I'm using "spot rules" as sometimes used by Chaosium, i.e. how to handle different unforeseen situations. I bet you have lots of these for D&D, but Rolemaster, which is VERY skill-based, sometimes feels like it has holes in the system, although I bet various RM Companions may have handled some of it.

For starters, how do you handle an action that is pure strength? Do you use "anyone with strength above 75 can lift it" or "anyone with a positive strength bonus can lift it" or do you make up some sort of roll (e.g. strength stat plus race bonus check table?). Or maybe some sort "strength action" skill?

Falling is another one, although I'm almost certain I've seen a rule for it somewhere.

Well, you use the "Fall / Crush" table for falling.  It's brutal.  If you're having trouble with a heavily armoured foe, try pushing them off something or dropping them.  In an early game we had a bit of a rules misunderstanding (utility spells are automatically resisted at will) and the mage was using Leaving to teleport ogres straight up 200 feet. 

In RMSS there's an argument for using the Athletic Brawn skill category and skills therein for Strength tasks and feats.  Given the -30 unskilled penalty I find this pretty unsatisfactory though a +50 Routine difficulty modifier for stuff like lifting a piano is probably pretty reasonable given where the numbers lie.  There's probably a list of static maneuver modifiers and skill related examples.

Otherwise you could just go with total Strength bonus x 3.  Or even use the encumbrance rules to figure a fixed weight a character can lift.  I'd have to look that up, I think it's -8 per 10% of body mass + Strength Bonus x3.  It's a rule that gets really weird for Halflings and others who have a negative Strength modifier.

Quote from: David Johansen on April 08, 2025, 02:01:47 PMWell, you use the "Fall / Crush" table for falling.  It's brutal.  If you're having trouble with a heavily armoured foe, try pushing them off something or dropping them.  In an early game we had a bit of a rules misunderstanding (utility spells are automatically resisted at will) and the mage was using Leaving to teleport ogres straight up 200 feet. 

In RMSS there's an argument for using the Athletic Brawn skill category and skills therein for Strength tasks and feats.  Given the -30 unskilled penalty I find this pretty unsatisfactory though a +50 Routine difficulty modifier for stuff like lifting a piano is probably pretty reasonable given where the numbers lie.  There's probably a list of static maneuver modifiers and skill related examples.

Otherwise you could just go with total Strength bonus x 3.  Or even use the encumbrance rules to figure a fixed weight a character can lift.  I'd have to look that up, I think it's -8 per 10% of body mass + Strength Bonus x3.  It's a rule that gets really weird for Halflings and others who have a negative Strength modifier.

RM and "brutal", yup that sounds right Was that bonus x3 rule just one of your house rules or did you read it in an official publication? I'm just interested in seeing the discussion.

I do have RMSS somewhere, but I mostly use the editions from the 80s since I have a ton of older modules and I suspect the older rules are easier to simplify, something I like to do these days. (And by the way, when I say simplify, I don't mean get rid of the main action tables, since this was actually a big reason why the players liked RM last time we played.)

In RMSS you generally use Bonus x3 for Resistance Rolls and Defensive Bonus because the bonuses are about 1/3 of what they would be in RM2.  So, while I wouldn't call it official (which would probably be the Athletic Brawn solution) it maps to how the system does things.

RM Unified has a section on feats of strength.  There is a 'weight training skill' which is part of the Brawn category.  It uses CO+SD+ST as bonus.  That's equivalent to D&D's Bend bars/Lift Gates as an absolute maneuver or to continue lifting or moving a heavy object as a percentage maneuver. 

There is a feat of strength difficulty table which is based on the weight difference of the character and the object being lifted/moved.

To break free from grapples, another feat of strength, you can use Wrestling or Contortions skills.

Quote from: DocJones on April 08, 2025, 09:05:43 PMRM Unified has a section on feats of strength.  There is a 'weight training skill' which is part of the Brawn category.  It uses CO+SD+ST as bonus.  That's equivalent to D&D's Bend bars/Lift Gates as an absolute maneuver or to continue lifting or moving a heavy object as a percentage maneuver. 

There is a feat of strength difficulty table which is based on the weight difference of the character and the object being lifted/moved.

To break free from grapples, another feat of strength, you can use Wrestling or Contortions skills.

Everything being skill-based is certainly one way of doing it. I've sometimes been looking for "stand in" skills that can be used as generalized "athletic moving maneuvers" or "strength static maneuvers" etc. Of course, then everyone would have to be informed about the usefulness of those skills, and if a lot of skills are going around everyone also may need a boost to experience points each level.

Perhaps the easiest solution to some of this is to just give some guidelines about use of bonuses without rolls e.g. "this boulder can be lifted by anyone with at least STR +10 bonus" but I never saw anything like that in the rules.