Full Version: Rules Question: Specializations and the Pool Cap
| QUOTE (Fortune) | ||
What we agree on is that currently there are no skill modifiers as listed that count towards the Augmented Cap. This is based on reading the rules, and the words of Synner, one of the Freelancers, and his relaying of the words from Rob, the Line Director. |
.... and you providing a questionable interpretation to Synner of the Improved Ability?
| QUOTE (blakkie @ Oct 21 2005, 02:11 AM) |
| .... and you providing a questionable interpretation to Synner of the Improved Ability? |
I don't believe I personally provided any interpretation to Synner. According to him, he had the discussion with Rob about the Cap before he first posted in this thread.
| QUOTE (Fortune @ Oct 20 2005, 02:18 PM) | ||
I don't believe I personally provided any interpretation to Synner. According to him, he had the discussion with Rob about the Cap before he first posted in this thread. |
EDIT: Corrected order of events.
One page back, he was suggesting that Improved Ability was included in the modified Skill cap
THEN when confused by that he suggested it be best you talk directly to Rob himself.
My specializing rule of Zen:
For the cost of 2 building points or two karma, +2 dice on the most used portion of a skill is an extremely good deal. Add to that the ambiguity of weather the +2 is a modifier to a skill or a new total that other modifiers are added too. Also, not a allowing skill categories to specialize makes them very unattractive (There could be 3 or 4 specializations in there for one adventures worth of karma). So a new rule of compromise was needed. Consider specializations to be +1 die, and that this new total is a skill, not a modifier to a skill. The fact that it is not a modifier to a skill allows you to add more to it, and it is not such a great deal that categories become obsolete. (Raising a skill by two for 2 points is ridiculously cheap.)
For the cost of 2 building points or two karma, +2 dice on the most used portion of a skill is an extremely good deal. Add to that the ambiguity of weather the +2 is a modifier to a skill or a new total that other modifiers are added too. Also, not a allowing skill categories to specialize makes them very unattractive (There could be 3 or 4 specializations in there for one adventures worth of karma). So a new rule of compromise was needed. Consider specializations to be +1 die, and that this new total is a skill, not a modifier to a skill. The fact that it is not a modifier to a skill allows you to add more to it, and it is not such a great deal that categories become obsolete. (Raising a skill by two for 2 points is ridiculously cheap.)
| QUOTE (blakkie @ Oct 21 2005, 07:11 AM) |
| You were just an accomplice bystander. |
Glad I could fool y...er, make you see things my way.
For what it's worth, in my opinion Improved Ability and Reflex Recorders are the only things that even comes close to meeting the criteria of the Skill Augmentation Cap, but its text is badly worded. On the other hand, Specialization fit the stated criteria to a tee, but besides it being inane to include them under the Cap, canon has numerous references that specifically do not limit Specializations in this way.
I think it should be pretty clear what does and doesn't fall under the cap though. Reflex Recorders, Enhanced Articulation and Improved Ability all should affect characters in a similar manner, whereas stuff like Smartlinks, Laser Sights, and AR boosts should affect them differently.
| QUOTE (Fortune) |
| I think it should be pretty clear what does and doesn't fall under the cap though. |
Send in the
Just bumping this in hope of an official clarification at some point.
Also, if I have First Aid 1, I still get the +6 modifier for my 600
medkit, right?
Also, if I have First Aid 1, I still get the +6 modifier for my 600
medkit, right?
Sure. Even if those dice are bonus dice (even to the dice pool), they are not provided by implant, spell or ability.
| QUOTE (Dancer) |
| Also, if I have First Aid 1.... |
Gah!
You had to bring up First Aid....
Hehe. If you have First Aid(1) and a Medkit (6) you should give the Medkit to someone else in the team that has no First Aid skill, because you can only heal up a max. 1 box and they can heal up to a max of 6.
I just read through this thread in hope of answers and wound up with none; just more questions.
Is it just me, or is this whole cap thing just an overly-complicated hunk of garbage? I understand the concept of limited skill meaning a limited ability to use certain bonuses; you gotta know how to use a gun to utilize a Smartgun link. However, the whole cap thing is so vague and poorly worded that it is worse than a waste of paper/ink.
As much as I love SR and loathe AD&D, I gotta say that the d20 system does a MUCH better job of delineating the different types of bonuses and limiting which apply when.
Is it just me, or is this whole cap thing just an overly-complicated hunk of garbage? I understand the concept of limited skill meaning a limited ability to use certain bonuses; you gotta know how to use a gun to utilize a Smartgun link. However, the whole cap thing is so vague and poorly worded that it is worse than a waste of paper/ink.
As much as I love SR and loathe AD&D, I gotta say that the d20 system does a MUCH better job of delineating the different types of bonuses and limiting which apply when.
| QUOTE (blakkie) |
| Hehe. If you have First Aid(1) and a Medkit (6) you should give the Medkit to someone else in the team that has no First Aid skill, because you can only heal up a max. 1 box and they can heal up to a max of 6. |
Finally! Game balance!!!
| QUOTE (jervinator) |
| I just read through this thread in hope of answers and wound up with none; just more questions. Is it just me, or is this whole cap thing just an overly-complicated hunk of garbage? I understand the concept of limited skill meaning a limited ability to use certain bonuses; you gotta know how to use a gun to utilize a Smartgun link. However, the whole cap thing is so vague and poorly worded that it is worse than a waste of paper/ink. As much as I love SR and loathe AD&D, I gotta say that the d20 system does a MUCH better job of delineating the different types of bonuses and limiting which apply when. |
Yes.
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