Skills, Skill Groups, and Specializations Revealed

Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )

Dumpshock Forums > Discussion > Shadowrun

Skills, Skill Groups, and Specializations Revealed

Options

Shadow_Prophet

Sep 19 2005, 08:17 PM

Post #1

Moving Target

Group: Members
Posts: 445
Joined: 18-August 05
Member No.: 7,567

As I said I would I emailed Fanpro for a clarification of the skillgroups, skills and specilizations and how they work together. I just got the response so allow me to pass this knowledge onto you.

QUOTE

Hi,

>There has been a ongoing debate regarding the way skills and skill groups
>work due to the rules conflicting with the example ect.

Care to forward me a link to the thread?

>Below I'm posting part of that discussion on the dumpshock forums. The
>bolding was added by me for emphasis of the key parts. From the way I
>have read the rules, excluding the example, you can purchase skill groups
>or you can purchase skills. Skill groups cost less to raise, skills allow
>you the benefits of specializations. There are two major questions, one I
>believe which is wholely false and the other I am not completely sure of
>as the rules say one thing but the example shows another.
>
>The first, and what I believe to be completely Incorrect is that you can
>have a skill group and purchase a specialization in one of its subskills
>and still maintain the skillgroup and be able to use that
>specialization. Page 106 says you can't use specializations with
>skillgroups so to me this would be false. This also leads me to the
>second question.

That's correct -- specializations and skill groups are not compatible. You
either take a scattershot approach (ie. a skill group) or you take a
focused approach (individual skill with specialization) -- you can't do both.

>If you improve any individual skill, as stated on page 264, the skill
>group no longer exists and are treated as individual skills from that
>point on. However your example on page 106 shows differently. Infact it
>shows you don't have the skill group untill you get them all back to the
>same level. But theres nothing at all in the rules about this, and the
>rule on page 264 would, to me, expressly forbid the example.

There's not really a contradiction here -- if you have a skill group, and
you decide to improve 1 skill from that group only, then you break apart
the skill group. Simple enough.

Is the skill group broken apart forever? Not necessarily, though this is
really more of a GM decision. If the character goes through the effort of
raising all of the individual skills in that former skill group back to the
same rating, could they be treated as a unified skill group from that point
on? Sure, why not -- unless the GM decides otherwise. There's really no
benefit to doing it this way -- you pay more by raising the skills
individually than as a group.

Does this mean that a character could buy up the individual skills in a
skill group separately, get them all to the same rating, and then raise
them as a skill group from that point? I don't see why not, as long as the
GM approves it. And it's easier for bookkeeping.

The only time I would not allow this would be if the character had a
specialization in one of the individual skills -- specializations and skill
groups cannot be used together, so you could not "recombine" the separate
skills into a skill group if one has a specialization. I *might* allow it
if the player was willing to give up the specialization, sacrificing it in
favor of the skill group.

> Also with this to me a specializaton would be improving the skill
individualy and not the group so that would also break up a skill group
correct?

Yeah, if you decide to add a specialization to a skill in a skill group,
then you can no longer get the benefits of the skill group (ie. the bulk
improvement discount).

>Thank you for your time in clarifying this for us, and with your permision
>I would like to post this on the dumpshock forums for clarification purposes.

Sure thing.

:: Rob Boyle ::
Shadowrun Developer for FanPro LLC
info@shadowrunrpg.com ~ www.shadowrunrpg.com

Posts in this topic

Shadow_Prophet Skills, Skill Groups, and Specializations Revealed Sep 19 2005, 08:17 PM

Xenith Seems fair enough. The clarification is nice too. Sep 19 2005, 08:33 PM

Lord Ben Now ask him if things like smart links count towar... Sep 19 2005, 09:06 PM

blakkie So did you send him a link to the thread....as sor... Sep 19 2005, 09:23 PM

Fortune Just how I thought it worked. I didn't think F... Sep 19 2005, 09:37 PM

Shadow_Prophet QUOTE (blakkie) So did you send him a link to the ... Sep 20 2005, 03:08 PM

blakkie QUOTE (Fortune) Just how I thought it worked. I di... Sep 20 2005, 03:13 PM

Modesitt QUOTE ("Blakkie")Frank was being FrankTr... Sep 20 2005, 03:15 PM

blakkie QUOTE (Modesitt) QUOTE ("Blakkie")Frank ... Sep 20 2005, 03:25 PM

Xenith So do you, as I've seen. You seem to be drawn ... Sep 20 2005, 06:26 PM

snowRaven See, there are trolls and there are trolls... And... Sep 20 2005, 06:30 PM

blakkie QUOTE (Xenith) So do you, as I've seen. You se... Sep 20 2005, 06:32 PM

Superbum QUOTE (blakkie @ Sep 20 2005, 01:32 PM) P.S. ... Sep 20 2005, 06:35 PM

« Next Oldest · Shadowrun · Next Newest »

Display Mode: Switch to: Standard · Switch to: Linear+ · Outline

Track this topic · Email this topic · Print this topic · Subscribe to this forum

Lo-Fi Version

Time is now: 3rd November 2025 - 04:37 PM

Topps, Inc has sole ownership of the names, logo, artwork, marks, photographs, sounds, audio, video and/or any proprietary material used in connection with the game Shadowrun. Topps, Inc has granted permission to the Dumpshock Forums to use such names, logos, artwork, marks and/or any proprietary materials for promotional and informational purposes on its website but does not endorse, and is not affiliated with the Dumpshock Forums in any official capacity whatsoever.