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Donnadogsoth
2015-02-16, 06:58 PM
I asked a friend of mine to hold something, and she promptly dropped it. This got me wondering about what skill would I use in an RPG to govern various ordinary activities, except done in a crisis. Should I roll my "hold things" skill, or something else?

Deophaun
2015-02-16, 07:04 PM
Fighter: I've get two skill points per level, where should I put them?
Player 2: Hold Things is useful. You don't want to drop your sword in combat.
Player 3: Oh, and Don't Forget to Breathe. That's a good one. Almost suffocated to death while being interrogated by a guard.
Player 2: How about Walking? Especially useful as you take that penalty while chewing gum.
Player 3: And the ACF penalty, too. Brutal.
Fighter: But I was hoping I could do fun stuff...
Wizard: UNLIMITED POWER!

Kid Jake
2015-02-16, 07:11 PM
Wizard: UNLIMITED POWER!

So long as he remembered to invest in "Resist the urge to touch hot things."

Karl Aegis
2015-02-16, 07:16 PM
Does failure to hold something advance the story in a different direction than it would if you had succeeded to hold something? If the action doesn't progress the story there is no need for the action.

Kid Jake
2015-02-16, 07:22 PM
Does failure to hold something advance the story in a different direction than it would if you had succeeded to hold something? If the action doesn't progress the story there is no need for the action.

Sometimes dropping something can actually make for an exciting encounter. Imagine jumping into a raging river to rescue a child; pretty dramatic right? Now imagine that halfway across the current becomes too much and she's swept out of your arms; now you've got to either write her off or fling yourself downriver after her; trusting that you can make it to her before you both reach the waterfall.

That's good stuff.



To answer the OP, it's hard to say exactly what kind of roll that would take since different situations impose different hardships; but generally 'holding things tightly' would probably fall under Strength (short term) or Constitution/Endurance (long term). Naturally all PCs gain the minor ability to not drop mugs of beer into their laps when they take their first level.

Donnadogsoth
2015-02-16, 08:27 PM
Strength and Endurance, maybe.

I was thinking of "martial arts" skill--who is less likely to drop something in a crisis than a martial artist?

Noticing the External World might be another skill. If one has low enough in it then one exists in a jumbled world where things appear and disappear before one's eyes randomly.

tomandtish
2015-02-16, 09:23 PM
Could be any of the three physical attributes.

Hold your friend's arm while he leans out over the ledge to grab a rope: Strength.
Hold a book above your head for 5 hours: Endurance
Hold this incredibly delicate phoenix egg while running through arrow fire: Dexterity

Could even be combinations:

Hold your friend when he's fallen off the ledge: Strength to see if you hold him at all. Endurance to see if you can hold him for 10 minutes.

goto124
2015-02-16, 09:29 PM
I wonder if there's a parody campaign where you play a normal person in a modern world who needs Feats and Skills for everything. Walking, Talking, Eating, Breathing. Like QWOP. Or this (http://www.vgcats.com/comics/images/070802.jpg).

Kid Jake
2015-02-16, 09:36 PM
I wonder if there's a parody campaign where you play a normal person in a modern world who needs Feats and Skills for everything. Walking, Talking, Eating, Breathing. Like QWOP. Or this (http://www.vgcats.com/comics/images/070802.jpg).

I could see that. Most character deaths would probably happen during character generation as people don't remember to learn how to breathe or look both ways before crossing the street.

Sith_Happens
2015-02-16, 10:44 PM
I wonder if there's a parody campaign where you play a normal person in a modern world who needs Feats and Skills for everything. Walking, Talking, Eating, Breathing. Like QWOP. Or this (http://www.vgcats.com/comics/images/070802.jpg).

It's not quite that extreme, but in Everyone is John you have to roll for "anything that an ordinary person might have any chance of failure at" and need to roll a 6 on a d6 to succeed at anything that's not one of your skills.

Firest Kathon
2015-02-17, 07:23 AM
Could be any of the three physical attributes.

Hold your friend's arm while he leans out over the ledge to grab a rope: Strength.
Hold a book above your head for 5 hours: Endurance
Hold this incredibly delicate phoenix egg while running through arrow fire: Dexterity

Could even be combinations:

Hold your friend when he's fallen off the ledge: Strength to see if you hold him at all. Endurance to see if you can hold him for 10 minutes.

In DSA (Das Schwarze Auge, The Dark Eye), all skills are combinations of up to three attributes. E.g. for climbing, you roll against Bravery, Agility and Strength.


I could see that. Most character deaths would probably happen during character generation as people don't remember to learn how to breathe or look both ways before crossing the street.
Relevant Ctrl+Alt+Delete strip (http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20070205) is relevant

BWR
2015-02-17, 08:36 AM
I generally just use whatever is the equivalent of Dexterity for most things. If strength is important for holding on to something, then it's Strength (or whatever).

Satinavian
2015-02-17, 08:42 AM
Most of the big systems have rules for grapple, disarm and carrying capacity.

One of those should be appropriate instead of yet another skill.

Gritmonger
2015-02-17, 08:47 AM
I'd just use the Nobilis system for mundane actions.
None of those really measure success, but they talk more about whether or not your attempt is stylish, improves your life, or advances your goals in some way.

All of those can be accomplished and you can still drop the object.

Kid Jake
2015-02-17, 10:48 AM
Most of the big systems have rules for grapple, disarm and carrying capacity.

One of those should be appropriate instead of yet another skill.

I honestly think I'd rather just invest a point or two in Holding Things than have to grapple my coffee mug every time I want a drink.

Cazero
2015-02-17, 11:05 AM
A D20 skill system is simply not appropriate for mundane uses. The random range is too wide. Your skill modifier will be either ridiculously low, making a trivial roll absurdly random, or high enough to create an auto success.

Gritmonger
2015-02-17, 01:37 PM
I honestly think I'd rather just invest a point or two in Holding Things than have to grapple my coffee mug every time I want a drink.

Oh there's no problem there. It just auto-fails every time.

The only concern you have is a fumble. Which makes even the most adroit mug-grappler a fumblefingers five percent of the time.

ReaderAt2046
2015-02-17, 01:49 PM
I asked a friend of mine to hold something, and she promptly dropped it. This got me wondering about what skill would I use in an RPG to govern various ordinary activities, except done in a crisis. Should I roll my "hold things" skill, or something else?

For something like that, I'd make it a Reflex save if it was dramatically relevant.

roko10
2015-02-17, 03:53 PM
Fighter: I've get two skill points per level, where should I put them?
Player 2: Hold Things is useful. You don't want to drop your sword in combat.
Player 3: Oh, and Don't Forget to Breathe. That's a good one. Almost suffocated to death while being interrogated by a guard.
Player 2: How about Walking? Especially useful as you take that penalty while chewing gum.
Player 3: And the ACF penalty, too. Brutal.
Fighter: But I was hoping I could do fun stuff...
Wizard: UNLIMITED POWER!

That's completely untrue.

The wizard still needs to invest his 7(2 base +5 int) to such useful skills as Verbal Prononciation, Finger Waving, and Speed Reading to gain Unlimited Power.

Beta Centauri
2015-02-17, 04:00 PM
The rules are not the laws of physics.

Donnadogsoth
2015-02-17, 04:51 PM
The rules are not the laws of physics.

Are you sure about that?

Beta Centauri
2015-02-17, 06:09 PM
Are you sure about that? What's not to be sure about?

Donnadogsoth
2015-02-17, 06:38 PM
What's not to be sure about?

That rules are not the laws of physics. For the characters in the game, the rules are the laws of physics, aren't they?