Fine Portable Toolkit vs. Basic Quality Workshop

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

I'm puzzled: is there any reason why one would be disallowed to upgrade Portable Toolkit quality to Fine (+2)? If it's allowed, it seems like a Very Fine toolkit is very competitive against a Workshop, as the latter has a comparable price but is significantly less portable.

So far, I'm finding no prohibition, which usually means that it's OK, given the way GURPS tends to be worded. Are there any additional canonical rules or authorial rulings that should be factored in?

Thanks in advance!

[Celjabba]

-The toolkit is at -2 outside of a specific specialty, the workshop is good for all speecialties of a skill.

-the Workshop have more materials and spare parts.

-The Workshop also have everything necessary for fabrication on top of repair.

(high tech p24)

That said, I see no reason not to allow a fine Toolkit. For repair and maintenance within a specialty, and as long as you have enough spares part, it would get an additionnal +1 bonus.
A very fine one ... I don't know if there is a rule about very fine tools, I though only some weapons could get that modifier ?

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Celjabba

-The toolkit is at -2 outside of a specific specialty, the workshop is good for all speecialties of a skill.

High-Tech is ambiguous:
It starts of talking about skills, but then lists prices for specialties of skills. That's another reason I am unsure.

[Donny Brook]

I think that the word "specialty" in the Workshop description (HT24) is an error, and inconsistent with the earlier sentence that says "Each skill requires its own shop" [italics added]. In other words, I think a Workshop is supposed to do for all specialties of a skill.

[weby]

I think that the thing what it gives bonus to is fairly clear if you read the whole thing from beginning, a the basic introductory text says that the three skills have separate for all toolkits and the workshop entry does not say anything like "Unlike other toolkits..." or something else to indicate that it is meant to override the main entry.

So a workshop gives the full bonus to the skill for most skills but for the specialty for Armoury, Electronics Repair, and Mechanic. Though likely different specializations are likelier to be at the smaller penalty for using wring thing.

As for quality:
In high tech the main reference to equipment quality is the generic pointer to B345 without any further discussion.

But it should be noted that several other things say that quality effects the weight for toolkits(action) or forbids such modifiers on them (monster hunters) or just notes that Better quality equipment is usually heavier(ultra tech).

And on reading the actual texts of the toolkits they actually specify that the bonus is of type quality and that one should use that as the quality for B345, so it seems to imply that to change the quality you need to pick a different kit.

So overall my reading is: Want higher quality->get a different kit.