Post by aribjorn on Nov 1, 2012 19:41:36 GMT -5
Secondary Skills
As I mentioned before, a complaint about minimalist games is their lack of PC customization. I already introduced the idea of quirks, which provide modifiers to some rolls.
But what about a dwarf’s other skills? Was he an apprentice miner? Does he know the lore of the fisherdwarf? Is he a cheesmaker?
Taking the skill list from Dwarf Fortress as a starting point, I provide the following Secondary Skills for use in Dwarven Glory.
Dwarven society is organized into various guilds which jealously guard the secrets of their profession. Player characters are assumed to have apprenticed in a guild prior to play and thus gained some mundane skills – information and training from early years before selecting a class.
Since dwarves are assigned (without their consent) by clan elders to a guild very early in their youth, a player must roll percentile dice on the following table to randomly determine their character’s secondary skill. The player will be able to pick the PC’s specialty, however (choose one from the list provided):
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Dwarven Secondary Skills Table
01-10: None (No skill of appreciable worth. 2-in-6 chance of noble title.)
11-25: Miner (Prospector, excavator, smelter.)
26-30: Woodworker (Bowyer, carpenter, lumberdwarf.)
31-40: Stoneworker (Engraver, mason, stonecutter.)
41-45: Ranger (Animal handler, tracker, trapper.)
46-55: Metalsmith (Armourer, furnace operator, metalcrafter, weaponsmith.)
56-60: Jeweler (Appraiser, gem cutter, goldsmith, silversmith.)
61-80: Craftsdwarf (Bonecarver, clothier, glassmaker, leatherworker, stonecrafter, weaver, woodcarver.)
81-85: Fisher (Crab/lobsterdwarf, fisherdwarf, fish cleaner, fish dissector, fishery worker.)
86-90: Farmer (Beekeeper, brewer, butcher, cheesemaker, cook, herbalist, milker, miller, mushroom farmer, thresher.)
91-95: Engineer (Architect, mechanic, pump operator, siege engineer, siege operator.)
95-00: Roll Twice (Apprenticed in multiple guilds.)
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When secondary skills are used, it is up to the referee to create and/or adjudicate situations in which these skills are applied to the player character.
As a general rule, having a skill will give the character the ability to determine the general worth and soundness of an item, the ability to find food, make small repairs, or actually construct (crude) items. For example, an individual with the Metalsmith (armourer) skill could tell the quality of normal armour, repair chain links, or fashion a helmet. Typically, a Lore check is recommended for cases where success or failure would have measurable consequences.
In addition, if the player can convince the referee that a particular d20 check is related to the character’s skill, then roll two dice and take the best result (he is considered advantaged). For example, an animal handler trying to calm an ornery mule could invoke this rule.
As I mentioned before, a complaint about minimalist games is their lack of PC customization. I already introduced the idea of quirks, which provide modifiers to some rolls.
But what about a dwarf’s other skills? Was he an apprentice miner? Does he know the lore of the fisherdwarf? Is he a cheesmaker?
Taking the skill list from Dwarf Fortress as a starting point, I provide the following Secondary Skills for use in Dwarven Glory.
Dwarven society is organized into various guilds which jealously guard the secrets of their profession. Player characters are assumed to have apprenticed in a guild prior to play and thus gained some mundane skills – information and training from early years before selecting a class.
Since dwarves are assigned (without their consent) by clan elders to a guild very early in their youth, a player must roll percentile dice on the following table to randomly determine their character’s secondary skill. The player will be able to pick the PC’s specialty, however (choose one from the list provided):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dwarven Secondary Skills Table
01-10: None (No skill of appreciable worth. 2-in-6 chance of noble title.)
11-25: Miner (Prospector, excavator, smelter.)
26-30: Woodworker (Bowyer, carpenter, lumberdwarf.)
31-40: Stoneworker (Engraver, mason, stonecutter.)
41-45: Ranger (Animal handler, tracker, trapper.)
46-55: Metalsmith (Armourer, furnace operator, metalcrafter, weaponsmith.)
56-60: Jeweler (Appraiser, gem cutter, goldsmith, silversmith.)
61-80: Craftsdwarf (Bonecarver, clothier, glassmaker, leatherworker, stonecrafter, weaver, woodcarver.)
81-85: Fisher (Crab/lobsterdwarf, fisherdwarf, fish cleaner, fish dissector, fishery worker.)
86-90: Farmer (Beekeeper, brewer, butcher, cheesemaker, cook, herbalist, milker, miller, mushroom farmer, thresher.)
91-95: Engineer (Architect, mechanic, pump operator, siege engineer, siege operator.)
95-00: Roll Twice (Apprenticed in multiple guilds.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When secondary skills are used, it is up to the referee to create and/or adjudicate situations in which these skills are applied to the player character.
As a general rule, having a skill will give the character the ability to determine the general worth and soundness of an item, the ability to find food, make small repairs, or actually construct (crude) items. For example, an individual with the Metalsmith (armourer) skill could tell the quality of normal armour, repair chain links, or fashion a helmet. Typically, a Lore check is recommended for cases where success or failure would have measurable consequences.
In addition, if the player can convince the referee that a particular d20 check is related to the character’s skill, then roll two dice and take the best result (he is considered advantaged). For example, an animal handler trying to calm an ornery mule could invoke this rule.