I played a lot of 2ed as a kid and always thought that proficiencies were a cool idea but we probably spent more time poring of the lists choosing proficiencies than we spent actually using them in our games. I always thought it was weird that you could specialize and gain mastery in weapons but couldn't in proficiencies.
So let's remedy that a bit and do some brainstorming. For power levels think larger than life heroes from folklore for specializations and demigods for masteries. To keep these ideas as generically OSR as possible I'll just talk about "checks" to do stuff instead of specific mechanics.
I'll put in some demi-human specific ones to start it of...
1. Light Step
Requirement: elf
This Proficiency allows you to not leave footprints and walk across snow, mud and similar substances without sinking in. You can walk on water for one round with a successful check. Specialization in Light Step allows you to walk on water and on substances like smoke and clouds for one round with a successful check. Mastery in Light Step allows you to walk on anything short of air without a check and on air itself for one round with a successful check.
2. Smell Gold
Requirement: dwarf
This Proficiency allows a dwarf to smell gold as if it were as pungent as fresh dog droppings. Specialization in Smell Gold allows a dwarf to smell any gold within a mile as long as airflow between the gold and the dwarf is unimpeded. Mastery of Smell Gold allows a dwarf to pinpoint the location of any gold within a mile no matter what obstacles lie between the dwarf and the gold.
3. Gorge
Requirement: halfling
This Proficiency allows you to eat so much food that you have no need to eat again for another full week. Specialization in Gorge allows you to eat a full month's worth of food in a sitting and Mastery a year's worth. This can be useful before embarking into the realms of fairy.
I think 2e non-weapon presidencies would have been better if they were broader in scope, and/or more useful in adventuring situations - sort of like what you have above (though your examples are almost feat-like). As it was, they were mostly mechanically unimportant tid-bits that added a little flavor to a character (not a bad thing).
4. Fluting
Requirement: Armorer
This proficiency allows you to craft fluted armor. Fluting reduces an armor's weight by 10%, and increases its monetary value by 20%.
Um, NWPs were professional levels of knowledge in a given discipline. So, though I agree keeping your scale, specialized=heroes, mastery=demigods, human stories do leave large gaps in non-combat skills. Oddly enough, certain NWPs do make good examples in human legends, like Weaving, Smithing, Cooking, Singing, Dancing, etc.
Dunno if it is a helpful addition overall to gameplay than just more granular power creep. Maybe treat specialized like Thief Skills, where they are borderline preternatural forms of skill? Also leave it for like certain high character levels, and maybe even secret trainers, to even consider a PC gaining such an NWP?
Weaving would be sorta easy contribution...
Specialized: Lady of the lake, Arachne.
Mastery: Rumpelstilskin, Athena (or was it Hera that gave weaving to mankind?).
No specific power attached, just an exemplar of that skill level. That way it keeps to NWPs original structure of more open-ended professional proficiency, not locked down by RAW. So it'd be: untrained > pro (NWP) > legend (Spec) > god-like (Master).
Quote from: Madprofessor;934792I think 2e non-weapon presidencies would have been better if they were broader in scope, and/or more useful in adventuring situations - sort of like what you have above (though your examples are almost feat-like). As it was, they were mostly mechanically unimportant tid-bits that added a little flavor to a character (not a bad thing).
Right, really like the basic idea but would prefer them having some heft instead of being "unimportant mechanical tidbits." If anything I'd like to make their scope more narrow instead of broadening it, make them very very good at doing very very specific things so players have to think about how to apply them to their situation. Much like D&D spells. D&D is all about having "effect normal fires" rather than "two ranks in fire magic" and I like proficiencies to be similarly narrow.
Quote from: Opaopajr;934835Um, NWPs were professional levels of knowledge in a given discipline. So, though I agree keeping your scale, specialized=heroes, mastery=demigods, human stories do leave large gaps in non-combat skills. Oddly enough, certain NWPs do make good examples in human legends, like Weaving, Smithing, Cooking, Singing, Dancing, etc.
Dunno if it is a helpful addition overall to gameplay than just more granular power creep. Maybe treat specialized like Thief Skills, where they are borderline preternatural forms of skill? Also leave it for like certain high character levels, and maybe even secret trainers, to even consider a PC gaining such an NWP?
Weaving would be sorta easy contribution...
Specialized: Lady of the lake, Arachne.
Mastery: Rumpelstilskin, Athena (or was it Hera that gave weaving to mankind?).
No specific power attached, just an exemplar of that skill level. That way it keeps to NWPs original structure of more open-ended professional proficiency, not locked down by RAW. So it'd be: untrained > pro (NWP) > legend (Spec) > god-like (Master).
Good ideas about how often people in folklore are freakishly good at some normal everyday craft and how important that is. That was exactly the sort of thing I was going for. As for power creep, these sort of things would be few and far between so they wouldn't clutter up people's character sheet, just allow people to be very very good at very very specific things, much like in a lot of folklore.
Pro = NWP
Legend = Spec
God-like = Master
Is exactly the sort of thing I'm going for.
An example of proficiencies replacing thief skills:
5. Climb
This Proficiency allows you to climb all rock or wood surfaces at half of walking speed without making any check. You have to make a check if hit by something that would knock a normal person down, want to move at full walking speed or are climbing an especially sheer or smooth surface. A Specialization in Climb allows you to climb at full walking speed across any surface and automatically cling to any wall no matter what. A check is required to move across ceiling (failure means you fall) or to move up a wall at a full run (failure means you only move at walking speed). Mastery in Climb means you can move across any wall or ceiling as if it was a floor, you can sprint across ceilings without using your hands without making any check.
6. Language
A Language Proficiency gives you the ability to speak one language and convincingly assume various accents using that dialect and figure out unfamiliar argots of that language by making an successful check. A Language Specialization gives you knowledge of all of the languages related to the language you have Specialization in (for example all human languages, all goblin tongues or the speech of all birds) and complete knowledge of the language you have a Specialization in (all slang terms, all jargon, the ability to employ every accent of that language perfectly, etc.). A Language Mastery allows you to have complete knowledge of all languages living or dead, including everything from the speech of donkeys to that of dragons.
Powering up an old 2ed standby, I remember at least half of my characters being ventriloquists...
7. Ventriloquism
If you have the this Proficiency you can make it appear that your voice is coming from 10 feet away from your actual location. An check is required to hide that your lips are moving or to throw your voice up to 30 feet. Specialization in Ventriloquism lets it appear that your voice is coming from any place within fifty feet automatically and moving your lips is not necessary. Mastery of Ventriloquism allows you to cast your voice to the winds and have your voice be heard in any one place in the entire world. This also allows you to send your voice to other planes of existence with a successful check, but keep in mind that repeatedly speaking across dimensions may draw the attention of unpleasant beings.
I dig Climb so far. Mastery is essentially spider climb. Add some cirque du soliel tricks to spec climb, like climbing facing upside-down, or up a rope sideways by aerial twists.
I would power up Ventriloquism spec, or perhaps emphasize the "through walls so as to not needing to be present" within those 50'.
I really like god-like Ventriloquism: throw your voice anywhere planet-wide, or across planes at a check. So cray-cray, so majestic, so attached to a forgotten NWP...
Language is a little weird to me. Normally, like Survival, you buy it per the specific (language/terrain).
I'd prefer it to be something like 'Spec: know all archaic forms, a la Old & Middle English. know their etymology and definition migrations. at a skill check decipher languages related on the same language tree at 50% Read Lang.
Then, for god-like 'Mastery: know all dialects, euphemisms, patois, and regionalisms, of this language, even those exceedingly obscure or lost to record. have 50% Read Language skill of same language family tree, without check. at a Called Shot check, guess what new slang will come into vogue within the current region in the next 100 years.'
Very Godbound translations of NWPs. Could be useful for a port.