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<blockquote data-quote="KidSnide" data-source="post: 5698658" data-attributes="member: 54710">I mostly disagree.Themes are a nice idea, but they don't have a meaningful effect on your non-combat ability.You're right that non-combat is not the opposite of combat (at least not in a meaningful way), but I do think there are roles that make sense outside of combat.&nbsp; Those roles can be a little more particular to specific styles of games, but it's not too hard to imagine.&nbsp; Most games I've seen have characters who take on the &quot;face/persuasion&quot; niche, the &quot;infiltration&quot; niche, the &quot;I know things about people&quot; niche, the &quot;I can manipulate magic&quot; niche and the &quot;I'm rich or important and have access to more stuff&quot; niche.&nbsp; Not all games will have these (especially the last one), but I think there are some experiences that are common to enough games that one could make them a meaningful component of character creation.And, as I added, the &quot;I can captain a ship&quot; niche and &quot;I can run the economy of a duchy&quot; niche can be added into supplements for those types of campaigns.But, yes, I think &quot;lookout&quot; is far too narrow for a specific non-combat role.&nbsp; Instead, there is probably an &quot;exploration&quot; role that captures perception, survival, local knowledge about a type or types of terrain (whether it be tundra, forest, slum or court) and some sort of tricks that you can perform in the right context.-KS</blockquote>

[QUOTE="KidSnide, post: 5698658, member: 54710"] I mostly disagree. Themes are a nice idea, but they don't have a meaningful effect on your non-combat ability. You're right that non-combat is not the opposite of combat (at least not in a meaningful way), but I do think there are roles that make sense outside of combat. Those roles can be a little more particular to specific styles of games, but it's not too hard to imagine. Most games I've seen have characters who take on the "face/persuasion" niche, the "infiltration" niche, the "I know things about people" niche, the "I can manipulate magic" niche and the "I'm rich or important and have access to more stuff" niche. Not all games will have these (especially the last one), but I think there are some experiences that are common to enough games that one could make them a meaningful component of character creation. And, as I added, the "I can captain a ship" niche and "I can run the economy of a duchy" niche can be added into supplements for those types of campaigns. But, yes, I think "lookout" is far too narrow for a specific non-combat role. Instead, there is probably an "exploration" role that captures perception, survival, local knowledge about a type or types of terrain (whether it be tundra, forest, slum or court) and some sort of tricks that you can perform in the right context. -KS [/QUOTE]

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