From: owner-rq-rules-digest To: rq-rules-digest@hops.wharton.upenn.edu Subject: RQ Rules Digest: V1 #153 Reply-To: rq-rules Errors-To: owner-rq-rules-digest Precedence: bulk Content-Return: Prohibited Return-Path: owner-rq-rules-digest RQ Rules Digest: Thursday, 16 March 1995 Volume 01 : Number 153 RULES OF THE ROAD 1. Do not include large sections of a message in your reply. Especially not to say "Yeah, I agree." Those who do will be lynched. 2. Use an appropriate Subject line. 3. Do not engage in a point-by-point analysis or rebuttal of another person's message. It is too confusing for others to follow, qualifies as nit-picking, and it usually leads to flame wars. 4. There is no number 4. TABLE OF CONTENTS Loren Miller banish piddly differences in skill default ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Loren Miller" Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 16:48:59 EST Subject: banish piddly differences in skill defaults too A few weeks ago I promised to enlighten the list on how I would minimize the piddly little differences of skill category modifiers in the character creation process. Surprisingly enough, nobody asked me to actually follow up on this hollow promise. They must have thought that posting the RQ4dr2 teaser would satisfy this geas. Wrong! But I won't let that stop me. I'll post them anyway, even to the thundrous silence of this audience. The following skill lists were written up for a Melnibonean campaign that went from the Stormbringer rules to the IMO superior RQ3 rules a while ago, before the Elric rules came out. * * * Beginning Skill Values To compute the beginning percentage in a skill, multiply the base characteristic by the given value, 1 in case of x1, 3 in case of x3, etc etc etc. This is the standard beginning value in a skill for a character from the Young Kingdoms, and may vary depending upon noble blood or the lack of it, literacy, and upbringing. Frex, If Greybeard has a DEX of 6, then his Dodge and Sneak (both x3 skills) start at 18%. Professional skills will begin at 1x when the character is a beginning apprentice, 3x if the character is a beginning journeyman (usual for player characters), and 5x for a new master. ====================== Dexterity based skills Boat x1, Dodge x3, Ride x1, Throw x4, Tumble x1, Conceal x2, Devise x1, Play Instr. x0, Sleight x1, Ambush x1, Hide x3, Sneak x3 Parry defaults: Axe 1H x2, Axe 2H x1, Dagger x3, Fist x4, Flail 1H x1, Flail 2H x1, Hammer 1H x2, Hammer 2H x1, Mace x3, Maul x2, Shortsword x2, Shield x3, Spear 1H x1, Spear 2H x3, Sword 1H x2, Sword 2H x1, Other x1 ===================== Strength based skills Climb x4, Jump x4, Swim x1 Attacks: Axe 1H x2, Axe 2H x1, Dagger x3, Fist x4, Flail 1H x1, Flail 2H x1, Hammer 1H x2, Hammer 2H x1, Mace x3, Maul x2, Shortsword x2, Shield x3, Spear 1H x1, Spear 2H x3, Sword 1H x2, Sword 2H x1, Other x1 =================== Appeal based skills (RQ4 replaces appearance with appeal, which is like charisma but requires no change on the character sheet) Credit x3, Orate x2, Persuade x3, Sing x3 ========================= Intelligence based skills Speak x0* Common +?, High Melnbn. x0, Low Melnbn. x0, Mabden x0, Mong x0, Orgjen x0, 'pande x0, Yuric x0 Notes: Beginning skill for one's own native tongue is +50 for serfs, slaves, and urban poor, +60 for guildsmen and military, +70 for priests and nobles, and +80 for scholars, including sorcerors. Most people in the Young Kingdoms speak the so-called "Common" tongue, which is a melange of barbarian languages. As for Melniboneans, Low Melnibonean is spoken in all normal conversation; High Melnibonean is only used by sorcerors, and is typically used as a test of sorcerous skill or a password to hidden knowledge. Animal Lore x1, Biology Lore x0, Chemical Lore x0, Craft x0, Evaluate x1, First Aid x1, Human Lore x1, Memorize x1, Mineral Lore x1, Music Lore x0, Plant Lore x0, Poison Lore x0, World Lore x1 Note: World Lore takes the higher of the default value and the value of the Navigate skill. Script/Read/Write x0 Low Melnbn. x0/x5, High Melnbn. x0, Mabden x0, Mong x0 Notes: The High Melnibonean Script requires a 16 Int for comprehension. "Common" is written using the Low Melnibonean script. ================================== Constitution (health) based skills Balance x4, Listen x4, Scent x1, Search x1, See x4, Taste x1, Track x1 ================== Power based skills Summoning x0/x2 - -- +++++++++++++++++++++++23 Loren Miller LOREN@marketing.wharton.upenn.edu Life at the water's edge is the real life for men and women ------------------------------ End of RQ Rules Digest: V1 #153 ******************************* This is the bottom of the RuneQuest Rules Digest. RuneQuest is a trademark of Avalon Hill, and Glorantha is a trademark of Chaosium. With the exception of previously copyrighted material, unless specified otherwise all text in this digest is copyright by the author or authors, with rights granted to copy for personal use, to excerpt in reviews and replies, and to archive unchanged for electronic retrieval. 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