hidufel
12-21-2006, 07:58 PM
From the Core Rules this time, Somehting interesting to take into acount when buying and acquiring skills...
Character Skills
When you create your character, you will probably only be able to purchase ranks in a handful of skills. It may not seem like you have as many skills as real-life people do—but the skills on your character sheet don’t actually define everything your character can do.
Your character may have solid familiarity with many skills, without having the actual training that grants skill ranks. Knowing how to drive a car or look up something on the Internet doesn’t really mean you have ranks in Drive or Research. Ranks in those skills represent training beyond everyday use—the ability to bring a car under control during a spinout, or to discover hidden facts in archives most people don’t even realize exist.
So how do normal people get through life without ranks in a lot of skills? For starters, remember that not every use of a skill requires a skill check. Performing routine tasks in normal situations is generally so easy that no check is required. And when a check might be called for, the DC of most mundane tasks rarely exceeds 10, let atone 15. In day-to-day life, when you don’t have enemies breathing down your neck and your life depending on success, you can take your time and do things right—making it easy, even without any ranks in the requisite skill, to succeed (see Checks without Rolls, page 47).
You’re always welcome to assume that your character is familiar with—even good at, as far as everyday tasks go—many skills beyond those for which you actually gain ranks. The skills you buy ranks in, however, are those with which you have truly heroic potential.
Character Skills
When you create your character, you will probably only be able to purchase ranks in a handful of skills. It may not seem like you have as many skills as real-life people do—but the skills on your character sheet don’t actually define everything your character can do.
Your character may have solid familiarity with many skills, without having the actual training that grants skill ranks. Knowing how to drive a car or look up something on the Internet doesn’t really mean you have ranks in Drive or Research. Ranks in those skills represent training beyond everyday use—the ability to bring a car under control during a spinout, or to discover hidden facts in archives most people don’t even realize exist.
So how do normal people get through life without ranks in a lot of skills? For starters, remember that not every use of a skill requires a skill check. Performing routine tasks in normal situations is generally so easy that no check is required. And when a check might be called for, the DC of most mundane tasks rarely exceeds 10, let atone 15. In day-to-day life, when you don’t have enemies breathing down your neck and your life depending on success, you can take your time and do things right—making it easy, even without any ranks in the requisite skill, to succeed (see Checks without Rolls, page 47).
You’re always welcome to assume that your character is familiar with—even good at, as far as everyday tasks go—many skills beyond those for which you actually gain ranks. The skills you buy ranks in, however, are those with which you have truly heroic potential.