Revision: Chapter Three: Skills and Knowledges

Chapter Three: Skills and Knowledges

Chapter Three details all of the skills, lores, trades, and knowledges available to characters. The chapter details combat and non-combat skills. In general, I think the skill system/point system to work. There are a few skills and mechanics I would like to tweak -- mainly simpifying and thinking long and hard about characters who are totally skill-based (without any major supernatural abilities like magic ability or divine magic). If there are any major skill overhauls, I will start a different blog thread for them. But generally, here are the chapter headings and the revision possibilities are (*) asterisked:

Starting Skill Points
Attribute Bases (ATTRbase)*

I really like the ATTRbase system for buying skills. It needs to be a bit more clearly articulated and the character sheet needs to have a place where ATTRbases are recorded.

Skill Cost*

Some skill costs might change, to be determined on a skill-by-skill basis. Overall, I am thinking about making combat skills slightly cheaper. The rationale is so that players who choose to be archetypal warriors and rogues (skill-based only) can actually be more fully effective -- especially since mages and priests make up for their lack of skills via their spells and prayers.

Skill Rolls
Complementary Skills
Everyone Skills
Table 3.1: The Skills and Knowledges Quick List*

I am thinking of adding to the appendices a worksheet that looks like this sheet except it will be used for character creation -- kind of like a dim sum menu where people can select their wish list and then see how much it all costs.

Learning New Skills and Increasing Skill Rolls
The Skills List
The Combat Skills*

Revisions to particular skills forthcoming. The rationale (as said above) is also about thinking about skills that seem to be awkward, particularly those skills that too closely mimic the mechanics of other games (e.g. the whole Killing Strike/Backstab thing) or those skills that complicate fluid-time combat in unexpected ways (e.g. the delays/DS-modifiers of skills like Charge or Crushing Blow). Also, might there be ways to collapse skills a little (e.g. Charge or Crushing Blow might be just one skill).

Skills under revision:
Armor Proficiency *change ATTRbase to just STR/1
Charge*
Close Quarters Fighting *change ATTRbases to AGI, DEX/1
Combination *ideally to simplify how it is bought
Command*
Coordinate*
Crushing Blow*
Defend Skill Level*
Find Weakness*
Killing Strike*
Martial Combination*
Shield Proficiency *include Shield Punch in the skill
Tactics*

The Non-Combat Skill*

Skills under revision:

Magic Research*
Poison Research*
Set/Remove Traps*

Revision: Chapter Two: Character Creation

Chapter Two: Character Creation

Chapter Two covers how to make a Tellings character from Attribute generation through an Example of Character Creation. For the most part, the chapter can stand except for a revision to the Example of Character Creation and thinking about a few of the Attributes. Here are the chapter headings and the revision possibilities are (*) asterisked:

Generating ATTR Scores
Attribute Descriptions & Information
Agility
Charisma
Constitution
Dexterity
Essence
Knowledge
Perception *
Strength *

Given the fact that I have not played Tellings consistently in a while, now that I am running a table regularly, I am finding combat to be a little slower than I remember it. Actions happen less often than I recall. This might be because a) I am not used to it and b) starting characters are a little on the slow side (without any increased ATTRs or EASE skill levels).

I am considering modifying either the PER INIT bases (probably not) or Weapon Ease scores.

Moreover, starting characters seem to have difficulty with penetrating armor. Again, I doubt this will be solved by changing STR DAMAGE bases, but rather it might mean bumping Weapon Damage up a point.

Experience and ATTR-Gained *

I am going to look at the whole ATTR-gained system. I still like the idea of power levels and caps being based on ATTR-gained, but it needs some smoothing out. This will be handled moreso in Chapter Nine.

Generating Body Points (BODYpts) and Endurance Points (ENDpts)

An Example of Character Creation *

This section is useful but needs an overhaul (especially if rules change). Mainly, the character needs updating, the character sheet scans need cleaning up, and I have to make sure everything adds up correctly.

Revision: Chapter One: The Beginning

Chapter One: The Beginning

This chapter covers the basics about what is a role-playing game and Tellings. For the most part, the chapter needs little revision and tweaking (unless someone has concerns to raise), except for the couple of issues below (*):

The Fundamentals
The RPG
The Role of Player and Character
The Role of Master

*Given the purposefulness of trying to be gender neutral in the game, particularly the pronoun conventions, I am going to change the name of Master of the game (though will still use game master in the lower case sense) to the Wright of the Telling, which befits the ethos of the game more.

The Game
To Play

The Game Premise

The System Premise

The Roll of the Dice
Roll-or-Base

*One of the most difficult concepts (for some reason) to grasp about the game is the Roll-or-Base roll. This section needs to be revised, perhaps expanded, to better explicate how this mechanic works.

Roll-versus-Roll
Automatic Success and Automatic Failure

The Character Sheets

Metrics and Measures

A Note About Pronouns

Glossary