Help Understanding Skill Paragraph

[MuensterCheese]

On page 25 of the 6E Champions Complete manual, there is a paragraph under "Extraordinary Skills" which reads as follows:

 

"Buy a general-topic Background Skill based on a Characteristic, and increase the roll by +10 (purchased specifically for the

Skill; not via Skill Levels). Then allow that Skill to function as a Characteristic-based roll for every subject in that field. For example, an INT 25 character with “SS: All Science 24-” would have a 14- roll with any field of Science."

 

This paragraph makes little sense to me.  Here are the questions I would like answered:

 

1) If the sample Background Skill was bought with 10 CP's, it is unclear how the +10 comes about.  If you buy a Background Skill, the base is 2 CP and every additional +1 is another CP, so that would make a maximum +8 to the die.  Where does +10 come from?

 

2) The example appears to make it worse for the character to roll when science is involved, going from a high 24- to a low 14-.  How could that be advantageous since it's a Success Roll?

 

[Ninja-Bear]

Not sure about question 1. Question 2 however I think I can answer. What extrodinary skill is allowing is an advantage of NOT buying tons of seperate but similar skills. With the above example the chaacter has a roll of 14- for ANY science skill asked. He doesn't have to buy computer science, molecular science and biology individually juzt one roll does it all.

[Hyper-Man]

I think that section of Champions Complete is a condensed version of something covered in APG1.

 

See my version of Mr. Fantastic for an example of it in use:

http://www.herocentral.net/get/files/premium/Dr.+Reed+Richards+6e+400.HTML

 

From the Advanced Player's Guide 1 page 48-49

 

OTHER “UNIVERSALS”
It’s possible to think of Universal Translator as roughly equivalent to Linguist and 17 Character Points’ worth of Languages — which, if chosen properly, would let a character communicate with the vast majority of humanity. The rest of the Languages, which a character will rarely (if ever) need, are “thrown in” for the sake of drama and fun game play.

Taken one step further, that logic can justify the creation of other “Universals” that apply to other types of Background Skills. The GM should consider them carefully before allowing them into his campaign. Since they grant a character access to an enormous body of knowledge, they could easily unbalance some games. Even if the GM allows them in appropriate games — such as a Pulp Hero campaign where all the characters are supposed to be universally competent — he may want to restrict them so that each one can only be purchased by one PC. That way having a Universal is a distinctive thing, one of the character’s “shticks,” not something everybody and his brother has.

If for some reason a character has both a Universal and a Skill Enhancer that pertain to the same type of Skill, their bonuses are not cumulative.

 

[massey]

Right.  Basically what you're doing is buying a much more comprehensive skill by buying it to counteract a -10 penalty.

 

Example:

 

Batman has Knowledge Skill: Stuff at a 25-.  This means that he can take a -10 penalty to his KS: Stuff roll (so he's operating on a 15-) and can use it to have knowledge of basically anything.  17th century operas, Romanian traffic laws, the Gotham electrical grid, the history of professional boxing, postwar Japanese economic policies, and Star Trek trivia.  All of these random topics can be covered by a single skill.  You just take a -10 penalty to the original skill because the topic is so immensely broad.

 

So if you want Science Skill: Science, you buy it up really high and it covers everything from botany to genetic engineering, time-space folds, robotics, interdimensional physics, time travel, chemistry, and that science where you study bugs.  All with one very generic skill.

[phoenix240]

That's an interesting and useful rules. Its easy to see how it could really muck up some kinds of game if its not applied carefully though.

[phoenix240]

 

On page 25 of the 6E Champions Complete manual, there is a paragraph under "Extraordinary Skills" which reads as follows:

 

"Buy a general-topic Background Skill based on a Characteristic, and increase the roll by +10 (purchased specifically for the

Skill; not via Skill Levels). Then allow that Skill to function as a Characteristic-based roll for every subject in that field. For example, an INT 25 character with “SS: All Science 24-” would have a 14- roll with any field of Science."

 

This paragraph makes little sense to me.  Here are the questions I would like answered:

 

1) If the sample Background Skill was bought with 10 CP's, it is unclear how the +10 comes about.  If you buy a Background Skill, the base is 2 CP and every additional +1 is another CP, so that would make a maximum +8 to the die.  Where does +10 come from?

 

2) The example appears to make it worse for the character to roll when science is involved, going from a high 24- to a low 14-.  How could that be advantageous since it's a Success Roll?

 

 

The skill doesn't cost 10 character points. You but at the based on a Characteristic level (3 points in 5th) Then the skill roll has to be bought up to at least +10. The -10 perhaps assumes a penalty for narrowing an broad Background for specific subjects. Or in the case I gather, just a special rule dropping the roll to the base characteristic but for every possible iteration of the skill. For example there are hundreds of sciences. The character now has a 14- (or their Int roll) at all of them as if they had brought those skills individually.

[MuensterCheese]

Thank you, all of you.  I was able to use this information to create Knowledge Skills involving Technology and Outer Space.

[Eoghnved]

I have a related question.  How broadly do most campaigns usually allow this?  When I put on my GM hat, I get a little leery about allowing this with too broad a knowledge skill category.

[phoenix240]

I have a related question.  How broadly do most campaigns usually allow this?  When I put on my GM hat, I get a little leery about allowing this with too broad a knowledge skill category.

Generally, I don't allow it. It can be abusive and can can create character fill so many niches its difficult to have other PC contribute and I like to have noncombat Skills and backgrounds really mean something when I run a game. That said, I can see it being very useful for certain types of characters like immortals that would have a pretty wide knowledge base but it would be something I would watch carefully.