Alternate Core Documents

[Seraph-Colak]

Do we have rules for griffin fledglings?

[Thanqol]

Rad-X duration 2 hours.
PTMs duration 20 minutes.

I've also added the following optional rules to the medical items chart:

Optional Rule: Highs
Addictive Chems have a "high" duration of two hours, even though the beneficial Effects last only as long as the chem's stated Duration. The character is immune to the effects of withdrawl and addiction cravings during this period.

Optional Rule: Dependency
For every cumulative level of addiction after the first that a character suffers for a drug, the length of the high is reduced by fifteen minutes (to a minimum of the chem's Duration.)

How do those sound? Not exactly what was being suggested, but I'm hoping this successfully serves the same purpose while being mathematically simple.

Perfect, excellent, thank you.

[Viewing_Glass]

I've made the following adjustments to chem durations. Do these look good to you?

Rad-X duration 2 hours.
PTMs duration 20 minutes.

I've also added the following optional rules to the medical items chart:

Optional Rule: Highs
Addictive Chems have a "high" duration of two hours, even though the beneficial Effects last only as long as the chem's stated Duration. The character is immune to the effects of withdrawl and addiction cravings during this period.

Optional Rule: Dependency
For every cumulative level of addiction after the first that a character suffers for a drug, the length of the high is reduced by fifteen minutes (to a minimum of the chem's Duration.)

How do those sound? Not exactly what was being suggested, but I'm hoping this successfully serves the same purpose while being mathematically simple.

As a thought to make the math even simpler, for dependency: Reduce the length of the high by 20 minutes. That means at three levels of addiction (the max), the duration of the high is reduced by half (reducing to 1 hour).

[Kkat]

As a thought to make the math even simpler, for dependency: Reduce the length of the high by 20 minutes. That means at three levels of addiction (the max), the duration of the high is reduced by half (reducing to 1 hour).

I'll make the change. However, do consider that there isn't a maximum number of levels of addiction. There is a maximum additional percentage chance of addiction for back-to-back uses (30%), but cumulative drug addiction effects can stack indefinitely (although stacks cease to have any effect beyond the point where all of a character's relative SPECIALs are dropped to 1 while not on the drug).

With that in mind, I have added the line: Addiction penalties cannot reduce a SPECIAL below 1.

[TyrannisUmbra]

As a thought to make the math even simpler, for dependency: Reduce the length of the high by 20 minutes. That means at three levels of addiction (the max), the duration of the high is reduced by half (reducing to 1 hour).

I'll make the change. However, do consider that there isn't a maximum number of levels of addiction. There is a maximum additional percentage chance of addiction for back-to-back uses (30%), but cumulative drug addiction effects can stack indefinitely (although stacks cease to have any effect beyond the point where all of a character's relative SPECIALs are dropped to 1 while not on the drug).

With that in mind, I have added the line: Addiction penalties cannot reduce a SPECIAL below 1.

I believe Viewing Glass was thinking of the the Chem Reliant trait, which has a maximum of 2 addiction stacks in exchange for double addiction chances

[Viewing_Glass]

Ah, no. I was thinking that the addiction penalty stacks and maximum additional percentage chance of addiction were the same (making the maximum number of stacks you could have be limited to 3). Good to note, though.

[Ghostpony]

Communication-based social skills would fall under Speech, but honestly every pony should just innately know how to sing. Any character should be capable of bursting into song. In random places. At the drop of a hat.

Investigation would be a matter of Intelligence and Perception. Siege engines would depend on the weapon, and might easily call for mechanics or explosives. Botany is something that may be more up to the GM. Personally, I would Survival for Botany, although a pony with the right background could try the roll with Science, perhaps at a higher difficulty.

The games I've run have always used Agility rolls for piloting checks. Honestly, I would kinda like to see Piloting as a skill... but that's never going to happen. There aren't any existing skills that it fits with, and it's too rarely drawn upon in most games to stand on its own alongside the other skills. (Moreover, the skill system, with its Fallout-based skill set, is a core element of the game and is already geared around -- and successfully playtested for years with -- the current number of skills and acquisition of skill points. We wouldn't change it to add in a "magic" or "flying" skill, so we're certainly not going to do it for "piloting".)

One of the benefits of this system is that you don't need a skill to know how to do things like play guitar or fold origami -- you are free to decide that your character is proficient in such things without needing to spend skill points or perks on them. Likewise, esoteric knowledge (like a knowledge of comic books or flavored teas) does not require any specific skills. If circumstances arise where the GM thinks a roll is needed, then applicable SPECIAL rolls should suffice.

Should any of the above be actually mentioned in the rules somewhere?

I feel any skill witch could have a large impact on game play should be a skill. That said, yes I feel it should be stated that at the least professional level skills should be covered. There is a big difference between an armature even a talented amateur professional musician. I have no problem personally to relegating some skills to back ground considerations. But those skills are things like most of what you mentioned, knowledge of comic books or flavored teas. I just dont see some one affecting the game with those skills reliably. But look at what you did with VR, He skill to sing opened doors for her and had a notable impact. If nothing else it gave her a source of caps and reputation.

As far as piloting goes, I really feel the need to point out FallOut 1 and FallOut Tactics both had vehicles in them. You may not envision uses for it but I have encountered plenty of GM's who have. So even if it doesn't get added officially Ill keep it about.

[SilverlightPony]

Velvet Remedy had Speech as one of her tagged skills, and sunk a lot of SP into it, that's why she was such a good singer AND so good at negotiations and haggling. It fits.

[Kkat]

Following bits have been added:

Under Calculate starting skill values and choose TAG skills:

Characters are free to have non-quantified skills and esoteric knowledges -- no skill points need to be spent to know how to play the guitar, fold origami or have an encyclopedic knowledge of comic books.

Under Skill Rolls:

In a situation where a proficiency roll is called for that is not clearly covered by one of the skills, the most appropriate skill is used. (For example, any character can know how to sing without spending points in any particular skill. But if a character is using a singing performance to attempt to overcome an obstacle or influence NPCs, then a Speech check would be appropriate.) Sometimes, more than one skill might seem appropriate. (For example, a roll for botany could be arguably either Science of Survival.) In such cases, the GM should allow either to be used, but decide which is most applicable for the specific circumstance and give a penalty for using the less applicable skill.

In a situation where no skills are appropriate, then SPECIAL rolls are called on instead.

[NitoKa]

Bringing something new up since we talked about it. We don't need it, but it could add extra fun to a game to give a way to have Random ponies have a greater possibility to do random things. Whether or not this manifests itself in multiple perks or in a special quest perk I don't know, but I'd like to see Random ponies using their randomness for greater fun.