Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123
Results 21 to 23 of 23
  1. #21
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    california
    Posts
    317
    Downloads
    2
    Uploads
    0
    Geeman, he's making up entirely new rules for the sci-fi game. That is what all those skills are for.
    Build a man a fire and he will be warm for a night. Set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

  2. #22
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    BR mailing list
    Posts
    1,538
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    > There are a few D20 character classes that are

    > engineers, tinkerers,

    > technicians, etc. and have things like a repair

    > skill and the ability to

    > create prototypes and other inventions. Maybe

    > something in those might

    > indicate where this kind of thing might be best

    > portrayed?



    This is why its important to make the domain effects

    different than the adventuring effects. I was trying

    to suggest general areas of emphasis rather than a

    "skill" in the d20 mechanical sense. While I think it

    should be important that an engineer-regent should

    have a domain with better gadgets, I don`t actually

    picture the regent himself necessarily walking off to

    the factory to repair the thermal boreholes himself.



    Having several domain ranks in a "Research" emphasis

    might represent any number of skills when translated

    into a d20 adventuring character being indicative of

    different levels, feats, classes, knowledge skills,

    technical skills, profession skills, magic

    items/gadgets, etc.





    =====

    While I wrought out these fitful Danaan rhymes,

    My heart would brim with dreams about the times

    When we bent down above the fading coals

    And talked of the dark folk who live in souls

    Of passionate men, like bats in the dead trees;

    And of the wayward twilight companies

    Who sigh with mingled sorrow and content,

    Because their blossoming dreams have never bent

    Under the fruit of evil and of good:

    And of the embattled flaming multitude

    Who rise, wing above wing, flame above flame,

    And, like a storm, cry the Ineffable Name,

    And with the clashing of their sword-blades make

    A rapturous music, till the morning break

    And the white hush end all but the loud beat

    Of their long wings, the flash of their white feet.







    __________________________________

    Do you Yahoo!?

    Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more.

    http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
    NOTE: Messages posted by Birthright-L are automatically inserted posts originating from the mailing list linked to the forum.

  3. #23
    Site Moderator geeman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    California, USA
    Posts
    2,165
    Downloads
    4
    Uploads
    0
    At 07:22 PM 12/17/2004 +0100, The Jew wrote:



    >Geeman, he`s making up entirely new rules for the sci-fi game. That is

    >what all those skills are for.



    According to the website, it`s going to be "based loosely on the D&D

    3.0/3.5 Birthright system" with some additions, so relating the skills in

    question to existing ones and deciding how to use them is what I was

    getting at. Since this is still at the speculative level a little

    discussion of whether a new skill should be added or an existing one used

    seems appropriate.



    At 10:32 AM 12/17/2004 -0800, Lord Rahvin wrote:



    > > There are a few D20 character classes that are engineers, tinkerers,

    > > technicians, etc. and have things like a repair skill and the ability to

    > > create prototypes and other inventions. Maybe something in those might

    > > indicate where this kind of thing might be best portrayed?

    >

    >This is why its important to make the domain effects different than the

    >adventuring effects. I was trying to suggest general areas of emphasis

    >rather than a "skill" in the d20 mechanical sense. While I think it

    >should be important that an engineer-regent should have a domain with

    >better gadgets, I don`t actually picture the regent himself necessarily

    >walking off to the factory to repair the thermal boreholes himself.



    Well, I mentioned a skill, but there are special abilities and things in

    those aforementioned character classes from which we might take a few hints

    as to how to go about it in this case. Star Wars D20, for instance, has a

    technician, and there are similar things in other more modern settings. The



    When it comes to differentiating adventure level effects from domain level

    effects the realization I came to a while back is that they really

    shouldn`t be separated conceptually. It works just as well if adventure

    level abilities have an influence on domain level events and vice

    versa. In fact, it works in many contexts. If a character`s ability to

    hide can also be used to avoid detection when piloting a starship, driving

    a car, etc. and many other character class-like effects can similarly

    interact with what are essentially the same processes though on a larger

    scale. In general, it makes sense for there to be other class related

    effects that determine one`s ability to perform actions at different

    scales, but the basic game mechanic is the same.



    In this case, for example, a regent with technological skills will not

    necessarily go into a thermal borehole to repair it himself, but he will

    direct that activity. His leadership of the process will result in more

    effective and productive thermal boreholes based upon his own skill

    level. He does not repair a borehole, but he supervises the construction,

    maintenance and operation of a series of them to derive results that are

    broader than an adventure level result, but the character`s stats that

    allow him to manage a dozen boreholes and the ones that allow him to repair

    the hydraulics in one at the adventure level can remain the same.



    >Having several domain ranks in a "Research" emphasis might represent any

    >number of skills when translated into a d20 adventuring character being

    >indicative of different levels, feats, classes, knowledge skills,

    >technical skills, profession skills, magic items/gadgets, etc.



    Why not do it with existing game mechanics? If characters are going to

    already have those feats, skills, etc. then why design the domain level to

    employ them? The BRCS update has had a lot of discussion on how skills

    might be used to affect domain actions, and though the actual domain

    actions are, of course, updated necessarily for a SF version of the domain

    level, this is basically the same concept.



    Gary

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
BIRTHRIGHT, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, the BIRTHRIGHT logo, and the D&D logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used by permission. ©2002-2010 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.