Funny dice

Part three of an examination of the 6th edition discussion. These are the parts gleaned from the discussion I think should be in the new rules set:

Turn languages into roll-based rather than straight costs. Knowing Hebrew at 14- means almost no situation or word will stump you but with 8- you can barely order soup. The roll would be used only for challenging situations, not ordinary use.

Some mention of allowing skills to be used with different characteristic bases. For example, an acrobatics roll based on presence to wow the crowd, or a seduction roll based on comeliness or intelligence.

Add a minimum time suggestion for skills, even if a general set of categories that can be referred to (instant, short, long, etc)

Consider making all skills cost 2 points base and 1 point to buy up; this would make skill based characters less expensive and give more flexibility.

Transport familiarities cost too much; there should be more grouping for lower costs.

Build all possible martial arts maneuvers at a 0-point cost level. This would allow anyone to try some of the more complicated maneuvers, and fix a small problem with martial arts at present. Up to a certain point, martial arts are quite cost efficient, but past a certain point, they become very inefficient and even wasteful. Below that level, buying individual maneuvers makes sense - just someone who knows a few moves. Above that level buying skill levels and hand to hand damage makes sense - someone who is a very skilled martial artist.

Rename Seduction; several choices were given, but something that moves away from the sexual connotation would be good.

Add strength to damage done by NNDs and killing martial arts attacks.

Shift some present skills into talents - such as autofire skills.

All familiarities should give a working knowledge of the basics in whatever you've learned: transport familiarity tells you how to fill the gas tank and replace a tire. Weapon familiarities tell you how to reload and use the safety, or sharpen your sword.

Weapon Familiarities penalize less. I suggest a -1 CV penalty for not knowing how to use a common weapon, -2 for uncommon, and -3 for very unusual, complicated, or rare weapons.

Lacking weapon familiarity with a weapon should disallow any but the most basic combat maneuvers such as strike, move through, and haymaker.

All skills should be examined to see if they truly belong in the generic rules (autofire skills, for instance)

Climbing should be reexamined; the speed and difficulty is oddly done at present.

Defense Maneuver probably ought to be a Talent, but I'll deal with it here: the 2 point final "step" of Defense Maneuver at present is removing the half-phase requirement of the skill to activate it. This should be an adder at any level of Defense Maneuver, not a final purchase after buying all the steps.