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A problem with skill specialization


rust

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The setting I am currently working on will have a number of characters, mostly

engineers and scientists, who learned a basic engineering or science skill and la-

ter specialized in an advanced field of that skill.

An example could be an engineer who started as a construction engineer and la-

ter got advanced training as a habitat systems engineer, or a biologist who later

became an ecologist or a geneticist.

The habitat systems engineer will of course still know a lot about other fields of

construction engineering, and the ecologist will still know a lot about other fields

of biology, but of course less than about the field he specialized in - only, how

much less ?

I could use the Root Skill / Branch Skill approach of the Ringworld RPG to solve

this problem, but I do not really want the additional complexity of that system.

On the other hand, I have no better idea how to handle the relation between a

basic and an advanced knowledge and skill.

Help with this would be most welcome - Thank you. :)

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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The setting I am currently working on will have a number of characters, mostly

engineers and scientists, who learned a basic engineering or science skill and la-

ter specialized in an advanced field of that skill.

An example could be an engineer who started as a construction engineer and la-

ter got advanced training as a habitat systems engineer, or a biologist who later

became an ecologist or a geneticist.

The habitat systems engineer will of course still know a lot about other fields of

construction engineering, and the ecologist will still know a lot about other fields

of biology, but of course less than about the field he specialized in - only, how

much less ?

I'd say the simplest approach is the best - outside their speciality but within their broad field, treat tasks as one step more difficult - so automatic successes become Easy (2 x skill) tests, easy tests become routine, routine tests become hard (1/2 x skill) and hard tests are impossible outside their speciality. So the Habitat Engineering specialist with a skill of 60% would have a chance of answering a routine Construction Engineering test but at half skill (30%).

Cheers,

Nick

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I'd say the simplest approach is the best - outside their speciality but within their broad field, treat tasks as one step more difficult - so automatic successes become Easy (2 x skill) tests, easy tests become routine, routine tests become hard (1/2 x skill) and hard tests are impossible outside their speciality. So the Habitat Engineering specialist with a skill of 60% would have a chance of answering a routine Construction Engineering test but at half skill (30%).

Thank you very much, this is what I was looking for - problem solved. :);t)

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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