Garthanos
Arcadian Knight
Hmmm roll a d10 instead of gettting a bonus of 5 on your skill check...
Martial Practices how can we fix them, systematically?
Hmmm roll a d10 instead of gettting a bonus of 5 on your skill check...
Tony Vargas
Legend
[MENTION=82504]Garthanos[/MENTION],
So, another idea for systematizing Martial Practices: One of the problems is the danger of, as I like to put it in the context of adding skills, "creating incompetence." You add a 'create fortified campsite' MP, suddenly everyone else forgets how to fortify campsites. One possible solution is to have (some) MP's require a key skill at a threshold bonus to use, but require no roll. The benefit is not that you're doing something that can't be done with the key skill, but that you do it every time, without any rolls.
For instance, a ninja might have the 'Steal In' martial practice, that requires a stealth check of +20. If you know the practice, have sufficient knowledge of the area you want to infiltrate, use the proper materials, take the requisite time in preparation, and follow the proscriptions of the practice precisely, you become undetectable by normal or supernatural means, until such time as you leave the area, move into an unknown part of it, attempt to interact with creatures or objects within it, or whatever. Basically, push this button, expend these resources, and stuff you could probably do, most of the time, happens automatically, every time.
And, another, 'nuther idea:
Interacting with magic. You could have Martial Practices keying off History (or some other skill you think is appropriate - but probably /not/ the traditional Religion/Arcana/Nature triumvirate of ritual key skills, or at least, not only one of those, but History or Insight or something as an alternative), to represent superstitious/traditional/practical counters to supernatural dangers.
FREX:
Bane Weapon Martial Practice
Make a History check, DC = 15 + level of the creature you are preparing the weapon against. On a success, the weapon takes on a single extra damage type to which the creature is vulnerable, or that exposure to which inhibits one of it's traits or powers. Only the type of creature the weapon has been prepared as a Bane against experiences this extra damage type, in all other ways, the weapon has only its original keywords.
That's actually an old idea I had - for a Rote in M:tA called 'Cryptonite,' - that came to me when I was researching lycanthropy. We all know about the silver bullet, but there were all kinds of superstitious anti-werewolf tricks. Throwing a steel knife over the werewolf's head or tricking it into stepping over a broom, for instance, would force it back into human form. A bullet made from pith(!?) could be deadly to one. (No, really, I'm not making those up.)
So, another idea for systematizing Martial Practices: One of the problems is the danger of, as I like to put it in the context of adding skills, "creating incompetence." You add a 'create fortified campsite' MP, suddenly everyone else forgets how to fortify campsites. One possible solution is to have (some) MP's require a key skill at a threshold bonus to use, but require no roll. The benefit is not that you're doing something that can't be done with the key skill, but that you do it every time, without any rolls.
For instance, a ninja might have the 'Steal In' martial practice, that requires a stealth check of +20. If you know the practice, have sufficient knowledge of the area you want to infiltrate, use the proper materials, take the requisite time in preparation, and follow the proscriptions of the practice precisely, you become undetectable by normal or supernatural means, until such time as you leave the area, move into an unknown part of it, attempt to interact with creatures or objects within it, or whatever. Basically, push this button, expend these resources, and stuff you could probably do, most of the time, happens automatically, every time.
And, another, 'nuther idea:
Interacting with magic. You could have Martial Practices keying off History (or some other skill you think is appropriate - but probably /not/ the traditional Religion/Arcana/Nature triumvirate of ritual key skills, or at least, not only one of those, but History or Insight or something as an alternative), to represent superstitious/traditional/practical counters to supernatural dangers.
FREX:
Bane Weapon Martial Practice
Make a History check, DC = 15 + level of the creature you are preparing the weapon against. On a success, the weapon takes on a single extra damage type to which the creature is vulnerable, or that exposure to which inhibits one of it's traits or powers. Only the type of creature the weapon has been prepared as a Bane against experiences this extra damage type, in all other ways, the weapon has only its original keywords.
That's actually an old idea I had - for a Rote in M:tA called 'Cryptonite,' - that came to me when I was researching lycanthropy. We all know about the silver bullet, but there were all kinds of superstitious anti-werewolf tricks. Throwing a steel knife over the werewolf's head or tricking it into stepping over a broom, for instance, would force it back into human form. A bullet made from pith(!?) could be deadly to one. (No, really, I'm not making those up.)
Last edited:
Garthanos
Arcadian Knight
That reminds me somewhat of the Take Ten Option with a dash of ++ on it... ie its take 20.
Garthanos
Arcadian Knight
My daughter used her Devas past life memory effect to find a cryptonite for Trolls/Ogres it was part of a Skill challenge to overcome those ogres she did some funky bits like pretending to be a young ogre to get close enough and administer it.
Garthanos
Arcadian Knight
[MENTION=8900]Tony[/MENTION]Vargas Being able to do a task in an utterly reliable fashion as you suggest does step it up a notch and one of the things that MP probably need is exactly stepping it up a notch.
Hedgemagic might be something to call your superstition idea.
There is a Scholar theme with a use vulnerability that your bane weapon reminds be of but your functionality might be better in some ways and definitely more martial
Hedgemagic might be something to call your superstition idea.
There is a Scholar theme with a use vulnerability that your bane weapon reminds be of but your functionality might be better in some ways and definitely more martial
AbdulAlhazred
Legend
Yeah, a vulnerability thing like that might work really well for some sort of 'monster killer' theme/pp/feat tree/whatever.
Garthanos
Arcadian Knight
The concept of McGuffins to take down a particular enemy I also like.... as a general trope in this fantasy.
The benefit is that we can say sure you figured out the foible of such and such vampire but their are many breeds and you have to start over for each you run in to.
If my daughter runs in to more of them Trolls I will make note these seem disimilar in some way like they have small spiralling horns or some such detail and we can do a different story on a subsequent situation.
AbdulAlhazred
Legend
Right, or the counter you came up with only works on odd number Thursdays in years divisible by 4 unless there's already been a full moon this month, so basically you aren't going to be able to just duplicate it every time you want to defeat some ogres. This also explains why it isn't just an ordinary power or specific ritual, those are the things that work reliably most of the time, whereas these 'hexes' and such are things that you can work out, but you have to dig them up for each situation specifically.
They could also have costs, consequences, etc. Given that they're really very plot-driven you can have plot-driven consequences too. "Remember, every magic has a price!" hehe.
