This is probably one of the strangest questions I've asked. I'm finalizing the ability scores I will be using in my d20 system, and I need just one more skill for my Cunning score. The ability score encompasses quick thinking (where Reason is for learning and book smarts).
I have a seed for a skill. Cunning should encompass creativity. Currently, its skills are Bluff (moved over from Charisma), Disable Device (moved over from Intelligence), and Repair (while you can use Craft skills to repair things, repair will cover characters who are crafty enough to fix things, even though they don't know how to build them; it also will cover jury rigging).
This is the kind of "out of the box" thinking that I really suck at. I guess my Cunning score isn't as high as my Reason ...
So you need more skill ideas or what?
It could be used as a perform check of somes sort to create inspiring art or tell exciting tales.
Maybe you could have a planning action that allows a player to make a plan and get bonusses if he succeeds on making a good one. (I think D20 modern had a feature like this for the Smart Hero)
Creativity might also influence some science/magic rolls if characters dabbling in those are allowed to make inventions.
I'm not sure this was what you were looking for, but I hope it helps.
That helps a bit, it's at least guiding my thoughts. And yeah, I need help creating one more skill; OCD requires me to make sure each of the ability scores is at least worth the points it would cost to simply buy up the traits individually, since my system is largely based on Mutants and Masterminds.
A skill for creating art of any kind is sort of what I'm looking for, but it would need to have applications useful to an adventurer. It is for this reason that the Profession skill was dropped; it's simply just not that useful. I still have Perform (Charisma) since I'm also using it to handle acting, disguising, and mimicry. People like Craft (Reason) because it can make equipment.
I'm not sure if planning would be affected by Reason or Cunning. It seems that Reason would be more for laying out a plan in advance and anticipating contingencies, but Cunning would be useful for adjusting things on the fly.
Inventiveness is an interesting idea. Reason is about learning and memory, but it takes creativity to think of something new. I'm not sure exactly how that could be applied, but I like the direction. Any thoughts on expanding and applying this? (My magic will have a separation similar to 4E's D&D: there's spells and there's rituals. Anyone can perform a ritual if they have the formula, the ingredients, and sufficient skill to make the skill checks; spells are more innate and personal; a skill to create new spells or rituals would be only so useful, especially in an open-ended point-based system like M&M).
Someone else suggested a sort of "improvisation" skill, which could be used (in a limited fashion) to perform untrained mental skill checks easier.
Maybe creativity could be used to set up "combinations". Using spells together for increased effectivity. If you can explain your fire spell will work better after using grease on the target, then you can get cunning as a damage bonus?
If you have high science, creativity might put a limit on how far into the future you can invent. Say you are working with medieval technology and he want to put together gunpowder; that'd require a medium cunning combined with a chemistry skill. Creating a chemical battery on the other hand would require a high cunning but perhaps the same chemical skill level. Makes sense?
Perhaps the easiest way to go about this is to succinctly define all of your 'mental' stats. 3.5 defines its three stats as:
- Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons.
- Wisdom describes a character's willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one's ability to analyze information, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of one's surroundings.
- Charisma measures a character's force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness. This ability represents actual strength of personality, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting.
From what it sounds like, Cunning steals intuition and persuasiveness but adds in a sense of duplicity. BUT this really affects Charisma as with out lieing, the ability is really dumbed down to physical attractiveness and your ability to perform.
So Cunning could be defined as:
- Cunning describes a character's gut instinct, persuasiveness and shrewd behavior.
Possible skills would be: Bluff, Gather Information, Diplomacy, Intimidate.
Thanks both of you. I should have explained this before. I don't think I've taken too much away from Charisma (as you'll see); I believe lying requires quick thinking in addition to the ability to seem sincere. As such, it will probably gain a synergy bonus from Diplomacy ranks.
The four mentals are as follows:
Charisma (Mental Power): Presence, the ability to exert your influence over other people. Its skills are Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Perform (which also covers disguise/mimicry). It also grants characters more Action Points (call it determination, or maybe fate just likes you more).
Cunning (Mental Speed): Quick thinking, instinct, and creativity. Where someone might use Charisma to persuade someone through emotional appeals or threats, a Cunning character is better able to mentally maneuver and out smart their foes. It's skills are (currently) Bluff, Disable Device, and Repair (which has overlap with crafts). It also grants characters extra skill points, because cunning characters are good at learning on their own.
Perception (Mental Coordination): The senses and insight. Perceptive characters are better able to notice the little details and read their adversaries. It governs the Awareness Defense (which covers passive uses of the old Notice and Sense Motive skills, as well as saves vs. Illusions), as well as the Concentration, Heal, Notice (rolled together active uses of notice, search, and sense motive), and Survival skills.
Reason (Mental Fortitude): Book smarts, memory, and mental fortitude. It covers the Will Defense, as well as the Craft and Knowledge speciality skills (in an effort to make the base system setting neutral, skills like "Computers", "Arcana", and such are either crafts or knowledges, so the base skill list can remain the same).
If anyone can suggest better ability scores to represent mental aspects of my elements, please let me know. Nothing is exactly locked in stone yet. Air is speed, Earth is durability, Fire is power, and Water is fluidity. I believe Agility/Cunning, Constitution/Reason, Strength/Charisma, and Dexterity/Perception pair up into believable character archetypes. I can also, for the most part, imagine characters who are good at one and not good at others (though Agile characters lacking Dexterity are harder to imagine; I can imagine Dexterous characters who lack agility, such as the fat marksmen I've seen).
Not technically what you asked for, but right now, Agility and Dexterity as terms sound redundant. For what you are doing with them, would "Coordination" perhaps be a better term for "Dexterity?"
While they are synonyms according to the thesaurus, they have very different definitions.
Dexterity: Dexterity is skill in using your hands, or sometimes your mind.
Agility: Someone who is agile can move quickly and easily.
Coordination could be a good term, but then I'd have 4 stats that start with "C". LOL.
Figured it out.
I am using the Mutants and Masterminds system for my games. Creativity will be a Cunning skill required to use power-stunts and to gain temporary feat/skill bonuses. Extra effort will no longer do these, it will only be used for adding ranks to powers.
Additionally, the skill will be used to gain creative insights, a way of players getting clues from the GM. It will also be used for creative undertakings outside of combat, such as writing poetry or music.
Quote from: XeviatFigured it out.
I am using the Mutants and Masterminds system for my games. Creativity will be a Cunning skill required to use power-stunts and to gain temporary feat/skill bonuses. Extra effort will no longer do these, it will only be used for adding ranks to powers.
Additionally, the skill will be used to gain creative insights, a way of players getting clues from the GM. It will also be used for creative undertakings outside of combat, such as writing poetry or music.
Huh, that sounds pretty cool :)
See, it's that sort of out of the box thinking that I'm incapable of. LOL.
Quote from: XeviatSee, it's that sort of out of the box thinking that I'm incapable of. LOL.
You and me both Capn'.
Awesome. Since the ability scores are reasonably finalized now, I'm getting started on the rest of the changes to the M&M rules. I won't post them here, I'll be putting them up in a Wiki when I'm ready.
Thanks everyone. Oh, and a quick question to the M&M fans: I'm going to use Weapon Skills. Should they cost 1/2 pp per rank, like the Attack Specialization feat? I'm thinking yeah. But, I'm also trying to look at ways of combining Defense and Reflex, since armor provides bonus Toughness.
Thoughts on that?