We've managed to get into a disagreement as which skill and attribute trout tickling could default to as well as wondering what would count as a complementary skill.

For those that don't know about fish tickling

Dangle your hands over the edge of an overhanging river bank and then slowly probe for fish. When you feel a trout, gently tickle (stroke) its belly until the fish is hypnotized, then either grab it and pull it out of the water or cup your hand with spread fingers and flick it onto the bank.

I feel that the main skills needed are patience and empathy, what is your take on it?

Grabbing fish out of a water doesn't seem like it'd be a skill at all. Or, at least, not directly.

In my own happy little world, the TN to pull a fish out of the water would be base TN 8, modified by whatever things you feel are applicable, such as fish density, time of day, light levels, clarity.

The test would use quickness.

Any kind of fish-tickling skill (wilderness survival, for one) would work as a comp skill, either giving 1 actual success per two or working as fish-grabbing centering.

Modify it to how often you actually PLAN on using this. In an urban setting, I don't think the ability to snatch a fish from a river is going to come up all that often...

No. I'll admit that I've never had the urge to stick my arms elbow-deep in a river and attempt to tickle fish into submission.

I have, though, seen various people just go to a river and pick up a fish. Not to mention that an aquarium net would have a conceal of, what, 10?

You asked for people's takes on the matter; that would be my take.

Quickness, or if you're really feeling antsy about it, a knowskill. I have a hard enough time swallowing that acting and lockpicking are active skills.

Y'all are no fun. Default it to Charisma!

On a total aside, this might be useful for stealing prize fish, but don't try it in high-security ponds...the Emperor of Japan's giant koi attack anything not wearing the special soap of his personal bodyguards; while some Yakuza gangs and corporations are known to attract paranormal fishies around their water bases.

Also, may not be wise to try 'n tickle a pirahna. Of course, there's less worry if you have a water-proof chrome-and-steel cyberhand.

Argh, my brains. Curse you, AH! Curse you and your damnable attack koi!

Oi. I'm going to bed.

If you are defaulting to a stat, I would guess willpower is the better bet, since it sounds like it requires no particular speed of body (quickness) nor speed of the mind (int), but much more patience and attention to detail.

I agree with AH - Charisma!

After all, you are trying to trick the fish into liking you. Or at least, liking your hand. Indeed, you could make the case that....

I'm not going there.

I'll say it. Trout Tickling is a concentration of the Seduction skill.

Well, it needed to be said. At least I can hold my head high and say that my dignity is intact.

ish

Intact-ish.

So, would you get half the bonuses from the enhanced pheremone bioware?

Cyber gills are a very bad idea.... unless you want the trout to sidle up to you on its own....

Then again, in the world of SR, the calm animal spell makes trout tickling an art in rapid decline.

Dissonance, sorry if I snapped back. In our slightly heated debate last night yours was the only answer we disagreed on. Being a UK group we aren't familar with fish that don't have any anti-fishing awareness. I'm still amazed that when I'm abroad I can catch a fish just by putting a shiny hook in the water.

We couldn't decide what it was so we let the ork start rolling dice, one by one, and record the numbers. The first roll was a 9 and the next an 11 so we let the actual test slide.

We've kinda plumped for ATR = Willpower, COMP = Seduction, Hypnotism, & Braile, Skill = Specialisation of survival skills

Ancient History - Your Piranha-Fu is weak, unless you're a fish or decomposing a piranha won't bother you. In the communities that live alongside piranha infested waters the most injuries come from picking them up after they've been caught not, say, when swiming or washing in the river.

Out of interest, how the hell does the Japanese Court train attack fish?

I dunno, I'd think main attribute would be Wil, not cha, as you're not using your force of personality to do it, but patience etc. Oh, and you'd get a TN penalty for otherskin/dermalsheathing/plating.

I'd say wilderness survival would be complementary, or it could be a specialization of wilderness survival.

I have to agree that it would be more willpower than charisma. Standing in the water, hovering for long periods of time, and not moving would take a greate amount of willpower over charisma.

Yeah, will power sounds good to me too.

No, it's obviously Cha. Fish have to like you, man. Really like you.

...Or you could just shoot it...

Personally I always like fishing with grenades. Food for a week!

If it's active in your game, I'd go with Survival (Active Skill.)

Failing that, I say unarmed combat.

What, like melee tickling with an unarmed fish?

C'mon, the fish has a natural reach of at least -2 (as compared to us humans with our measly 0). It can't even swing!

Why not stun it, then pull the dead weight out of the water when its floating around? If you simply have to tickle it into submission... ... then I suppose Willpower makes the most sense (given your parameters that Quickness won't work). Although, I think I would have my players default to Quickness if they were going to do something like that.

This is where that Force 2, fetish dependant, exclusive stun ball comes in handy.

Or a hand cranked phone.

lol

you need a little more shock than that, unless you're hooking up a briggs and stratton where the crank whould be.

I don't know about that. Figuring that it was used as a torture device and had more than enough voltage to stop a heart, I can see it stunning a small area of water.

But the water can blunt a fair amount of shock, as far as fish are concerned. remember different electrochemical make-up.

though, if you like screwing with sharks, run a charged wire off the back of a fishing boat, screws with some of their sensory organs...

It should obviously be a specialization of fishing.