High Skill Vs Talent

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Originally Posted by Empada

Hi, this week I'm starting a new game in Fallout Setings. Characters start with 150 points and -75 in disadvantages
One of the players decided to play a doctor and spend 32 points on Physician Skill (IQ+7) (...) The only drawback I found is the Electronics Operation (Medical)(IQ-1) (...) I have suggested him to have the Talent Healer and spend 43 points to make a "worst" doctor (...) so, any suggestions on how to handle this? is it OK?

Why would you like him to be less efficient as medic? Do you want him to be good at doing other stuff?

If he made a "nice" PC you should let him have it. You are the GM, you have the handle of the pan. Right?

IMO, you need to introduce a clear idea of your setting to your players, and then stress a few skills they should know in order to ensure their survival. If they don’t take the advice, it is their choice having trouble.

You could also set attribute and skill caps, but that requires fine-tuning.

The way I see it, he is going to be an awesome wielder of the med-kit, and that is all. For example, what would the best hacker in the world do, if there are no tools to hack other computers? What would a sword-autist do, if there are no people to slay (or if he lost his sword)?

Just put him through situations:

A NPC got shot in their head and the medic must save him. The medic manages to prevent blood loss and estimated the NPC will survive 24 hrs (awesome diagnosis and impressive first-aid). He could save this NPC, but he does not have the tools to pull that bullet out (and right now his party is away killing super-mutants or gambling, whatever).

So, the medic rushes asking for help… Oh! He lacks fast-talk to convince other NPCs to help him, someone could tell him where to find med-supplies, but he still needs to convince this someone, somehow...

What will he do?

OK, he managed to get that information... the abandoned hospital has med-supplies! (He probably bought success or got a critical success). So, your medic must run under the wasteland’s sun, he gets very tired because he lacks running, survival-wasteland and navigation-land (it could have been nice if he knew how to read that map, but he did not); however, he still manages to get there (a little late).

The hospital is full of raiders, are things going to be OK?
Is he going to be able to take them down or pass them with stealth?
Is he going to be able to hack the terminal and open the safe labeled “medical supplies”?
Perhaps his lock-picking skill could help with those service doors to move around faster, spending less time…
And what happens if he lacks all of these skills?

Alright, he manages to open the safe, it is empty. He must look around, there’s no time and there’s no light; hours later he finally finds a solution: A Mr. Orderly.

Geez! There are 3 robots, he needs to check which of these is functional, and also he has to hack Mr. Orderly in order to employ it. That won’t do… Will he carry the 3 of them on his back? Is he strong enough for this feat? He arrives at night, is the repairman willing to check them right now? Mhh…

Is there going to be enough time for this? Maybe not.

Let’s say the other players from his party go to the abandoned hospital. The medic will remain with the patient (he will have to roll his med-skills every 15 minutes), while the others have their adventure. Is this going to be fun?

OK, let’s make it fun, the guy who shot your NPC comes in to finish his job. Your medic is the only one who can defend the NPC… OH! He does not know how to talk, handle a gun or land a punch!

Is this what he really wants?

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[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I don't think IQs above 14 are in any way human let alone realistic. But for Reed Richards type characters it's all but necessary.

Richard Feymann is my go-to example for IQ 15 to 16. Genius physicist, influential writer and lecturer, persuasive in his personal dealings, amateur safecracker, published biologist, musician, skilled liar, and apparently something of a pick-up artist at various points in his life. He really was a polymath with exceptional drive, determination, perception, and people skills.

I do think that IQ 14+ are much, much rarer than they show up in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy adventuring parties, though.

[Verjigorm]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Richard Feymann is my go-to example for IQ 15 to 16. Genius physicist, influential writer and lecturer, persuasive in his personal dealings, amateur safecracker, published biologist, musician, skilled liar, and apparently something of a pick-up artist at various points in his life. He really was a polymath with exceptional drive, determination, perception, and people skills.

I do think that IQ 14+ are much, much rarer than they show up in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy adventuring parties, though.

And a lot of the high IQ people who exist in regular life may very well have a copious amount of disadvantages alongside their high IQ that make it hard to function. I'm, of course, thinking of John Nash, who while certainly brilliant, also had that little problem with seeing people who didn't exist. But there's probably people who were overconfident, depressive, or had some other trait that stopped then from getting too far along in life.

[AlexanderHowl]

I have known plenty of people who qualify at a GURPS IQ 14+ and a few who were 16+. They were musicians, scientists, and sociolites and left me behind many years ago. They exist much like master martial artists, Olympic athletics, and professional athletes.

Exceptional people exist. It may not be fair, but it is no more unfair than people being born to great wealth. To call them unrealistic or impossible is just ignoring reality.

[Flyndaran]

I don't believe you knew people anywhere near that superhumanly intelligent in literally every single field of thought, willpower, and perception.
But either way, the discussion of stat normalizing and inflation is a bit off topic.

[Verjigorm]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I don't believe you knew people anywhere near that superhumanly intelligent in literally every single field of thought, willpower, and perception.
But either way, the discussion of stat normalizing and inflation is a bit off topic.

I don't find it unreasonable that there are people who can have IQ 15, but also have bad sight, social anxiety, and/or a lack of desire to learn how to do things that don't excite them. Also, why can't someone be IQ 14, but have Will 10 or 12, or Per 12?

[corwyn]

Originally Posted by Verjigorm

I don't find it unreasonable that there are people who can have IQ 15, but also have bad sight, social anxiety, and/or a lack of desire to learn how to do things that don't excite them. Also, why can't someone be IQ 14, but have Will 10 or 12, or Per 12?

You can, it just costs you a bunch of your disad limit, if you have one. Of course, there's a reason why it is not unheard of to house rule IQ cost/interaction with will/per.

[Flyndaran]

That wouldn't be IQ 16, for example. It would be IQ! 16, something many posters and authors despise. I don't understand why as those categories rarely correlate well in real life.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

That wouldn't be IQ 16, for example. It would be IQ! 16, something many posters and authors despise. I don't understand why as those categories rarely correlate well in real life.

You don't understand why IQ! is disliked?

Let's start with it being a 10 point raise to over 270 different skills... yes, I know IQ is just a 20 point 'talent' for over 270 skills... but at least it's 20 points!

There are reasons why in my non-DF games I've separated out Per and Will and don't allow IQ to go above 16.

[Lord Azagthoth]

Isn't there a rule that skills known only at default level lack the specials you would have if you put points in it (even if it's only 1pt)?

Maybe it's wise the describe the skills he only knows at default what they actually do for him (based upon the skill it defaults from).