Background skill vs Characteristic skill.

[Herolover]

Okay. I have a skills question.

 

There are basically two types of skills those based off characteristics and background skills which are not based off characteristics and have a standard cost. Now, I understand mechanically what the difference between the two are and I understand that background skills (namely knowledge, professional, scientific, and languages) represent knowledge the character has received over time.

 

My question involves cost. A skill based off characteristics generally cost 3 points for the base skill and 2 points per +1 added to the skill. In general a Background skill cost 2 points for the base skill and 1 points add +1 to the skill.

 

So my question is why would any character want to buy a background skill not based of their characteristic? It would seem to be cheaper to buy the necessary characteristic higher and just base the skill on that characteristic. Since this is the case why not just have background skills based on relative characteristics? Why have the option for a non-characteristic based skill at all? What is the purposes of it?

 

Under what circumstances would you, as the GM, not allow a player to buy a background skill based on a characteristic?

[TheEmerged]

Answers to first question

 

#1> Point shaving. Sometimes you want some competence in the area but simply don't have the points to put 3 into it. When that happens you put 2 in for now to get an 11- and spend an experience point later to get it to Attribute level.

 

#2> Insufficient Attribute Scores. Take me, for example -- saying I have a 6 DEX is probably an exagerration (4 is probably more accurate). That means my DEX skills clock in at 10- -- LOWER than the 11- a background skill starts at for 2 points.

 

A character has to have a 13 in the base attribute before the third point spent to raise the background skill to "attribute" level actually improves the roll. Obviously if someone is going to have a lot of INT skills it would behoove them to raise their INT, but if you're only purchasing one (say, an area knowledge) why burn points that aren't going to net you anything?

 

#3> Rule-twisting time! Depending on how you view the relationship between adjustment powers and skills, a background skill at "straight" cost might not be penalized if the attached ability drops

 

Answer to Second Question

 

"Under what circumstances would you, as the GM, not allow a player to buy a background skill based on a characteristic?"

 

I honestly can't think of anything, right now.

 

Editted because I realized you had asked two questions after I posted

[Herolover]

Originally posted by TheEmerged

#2> Insufficient Attribute Scores. Take me, for example -- saying I have a 6 DEX is probably an exagerration (4 is probably more accurate). That means my DEX skills clock in at 10- -- LOWER than the 11- a background skill starts at for 2 points.

 

Just to fill you in, according to the FAQ if you spend 2 or 3 points you get an 11- regardless of what your characteristic is. So the above example you give really isn't accurate.

[TheEmerged]

I *really* need to make a weekly effort of reading the FAQ, that makes twice today I've done that...

 

Still, you'd be better off spending the three points on a 12- than an 11- if the attribute score is below 13...

[Castaigne]

As a GM, I've always allowed characters to buy Background skills based on Characteristics.

 

Even so, the majority of Background skills the PCs in my gaming group have are at 8- or 11-, and not based on a Characteristic.

 

One of the main uses of Background skills I see is to give characters a chance to be able to do something or know something that doesn't have a lot of in-game impact, but that they should reasonably have on their sheets at the granularity level of the Hero System. A good GM will work Background skill use into the game, but not to the same extent as Characteristic-based skills.

 

If all skills are treated equally in your games, then base all skills on Characteristics and cost them at 3 points. However, I personally have never seen a game where PS: Interior Design or KS: Irish Folklore (both bought at 11- by PCs in a Dark Champions game I'm running) have been used as often and had similar consequences for a failed roll as Breakfall or Stealth.