be worth an additional enhancement. Maybe +25%? Anyone else have a thought about this? Thanks, all, for the input so far.
JulianLW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2021, 08:54 PM   #9
kirbwarrior
 
kirbwarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianLW View Post
I thought so, too, but no. Read the last sentence on B99. I'm inclined to agree with Prince Charon and kirbwarrior that using a Wild Talent once should give you a default for future uses. But I can also see how this might be worth an additional enhancement. Maybe +25%? Anyone else have a thought about this? Thanks, all, for the input so far.
I think the biggest thing to consider if it should be worth points is to ask; What is actually being gained?

High TL skills: This is extremely limited High TL of "This skill only" and "Defaults only"
Skill of your TL that this character wouldn't default: That is just a feature of your character
Skills that don't have defaults: I think there's around ten non-special skill that have no default? That alone would be a perk to me. Special skills already need a special trait for them.

The first one sounds like a valid perk; "I can default high TL skills with tech I've used before without needing High TL". You have to get High TL to improve those skills. So that's at most 2pts.

Magic spells are a unique case due to gigantic prerequisite trees. But on the other hand, you already need Magery in addition and Charms exist as perk. (But I would personally just say 'no defaulting magic' to solve any potential issues instead of something complicated).

If that actually sounds necessary, that sounds like a +10% enhancement.. But I also think Wild Talent is overpriced, so bridging the gap is why I let that be free.

Looking over things, I didn't catch that Retention doesn't apply to high TL skills before. Weird.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmicfish View Post
While I do not think that GURPS is perfect I do think that it is more balanced than what I am likely to create by GM fiat.
kirbwarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-10-2021, 03:19 AM   #10
johndallman
Night Watchman
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
Default Re: Default use of a Wild Talent with Retention

Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianLW View Post
Edit: The entry for Wild Talent Retention says "This enhancement does not let you learn skills from a TL higher than your own." Nevertheless: how much would you rate an enhancement that made such a default possible?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JulianLW View Post
I thought so, too, but no. Read the last sentence on B99.
Ah, a misunderstanding. Wild Talent with Retention allows you to "learn" skills you've used via Wild Talent, by spending a character point on them. I read you as asking about an enhancement that would allow doing that for higher-TL skills, but you were actually only asking about getting defaults on those skills? Without TL penalties, presumably, since those will readily render defaults impractical.
johndallman is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
default, wild talent

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:17 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.