[Torg] New Basic Skills

[Benjamin Grant]

>>> Do you realize that the way you phrase your counterattack is debating
>>> nonsense ("in saying this, you point out a major flaw in your
>>> reasoning, but apparently fail to note it") that adds nothing to the
>>> actual conversation? Is this debate tactic on purpose or just how you
>>> automatically and subconsciously are?
>>>
>>> You may want to deal with it, because it seriously undercuts
>>> any potential validity of the actual content of your posts.
>>
>>You might have a point, had I any interest in persuading you or
>>engaging you
>>socially.

Then why continue to engage?  Are you bored?

>>
>>But it doesn't undercut the validity of my content. It merely makes
>>people
>>less likely to be swayed by it. Not persuasive <> not valid. My
>>arguments
>>tend to be quite valid, hence being accepted by people who sometimes
>>don't
>>like how I state them.

So far you haven't demonstrated to me any significant valid points.  Whether
this is because you "poison" the debate or because the content of your
debate is insufficient isn't exactly clear - I suspect some of both to be
true.

>>
>>> The actual point I was making is that there are people that cannot be
>>> swayed, cannot be persuaded, cannot be charmed, and *are not* of
>>above
>>> average intelligence.  And as I pointed out, these are also not
>>people
>>> especially *trained* or *skilled*, these are people with a high
>>innate
>>> stubbornness - such as Spirit?
>>
>>Skills don't have to represent areas of trained expertise. There are
>>creatures with very high Willpower which obviously do not have that to
>>represent a learned skill (using "skill" in the non-game-mechanical
>>sense).
>>For example, the cockatrice (the very first monster in Creatures of
>>Aysle my
>>gaze falls upon when I crack it open) has Mind 5, Willpower 19. Did you
>>expect someone to be running around Aysle holding seminars in Advanced
>>Charm
>>Resistance for the Armless?
>>
>>If using an advantage system, it'd be a simple matter to have an
>>advantage
>>that boosts skill totals while providing a mechanical distinction
>>between
>>innate qualities and learned expertise, but lacking that in the base
>>game,
>>simply buying 3 skill adds at start of play gives a pretty reasonable
>>representation of such a character.
>>
>>And again, I must point out that we are talking about resistance to
>>charm
>>and persuasion here. Stubbornness doesn't greatly factor into it, as a
>>charming person will not be trying to push through strong mental
>>resistance.
>>
>>Travis Hall

In my game we are using a concept called Virtues and Flaws that come in
three levels.  Flaws are free, of course, but Virtues cost 5 possibilities
for the first level, ten possibilities to go from one to two, and fifteen
possibilities to go from two to three.  I figure one use of a Virtue could
be to represent a Knack of some kind.  So someone may have a low Spirit, but
the level 3 Virtue: Knack for Intimidation might make up for it.  I haven't
worked out any numbers yet.

-Benn Grant
eFix Computer Consulting
benn at 4eFix.com
603.283.6601