Quote from: RPGPundit;384894But that's WHY its Win!

RPGPundit

I cannot repel logic of this magnitude.

This is my new version of the HU skill system, based on Pundits skill system for  Rifts and BTSN / others. I couldn't find much of a way to incorporate his or make it less complicated, so I'm sure I'll use it for my next Nightbane / BTSN game, but for the latest HU game, I think this will work pretty well.

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Under the new condensed system, there are only 15 skills. Most characters will have between 3-7 skills, though each skill is broad in scope. As more of a guide to determining success, it is up to the GM and players to hash out the specifics of what each character is capable of.

Below is a table called the Education Level Table.  Make a percentile roll on that table to determine how much training the character has received. Each level of training awards a different set of skills with a different set of bonuses.

To determine the level of proficiency a character has with any of his skills, start with 30% and add +4% per level of experience. Add in the character's IQ bonus to each skill. Finally, add in any bonuses the character's level of education grants.

Each education level also grants a number of bonus points that can be allocated to the character's skills in anyway the player likes, so long as no more than 20 is added to the total of any one skill.

Skill List

Communications
Domestic
Drive
Electrical
Espionage
Mechanical
Medical
Military
Physical
Pilot
Pilot Related
Rogue
Science
Technical
Wilderness

Communications

This skill is used to operate any and all communications equipment within the scope of the characters experience. The skill includes the etiquette and expertise needed to effectively communicate with the chosen median.

Characters with this skill may select up to 4 additional languages.

Domestic

This skill includes household skills, dancing, preparing taxes, gardening, and any other hobbies the character may have.

Drive

This skill governs the character's ability to manage civilian vehicles within his realm of experience including bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, jet skis and so on. All characters have the Drive skill, despite it not being listed among any of the educational levels.

Electrical

This skill governs the characters ability to build, repair, or design electrical systems.

Espionage

Characters with the espionage skill are adept at using the tools of espionage and carrying out undercover operations. This skill governs everything from sneaking past a guard to hacking a security door, to making a disguise or decoding a cipher.

Mechanical

This skill governs the characters ability to build, repair, or design mechanical systems.

Medical

This skill governs the characters ability to heal the sick and stabilize the injured.

Military

Characters with this skill are adept at driving military vehicles (using the Drive skill), abiding by military etiquette, understanding military tactics, and using military equipment.

Physical

Characters with Physical may select up to 5 Physical Skills from Heroes Unlimited and apply the bonuses normally. For one skill selection, the character can gain Hand to Hand Expert. In exchange for two skill selections, the character may gain Assassin Hand to Hand or Martial Arts Hand to Hand with GM permission.

Pilot

The pilot skill covers the operation of aircraft. A pilot roll is used to perform standard takeoffs and landings, navigate a plane, and control it under ordinary conditions. The pilot skill can even be used to control a plane in inclement weather.

Pilot Related

This skill is used in place of the pilot skill when performing any sort of stunt or combat maneuver with an aircraft, operating the vehicle only by sensors, or pushing a vehicle to its limits. This skill may never exceed the ordinary piloting skill.

Rogue

Characters with this skill find some overlap with the espionage skill. Both skills can be used to sneak past a guard, find cameras, or detect a lie. It is the rogue skill that specifically governs breaking and entering, concealing evidence, finding contraband, forging documents or hotwiring a car.

Science

This skill governs any and all knowledge of science, recalling facts, conducting experiments or analyzing complex data.

Technical

The Technical skill is used to denote the characters level of proficiency at operating devices such as computers as well as performing professional tasks.

Wilderness

This skill includes hunting, camping, fishing, survival, navigation and emergency construction.

Special: Weapon Proficiencies

All characters start play with one weapon proficiency. Additional proficiencies are awarded by GM fiat based on back story. Characters with the military skill start with 4 weapon proficiencies, adding additional by GM fiat.

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0-10 Street Schooled

The character gains the following skills master skills: Domestic, Rogue (+15%), and Technical. Finally, this character gains W.P. Pistol and Knife. Add +40% to the three known skills in any way you like.

11-20 High School Graduate

The character gains the following skills master skills: Domestic, Technical and any other two of choice (within reason). Two of the skills gain a +5% bonus.

Add +50% in any way you like to the skills known.

21-30 Military

The character gains the following skills master skills: Domestic, Technical, Physical, Military +10% and any two additional skills at +5% excluding Science and Espionage.

Add +40% in any way you like to the skills known.

41-50 One Year of College

Same as High School but add an additional +5% to the two highest skill totals.

51-60 Two Years of College

Same as High School but add an additional +10% to the two highest skill totals.

61-70 Three Years of College

Same as High School but add an additional +15% to the two highest skill totals. Add an additional skill at +15%.

71-80 Four Years of College

Same as High School but add an additional +20% to the two highest skill totals. Add an additional skill at +20%.

81-85 Military Specialist

The character gains the following skills master skills: Military +20%, Espionage +20%, Technical +15%, Physical, Communications, and any one other skill of choice. Add an additional +25% in any way you like.

86-90 Bachelor's Degree

This character gains Domestic, Technical and any other four skills of choice. Add +20% to any four of choice.
Add an additional 50% in any way you like.

91-95 Masters Degree

This character gains Domestic, Technical and any other four skills of choice. Add +25% to any four of choice.
Add an additional 50% in any way you like.

96-100 Doctorate

This character gains Domestic, Technical and any other four skills of choice. Add +30% to any four of choice. Add an additional 50% in any way you like.

Very good stuff, and I'm glad someone is continuing to experiment with the skill system I kicked off... of course, the nature of your system means that in its current form it would work well for something like Heroes Unlimited or Beyond the Supernatural, but not so much for RIFTS or Robotech.

RPGpundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;477544Very good stuff, and I'm glad someone is continuing to experiment with the skill system I kicked off... of course, the nature of your system means that in its current form it would work well for something like Heroes Unlimited or Beyond the Supernatural, but not so much for RIFTS or Robotech.

RPGpundit

I have to admit I'm looking forward to using it in Ninja's and Superspies. I think the last Dreamer Gizmoteer I wrote up had 52 skills.

Like I said, I'm probably going to stick with yours for the other systems. Class based skills are too distinctive for classes like Government Agent vs. Ex. Government Agent to totally wash them out with what I wrote.

Looks good.

Random idea - with the Education d100 roll, you could potentially add  the character's Intelligence % bonus to the roll, so that the  Int 24+  types have a greater chance of having a doctorate in something?

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;477577Looks good.

Random idea - with the Education d100 roll, you could potentially add  the character's Intelligence % bonus to the roll, so that the  Int 24+  types have a greater chance of having a doctorate in something?

My only problem with that is I want the chance to get characters like Bean from Ender's Game, who were genius level street rats. If it was going to be a hard core random game, no rethrows, I guess it would be fair to reward people who put the high stat in IQ.

Anyways, it really is notable how Palladium turns into a spectacularly simple game to start and run if you just change the fucking skill system.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;477645Anyways, it really is notable how Palladium turns into a spectacularly simple game to start and run if you just change the fucking skill system.

RPGPundit

The fact its so simple and there isn't any thought given to balance means it is really easy to change and streamline things.

My current irritation with Ninja's and Superspies is how different moves deal different amounts of damage, but there is no reason to pick one over the other. Side kick a d6, turning kick 2d6... guess it's nothing but turning kicks for me from now on.

Quote from: Cranewings;477676The fact its so simple and there isn't any thought given to balance means it is really easy to change and streamline things.

My current irritation with Ninja's and Superspies is how different moves deal different amounts of damage, but there is no reason to pick one over the other. Side kick a d6, turning kick 2d6... guess it's nothing but turning kicks for me from now on.

That's true.  I always just say "kicks"; the damage you do from your kicks is the same and you can imagine it being anything you want.  Of course, that's not a good answer for a game that's specifically ABOUT martial arts like N&S.  Make sure you read the combat descriptions carefully, though, sometimes differences are hidden away in there.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;477809Make sure you read the combat descriptions carefully, though, sometimes differences are hidden away in there.

RPGPundit

True.

Quote from: RPGPundit;379680I use both these rules, yes.

As for house rules, the only major house rules I use are my Palladium alternate skill system, which you can find over on the Pundit's Forum.
Oh, yes, also I don't use the change Siembieda made to his rules where firearm attacks are now at -10 to dodge or whatever. That's a very stupid rule that unbalanced the whole game.

RPGPundit

Although I used to play a single base level and 4% level progression for all skills, the idea to chunk the skills into their superordinate categories, with the current skills as specialities, is pure genius. Siembieda should steal that off you -- actually, according to his theory of what constitutes a derived work, I guess he already owns the idea.

Quote from: Cranewings;477676The fact its so simple and there isn't any thought given to balance means it is really easy to change and streamline things.

My current irritation with Ninja's and Superspies is how different moves deal different amounts of damage, but there is no reason to pick one over the other. Side kick a d6, turning kick 2d6... guess it's nothing but turning kicks for me from now on.

At one point I had the idea of fixing that with a card-driven mechanic similar to scissors-paper-stone. The defender has one set of cards that's punch defense, kick defense, and grapple defense, along with another for high block and low block, and the attacker has a set of cards that has all his attacks on them. Each attack works better for one combination of defense than another. The attacker plays his cards on the table: there are always the current attack, played face down, next to it the last most recent attack, face up. Once the attack is played, the most recent attack is picked up and put back into the attacking player's hand, the current attack is turned over and becomes the most recent attack. There are several reasons for this, but one is it is a fancy mechanic for ensuring you can't play the same attack twice in a row.

Since successfully anticipating an attack gives the defender a substantial bonus to defend, the attacker needs to mix in different and lower damage attacks in order to keep the defender guessing. This is not only fun, but actually quite realistic.

It worked in theory but I never got everything to balance and integrate, and it effectively turned combat into a metagame based on cards.  I then tried using it for the martial arts module of my own uncompleted homebrew system, which I still intend to dust off, finish writing up and put on the net some day. Anyway, it's there for anyone who wants to use it, just so long as I can use it too.

Quote from: Atomic Scotsman;384773Well . . .I don't know about random insanity tables.

When's the last time you got hit in the head and woke up with a powerful fear of hamsters?

But many of their tables, generators, etc. are pretty great.

Perhaps it might help re-stimulate this thread if I quoted the infamous dropped and excised-from-the-record Palladium sexual deviation table. Apologies for those who have already seen this, but from the old Palladium FAQ:

QuoteFrom the Red-and-Black edition of Palladium, third printing in 1986,
page 10:

In the insanity tables, under Neurosis (range 50-64):

Sexual Deviation (mother was a weirdo, too) roll percentille for
the following table:

1-20 Homosexuality (or heterosexual if already gay) Sexually attracted
     to the same sex.
21-29 Fetishism (roll on Phobia table) sexually attracted/excited by
     objects.
30 Pedophilia sexually attracted to children.
31-40 Transvestism dress in the opposite sex's clothing.
41-50 Exhibitionism "flasher", exposes genitals for the thrill of it.
51-60 Sadism derive pleasure from inflicting or observing pain.
61-70 Masochism derive pleasure from feeling pain.
71-75 Necrophilia sexually excited/attracked by dead things and people.
76-80 Anti-sex prude, very upset at any sexual reference.
81-90 Satyr/Nymphomania insatiable desire for sexual experience.
91-100 Voyeurism "Peeping Tom", sexually excited by watching sexual acts.

Quote from: valency;477898Perhaps it might help re-stimulate this thread if I quoted the infamous dropped and excised-from-the-record Palladium sexual deviation table. Apologies for those who have already seen this, but from the old Palladium FAQ:

lol You made that shit up.

Quote from: valency;477897At one point I had the idea of fixing that with a card-driven mechanic similar to scissors-paper-stone. The defender has one set of cards that's punch defense, kick defense, and grapple defense, along with another for high block and low block, and the attacker has a set of cards that has all his attacks on them. Each attack works better for one combination of defense than another. The attacker plays his cards on the table: there are always the current attack, played face down, next to it the last most recent attack, face up. Once the attack is played, the most recent attack is picked up and put back into the attacking player's hand, the current attack is turned over and becomes the most recent attack. There are several reasons for this, but one is it is a fancy mechanic for ensuring you can't play the same attack twice in a row.

Since successfully anticipating an attack gives the defender a substantial bonus to defend, the attacker needs to mix in different and lower damage attacks in order to keep the defender guessing. This is not only fun, but actually quite realistic.

It worked in theory but I never got everything to balance and integrate, and it effectively turned combat into a metagame based on cards.  I then tried using it for the martial arts module of my own uncompleted homebrew system, which I still intend to dust off, finish writing up and put on the net some day. Anyway, it's there for anyone who wants to use it, just so long as I can use it too.

I came up with something similar after I played a card based RPG, but yeah, it is hard to get it to work. I also had a card system for an old psychic fighting system with the AD&D attack and defense modes, but yeah, it just turned into meta-game and boring.

What if you had to name the move you used and why you used it. If it doesn't sound good, you get a negative to hit.