[Fantasy] 5pt "Ordinary Person" Lens

[Joe]

Let's say you were planning a fantasy campaign, and you wanted to grant a free 5pt lens to all characters, just to make sure that everyone has the skills expected of an ordinary person (and thereby keeping to a minimum the old "I'm just a wandering swordmaster with no other skills and no ties to anyone" routine.)

What would you put in the lens?

My first, rough thoughts:

Ordinary Person (5 pts) (First Version) - see below for updated version
Claim to Hospitality (Close family and/or friends) [2]
Area Knowledge (Home town) [1] IQ
Another 2pts chosen from Housekeeping, Panhandling, or Savoir-Faire (Nobility), all (E) IQ [1]; Cooking, Farming, Fishing, Heraldry, or Professional Skill (Any), all (A) IQ-1 [1]; Riding (A) DX-1 [1]; Scrounging (E) Per [1].

Something like that, anyway. Players would have the option to sell these back if they really didn't fit the character concept; but they'd be the default.

I've deliberately left out skills that adventuring types always end up taking anyway, such as First Aid or Survival, even thought there's probably a case to be made for including them. This is to give people skills they wouldn't normally choose.

What would you add/subtract?



Later Edit:

I'm updating the template as we go. Here's the current version:

Ordinary Person (5 pts) (Updated)
Claim to Hospitality (Close family and/or friends) [2]
Area Knowledge (Home town) [1] IQ
Another 2pts chosen from Current Affairs (any), Housekeeping, Panhandling, or Savoir-Faire (Nobility or Servant), all (E) IQ [1]; Cooking, Farming, Heraldry, Merchant, or Professional Skill (any), all (A) IQ-1 [1]; Sewing (E) DX [1]; Riding (A) DX-1 [1]; Fishing or Scrounging (E) Per [1].

[johndallman]

I'd add Sewing (DX/E) to the skill choices.

[mlangsdorf]

I'd drop Area Knowledge: that's a skill for cab drivers and tour guides, but most people don't know the names and locations of most small businesses in their home town. Or at least move it to optional skills.

I'd also add Savoir-Faire (Servant) and Merchant to the list of optional skills. Some ordinary people are shopkeepers, after all.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

I'd drop Area Knowledge: that's a skill for cab drivers and tour guides, but most people don't know the names and locations of most small businesses in their home town. Or at least move it to optional skills.

'Town' means something smaller in the (implicitly Low Tech) context than it tends to today...

[Polydamas]

GURPS Historical Folks and Kromm's list of everyman skills for the rich world in the oughties might be useful for comparison.

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

I'd drop Area Knowledge: that's a skill for cab drivers and tour guides, but most people don't know the names and locations of most small businesses in their home town. Or at least move it to optional skills.

Someone who grew up in an area is dramatically more likely to be able to find a pharmacy open late, a discrete clearing where people can talk without being overheard, or the neighbourhood where a particular community hangs out than someone who did not. They still have to make a skill roll to find those things, and at skill 10 will fail about half the time in an emergency. So everyone who lived a long time in an area and was observant and socially integrated should have it.

[simply Nathan]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

GURPS Historical Folks and Kromm's list of everyman skills for the rich world in the oughties might be useful for comparison.


Someone who grew up in an area is dramatically more likely to be able to find a pharmacy open late, a discrete clearing where people can talk without being overheard, or the neighbourhood where a particular community hangs out than someone who did not. They still have to make a skill roll to find those things, and at skill 10 will fail about half the time in an emergency. So everyone who lived a long time in an area and was observant and socially integrated should have it.

You also get a default for your home area despite the skill generally not getting one. IQ-4 is more than enough for most peoples' knowledge of their hometowns.

[Joe]

Thanks for these thoughts, everybody. Very helpful.

I'll put all these great suggestions into an updated version of the template, in the first post.

As for Area Knowledge, maybe I'll leave it as-is for the time being, until I see how this interesting debate pans out.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by Joe

Ordinary Person (5 pts) (Updated)
Claim to Hospitality (Close family and/or friends) [2]
Area Knowledge (Home town) [1] IQ
Another 2pts chosen from Housekeeping, Panhandling, or Savoir-Faire (Nobility or Servant), all (E) IQ [1]; Cooking, Farming, Fishing, Heraldry, Merchant, or Professional Skill (Any), all (A) IQ-1 [1]; Sewing (E) DX [1]; Riding (A) DX-1 [1]; Scrounging (E) Per [1].

I usually go:

…
1pt in Area Knowledge (home) or Current Affairs (choose specialty)
Another 2pts chosen from the skills above or …

I.e. I insist that have at least one or the other of Area Knowledge or Current Affairs.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

GURPS Historical Folks and Kromm's list of everyman skills for the rich world in the oughties might be useful for comparison.

Both of those links are excellent. Use this link for Historical Folks as it includes a link to the original 3rd ed. material, which is more than just stat blocks. The 4th ed. is just updated stat blocks.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

I usually go:

…
1pt in Area Knowledge (home) or Current Affairs (choose specialty)
Another 2pts chosen from the skills above or …

I.e. I insist that have at least one or the other of Area Knowledge or Current Affairs.

Current Affairs is a great idea - I should have thought of that.