Skill List

[Lloyd Dupont]

I am working, again, on a custom BRP system!
Though this time this is looking good, I have campaign ideas! I have thematic magic and cosmology ideas! That will let spirit meddle in the affair of mortal and vice versa!
I have some ideas to make magic power and combat lethality just what I want!

Anyway, trying to come with a (relatively) definitive skill list. Now having issues with weapons. I would like to avoid both the simple Melee skill, or 1H Weapon, 2H Weapon, but also would like to avoid the jungle of Shortsword, Long Sword, 2H Sword, Katana, blahblah.. you name it...

Any idea?
I have to confess the idea crossed my mind to use the category from... D&D Player's Hanbook! Gasp! (i.e. Simple Melee Weapon, Simple Ranged Weapon, Martial Melee Weapon, Martial Ranged Weapon), thought what was in each category was debatable... mm.. 

Any other ideas?

Edited February 23, 2023 by Lloyd Dupont

[Lloyd Dupont]

OK, got an idea! 🙂
Would use a few very simple combat skill like:
- Close Combat (punching, brass knuckle, knives, daggers, black jack, ...)
- Melee 1H
- Melee 2H

and would require perks to use any specific weapon type to full effect... (i.e. using weapon extra benefits)

Edited February 23, 2023 by Lloyd Dupont

[Ravenheart87]

You can always borrow from Mythras, where instead of weapon skills you can get proficient in combat styles.

[Lloyd Dupont]

Weapon skills are up to the GM group of cultural weapons to be defined... I mean it makes sense too, one medieval swordsman use his sword and shield together... It's good too, but it's not what I was looking for! 😉 

I mean with all the D100% systems and D7D sometimes I get confused by all the skills... trying to come up with a simple enough, yet comprehensive enough list... that is not tied to any particular cultural setting.... (will work for Master of Magic or Master of Orion) (of course Magic and Psionic and science and alchemy will be setting specific.. but just that! 😄 )

Edited February 23, 2023 by Lloyd Dupont

[Atgxtg]

Another option would be to use skill cateogires and (optionally) subskills.

 

For example, Melee could be a skill and covers all fighting with melee weapons, but 1H Sword, 1H Axe, 2H Spear etc. are all subskills/Perks. 

 

I'm not sure exactly how you are working the weapon perks, but it's possible that you could carry it a level further with specialties such as:

Melee:

•  1H Sword (Xiphos) 
• 2H Spear (Pike)

  

Non-combat skill would have a similar approach with something like Athletics (Swim, Run, Climb, Ride) and Perception (See, Hear). Everything would default back to a skill cateogry, so you can cover all skills with just a half dozen or so scores. 

 

The nice thing about this approach is that you only need to detail a NPC as much as you want. You could have Palace Guards with Melee 50% -Polearms (Halbards), or if you are in a rush or he isn't all that important just put down Melee or Halbard with a skill rating and be done it it, makingmost  NPC stat blocks quick, short and easy.

 

[Lloyd Dupont]

Hey I am planning something somewhat like that already! 🙂

The categories are not entirely set in stone, and can only be improved at creation time, between 20% to 45%. There is a Melee Combat Category. For range I am not sure whether I fold that with another one...

It's the base score for all melee weapon without specialization. Then 2H, or 1H are specialization. Which give you only the basic special option (2 of them each, you can do both with a crit).

Weapon perk specialization (each one being a perk/stunt, of which one can usually have up to INT of them, which includes spells as well), give you additional option like: power attack (all weapon), hooking (axe, scythe, etc) - can topple character or control a weapon give 30% malus next action, sunder (let you sunder with polearm, axes and hammer, ie. chip at the armor), etc...

Even the dreaded critical attack armor discounted from basic BRP is removed (to be fair it's only on simultaneously failed defense), anyway only precision weapon can do it - usually small weapon, on immobile victim or with assassin perk you can do if you sneak up to them, even in melee, provided it's from behind and they are busy with someone else.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Lloyd Dupont

[Mugen]

A 3 level ladder similar to the description given by @Atgxtgexists in the game Trudvang, a swedish game which also takes its roots in Drakkar och Demoner, like Dragonbane.

Fortunately, it has been translated in French, and you can find its Feuille de Personnage online, with the skill list.

Base skills ranks from 1 to 10, médium skills from 0 to 5 and specialties from 0 to 5, but add+2 to the base skill per level.

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by Mugen

[Lloyd Dupont]

My first google found Trudvang for 5E! Shudder! 😮 

Googling for French stuff (fortunately I happen to be - or were 20 years ago? - fluent in French!), mmm... it looks a lot like Conan 2D20. 2 value seemed to be added. Anyway, this kind of design did inspire for my skill system tweak! 🙂 

[Mugen]

4 hours ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

My first google found Trudvang for 5E! Shudder! 😮 

Googling for French stuff (fortunately I happen to be - or were 20 years ago? - fluent in French!), mmm... it looks a lot like Conan 2D20. 2 value seemed to be added. Anyway, this kind of design did inspire for my skill system tweak! 🙂 

Trudvang is a strange beast. It has rather complex skill, combat and magic systems, but the most simple core resolution system I know : roll a d20, if its inferior or equal to your skill, you succeed. No criticals, no opposed rolls, nothing except a binary success/fail.

Even the process needed to treat "Hide versus Perception" is not really described, and you need to deduce it from the text.

There's also an English version which I was not aware of :

https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/243105/trudvang-chronicles-character-sheet

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Mugen