Knowledge Skill Update, Street Legends 1 and 1.5 |
Knowledge Skill Update, Street Legends 1 and 1.5 |
Feb 13 2012, 07:40 AM
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#1
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 732 Joined: 5-April 08 From: Ottawa, Canada Member No.: 15,847 |
I took the time to dig out all the knowledge skills from Street Legends and posted them here a while ago. This time, I updated it with the Supplemental PDF, and tried to organize them for ease of finding. I also noticed a few 'rules' regarding knowledges (or should I say lack of rules?) and how they're listed. Honestly, it seems damn near anything can be a knowledge - or a specialization of a knowledge. Anyway, here's the list.
[City] Area Knowledge, Corporate Structure, Districts, Gossip, Politics, Personnel, Safe Houses, Roadways, Runner Hangouts, Sprawl, Street Gangs, Streets, Tech Corporate / [Corporation] History, Military, Politics, Procedures, Security, Surveillance Techniques (Corporation) [Culture] Art, History, Music [Mafia] Politics, Safe Houses, Traditions [Metahuman] Anatomy, Architecture, Culture, Customs, History, Laws, Magical Groups, Psychology [Nation] Cop Bars, Corporations, Criminal Law, Gangs, Governments, High Society, History, Law, Military, Music, Nobility, Politics, Smuggler Havens, Smuggler Routes, Sports Teams [Religious Group] Churches, History, Practices, Traditions [Specific Sport] History, Leagues, Rules, Stats, Teams #th Century History, Music, Science Fiction, Video Games Ancient Civilizations, Mythology, Texts Art Fences, Styles, History Business (Type) Practices Classic(al) Art, Literature, Music (Instrument), Rock Computer Hardware, History, Software, System Security Techniques, Theory Criminal Groups, Hideouts, Psychology, Syndicates Dragon / Dracoforms Etiquette, History, Society, (Type) Firearm / Handgun Design, History, Manufacturers International Business Law, Politics Law Enforcement Organizations, Procedures, Strategies Magic(al) Artifacts, Background, Groups, History, Knowledge, Phenomenon, Politics, Security, Theory, Threats, Trids Matrix Architecture, Chat Rooms, Data Havens, Design, Games, Groups, Hardware, Programs, Security Design, Security Procedures, Security Techniques Mercenary Groups, Haunts, Units, (Specific Group) Military History, Procedures, Psychological Operations, Tactics, Techniques, (Nation, Small Unit) Runner Groups, Hangouts, Hideouts, Lore, Networks Security Companies, Design, Procedures, Providers, Protocols, Systems, Theory, (Corporation. Group) SOTA Security Systems, Technology Street Drugs, Gangs, Knowledge, (Location) World Geography, History Other Skills Which Did Not Group Neatly Accounting Anarchist Groups Arcanoarchaeology Archaeology Architecture Artificial Intelligences Assassination Techniques Astral Research Banking Beer Biology (Race) Biotech Black Market Fences Bluegrass Music Bodyguarding Border Patrol Tactics Botany Bug / Insect Spirits Bully Tactics Carpentry Cartel Structure Chemistry Chess Club Music Comic Books Conspiracy Theories (Focus) Contemporary Literature Cooking Corrections Systems Cults Cybertechnology Cyberware Design (Focus, eg: Spell) Diplomacy Drug Cartels Eco Groups Economics Engineering Espionage Espionage Tradecraft Famous Hackers Fashion Fast Food Finance Financial Systems Fine Cuisine (Type) Fine Resturaunts Fixers Flatvid Movies Forensics Futurist Theories Gang Identification Gangster Rap Gardening Genetic Engineering Geography High Fashion History Image Crafting Insect Spirits Jungle Ecology Languages: Egyptian Heiroglyphics Linguistics Literature Manatech Media Megacorp Law Metaphysics Metaplanes Motorcycle Manufacturers Mystic Legends Orc Underground Origami Painting Parabotany Parazoology (Focus, eg: HMHVV) Pharmaceuticals Philosophy (Era, Focus: eg Political) Pirate Groups Poetry Poison Antidotes Police Procedures Political Communications (Focus) Private Art Collectors Pro-Meta Groups Psychology (Focus: eg: Vampires) Public Relations Public Relations Techniques Public Speaking Punk Rock Reagents Safe Houses Secret Matrix Hacker Chatrooms Singularity Research Small Squadron Tactics Small Unit Tactics Smuggling Routes Sociology Spells Spirits Stock Market Street Docs Theology Toxic Hazards Tradecraft Trash Trid Shows Underworld Politics Universal Omnitech Vampire Lore Virology (Type) Wanted Criminals Weapons Manufacturers Wines Wuxia Action Trids Yachting Zen Meditation Rules as Seen General, Specific, and Specializations are all interchangeable, indicating the focus the character has. For example: Seattle Gossip 4 indicates that the character knows about gossip around Seattle, but can instead be Gossip (Seattle) 4 (6), meaning the character picks up gossip, but happens to specialize in Seattle’s gossip scene. I’ve seen things like UCAS Military Procedures 4 and Military Procedures (UCAS) 4 (6). I’ve also seen Small Unit Tactics (Military Group), and Military Tactics (Small Unit). It all really seems to depend on what you’re trying to do. Also note [ ] can represent its own skill, such as Ares Macrotechnology, rather than Ares Macrotechnnology Security or Security (Ares Macrotechnology). |
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Feb 13 2012, 07:53 AM
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#2
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,849 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Melbourne, Australia Member No.: 872 |
Back in SR2(?) days we invented the concept of knowledge skills at our table and I had a character with Coffee Making rating 12 and Holographic Technology 9.
I think its' damn cool. This list is also cool. Thanks for the ideas/inspiration. - J. |
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Feb 13 2012, 10:09 AM
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#3
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
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Feb 13 2012, 10:20 AM
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#4
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,849 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Melbourne, Australia Member No.: 872 |
"It's all in the grind, Sergeant. Can't be too fine, can't be too coarse." Something like that. It was the character's highest skill that's for sure. He'd go batshit at people who tried to make his coffee and if a meet involved a coffee shop or diner, he'd usually go off at the barista and pull them off the machine and show them how its done. He never touched soycaf either. Ever. - J. |
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Feb 13 2012, 12:45 PM
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#5
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,416 Joined: 4-March 06 From: Albuquerque Member No.: 8,334 |
Nice list. You could do a group for Academic and put all the college course style items in it. (i.e. accounting, chemistry, theology, etc...)
Also, Forensics, border patrol tactics, corrections systems, megacorp law, police procedures and possible wanted criminals all belong in law enforcement. You could toss Artificial Intelligence in the Matrix category (or possibly sota) Universal omnitech belongs in Corporate, being a corp itself. Those are just suggestions for grouping off the top of my head. Making 4 new groups, Street, Society, Tradecraft, and Hobby, should let you group a large portion of the others as well. Tradecraft could be used for everything from carpentry to espionage to assassination techniques... you know, the facts of a 'runner's trade. |
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Feb 13 2012, 01:47 PM
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#6
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,849 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Melbourne, Australia Member No.: 872 |
Do people only pick Knowledge skills that DIRECTLY aid their character? Doesn't anyone ever pick skills just for "fluff" or because its fun?
E.g. 20th Century Gangster Films? Coffee Making? Etc. - J. |
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Feb 13 2012, 03:39 PM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,102 Joined: 23-August 09 From: Vancouver, Canada Member No.: 17,538 |
Yes, yes I do. Then I try and find some way to use it in game as well. Never know when your in depth knowledge of 19th century poets will come in handy.
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Feb 13 2012, 03:41 PM
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#8
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
Do people only pick Knowledge skills that DIRECTLY aid their character? Doesn't anyone ever pick skills just for "fluff" or because its fun? E.g. 20th Century Gangster Films? Coffee Making? Etc. - J. Absolutely Not. Got a Ninja with a Knowledge Skill: 100 Years of Ninja Sims/Movies. That Sho Kosugi was one bad dude. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I often take fluff Knowledge SKills. Literature (Sometimes by category), Cooking, Ancient Asian Art, The Crusades, etc. Adds a lot of character to the, well, Character. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) And then the challenge is to bring that knowledge to the game in some way. Is a lot of fun. Does not hurt that I Like to research that kind of stuff anyways. |
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Feb 13 2012, 03:43 PM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 732 Joined: 5-April 08 From: Ottawa, Canada Member No.: 15,847 |
We have a pixie who's interest is in racist sit coms. She watches them with evil delight, mocking them incessantly.
My character Reiko has Japanese fusion cuisine as an interest. ... um. I think Cleric has classical music. |
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Feb 13 2012, 05:48 PM
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#10
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,632 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Portland Oregon, USA Member No.: 1,304 |
My decker has Chess (Openings) 5(7). Hasn't been useful yet.
But, they have acquired a base, and he's going to use a chess openings knowledge check as part of the admin log on process for the house node. Before you get a chance to fire up your stealth program and pretend to be me, you have to provide the next move of a standard opening, in 10 seconds (basically a logic + Chess (openings) test with a threshold of 2). |
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Feb 13 2012, 06:12 PM
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#11
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,180 Joined: 22-January 07 From: Rochester, NY Member No.: 10,737 |
My decker has Chess (Openings) 5(7). Hasn't been useful yet. But, they have acquired a base, and he's going to use a chess openings knowledge check as part of the admin log on process for the house node. Before you get a chance to fire up your stealth program and pretend to be me, you have to provide the next move of a standard opening, in 10 seconds (basically a logic + Chess (openings) test with a threshold of 2). I like it. As for the list of skills, thanks for compiling it; one of the more difficult things I've had getting across to my group of setting newbies is that knowledge skills are completely freeform. Heard at the table just this last Friday. "Okay, why doesn't your lawyer [player character] have Law as a knowledge skill?" "Because it wasn't on the list." "..." |
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Feb 13 2012, 06:29 PM
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#12
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Tilting at Windmills Group: Members Posts: 1,636 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Amarillo, TX, CAS Member No.: 388 |
I try to give all my characters, especially NPCs for public consumption, an array of Knowledge Skills that are more or less completely useless. Knowledge: Action Trids (Neil the Ork Barbarian), for instance, will be appearing on the character sheet of one NPC in an upcoming piece. I love that kind stuff.
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Feb 14 2012, 05:21 AM
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#13
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Target Group: Members Posts: 51 Joined: 8-December 08 From: Ottawa, Ontario Member No.: 16,668 |
Thanks for the list Tashiro! I'm going to be helping four new players make characters this weekend and this will help a lot!
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Feb 14 2012, 05:44 AM
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#14
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,168 Joined: 15-April 05 From: Helsinki, Finland Member No.: 7,337 |
Character I'm building now-huge fomori Physad guy(who at this point may be more fiction material) has a knowledge skill of Classical-Metal music(like heavy metal crossed with classical) and happens to play the cello. Yes, I had on Apocalyptica at the time. He also has a coffee knowledge skill. Glad to see there are fellow coffee fiends around. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)
Knowledge skills I've had come to mind(more Interest based-I do tend to take some professional or street ones too like gang turf, corp politics, safehouses, etc) included techno-metal music, Dwarven Made Lagers(he was an elf who liked to drink), card games, gambling, Fast Food Joints, French Cooking(which went on Dr. Stud, the ex heavy metal star turned street sam who happened to have a cybernetic...part), and Energy Drinks. I do love knowledge skills. Figuring them out is one of my favorite parts of the numbers. |
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Feb 14 2012, 06:02 AM
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#15
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 732 Joined: 5-April 08 From: Ottawa, Canada Member No.: 15,847 |
I'm really glad if people find a use for this list. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
It would be cool to make a database of all Knowledge skills presented through the various sourcebooks, organized and cleaned up for ease of use. That's a bit beyond me however. |
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Feb 14 2012, 08:57 AM
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#16
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Grumpy Old Ork Decker Group: Admin Posts: 3,794 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Orwell, Ohio Member No.: 50 |
I try and give all my major NPCs at least one "hobby skill". I gave Kane, for example, Comic Book art and art history as both an active and knowledge skills. Kane, in my mind, is a sucker for classic superhero comics, and he used to draw comic caricatures of his squadron mates in his military days. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
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Feb 17 2012, 01:12 PM
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#17
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,180 Joined: 22-January 07 From: Rochester, NY Member No.: 10,737 |
I gave one NPC three different Cooking knowledge skill variants once; as an academic skill (Haut Cuisine, French spec), as a professional skill (Hospitality, Cooking Spec), and as an Interest skill (Cooking, Exotic Cuisines). Said NPC was an extraction target: The poor chef had been extracted half-a-dozen times, a token of oneupsmanship among a group of execs...
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Feb 17 2012, 01:31 PM
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#18
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,748 Joined: 25-January 05 From: Good ol' Germany Member No.: 7,015 |
Do people only pick Knowledge skills that DIRECTLY aid their character? Doesn't anyone ever pick skills just for "fluff" or because its fun? E.g. 20th Century Gangster Films? Coffee Making? Etc. - J. Yes, We Do ! Knowledgeskills just for Fun/Fluff is 1/2 of the Fun of creating a Char Hough ! Medicineman |
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Feb 19 2012, 12:22 PM
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#19
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Target Group: Members Posts: 59 Joined: 20-March 10 From: Bricktown, Poland Member No.: 18,322 |
You could always have "Academics" and "Sciences" as groups, and organize them according to type. It works well in nWoD, and since there's a lot of things that SR4 takes from it, it should work well enough too.
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Feb 19 2012, 04:06 PM
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#20
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,180 Joined: 22-January 07 From: Rochester, NY Member No.: 10,737 |
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Feb 19 2012, 09:05 PM
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#21
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Target Group: Members Posts: 55 Joined: 9-September 09 Member No.: 17,621 |
I know every character i build always has at least one fluff knowledge skill. My big one at least is chess still trying to make it useful in the game
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Feb 20 2012, 12:51 AM
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#22
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Old Man of the North Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 9,572 Joined: 14-August 03 From: Just north of the Centre of the Universe Member No.: 5,463 |
I have a farmer/shepherd in the "The Sun Never Sets" campaign here in DS who has "Dog Agility Competition Course Design" as a Knowledge Skill.
Fits his background perfectly and current stats perfectly (he has a border collie to whom he is Attuned), but won't apply directly to anything in campaign I can foresee. I'm not counting the GM out, though, on throwing something at us that tests somebody's weird Knowledge Skill. |
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