[Torg] new screwy ideas for Spirit based skills

[Benjamin Grant]

It's interesting that to me Charisma without Spirit creates a certain
feeling of a lack of sincerity.  To me that's a key defining factor between
them.  To me, only Spirit can measure how effectively one can form a bond or
connection with someone.  I suppose that in a way, Charisma represents what
people perceive is going on between them and the character, while Spirit
represents what is *really* going on between them and the character.

 

To use an analogy, someone with a high Charisma and average Spirit is like a
shiny craftsman tool - it not any more effective than any other tool, but it
sure is pretty.  Conversely, someone with a high Spirit and average Charisma
is like that craftsman tool that doesn't stand out and isn't much to look
at, but when you hold it in your hand and use it, it feels right and the
balance is perfect.

 

Obviously, someone with both a high Charisma and Spirit would be a craftsman
tool that not only looks elegant and beautiful, but is highly effective as
well, a true work of art.  Or to put the analogy in terms of cars (though I
am not a "motorhead"):

 

High Charisma, low Spirit:  A car that looks fancy and/or cool, but that
doesn't run well and may not be reliable.

High Spirit, low Charisma: A car that isn't much to look at and wouldn't get
a second glance, but one that is solid, runs well, and is dependable.

High Spirit, high Charisma: A car that is a work of art, that is stunning to
look at and stunning to drive, responsive and reliable.

 

Does this make the differentiation I am trying to describe between Charisma
and Spirit more clear?

 

-Benn Grant

eFix Computer Consulting

 <mailto:benn at 4eFix.com> benn at 4eFix.com

603.283.6601

 

From: torg-bounces at justintimeadventures.com
[mailto:torg-bounces at justintimeadventures.com] On Behalf Of Tommy Tanaka
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 10:38 PM
To: torg at justintimeadventures.com
Subject: Re: [Torg] new screwy ideas for Spirit based skills

 

Benjamin Grant wrote:
>
> [...]
>
>> To me, Spirit and Charisma share the same kind of relationship that Mind
>> and
>> Perception do.  That in a way, Spirit and Charisma are two sides of the
>> same
>> coin, just like Mind and Perception are.  

Just for the heck of it, I thought it might be interesting to try these
definitions on for size.

 

Charisma measures the strength of a character's personality: not
just how likable she is but also how effectively she can communicate
and her ability to form a bond or connection with someone. Charisma
can be used to gauge a character's attractiveness but is not necessarily
an indicator of physical beauty, rather the combination of personality
and appearance.

Spirit represents the force of a character's personality. Unlike
Charisma, Spirit does not relate to how well a character communicates
with others but how well they communicate at others. Spirit
represents the "backbone" of a character's personality, the power of
their beliefs and convictions, their ability to impose their thoughts
and opinions onto other people and even onto the world around
them sometimes.

 

Those are, for people keeping score, the definitions from the Torg rulebook.
:)

(Well, R&E, anyway. I don't have access to a copy of the original rulebook
at the moment. I assume that Kansas Jim didn't just go hog wild redefining
the attributes.)

 

-Tommy "Scholar is a Perception skill because having a head full of facts
doesn't do you any good if you can't find the one you're looking for right
now" Tanaka

-- 
Marching to the beat of my own horn.

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