Skill Sponge

[mallet]

Hi guys, I am looking for help and ideas for a power build that I would like to create. Here is the gist...

 

A character we will call him "Sponge-boy" automatically "knows" any INT based skills that people around him know, but when left on his own, he looses that knowlage. So if he did not know how to play chess, but walked into a room with a chess player he would suddenly just know how to play the game, until he, or the person who knew chess, left the room.

 

Other possible parts to the power: He get's the skill only at his base roll (ie. in the example above, even if the person who knew how to play chess had an INT of 20 and a Chess Skill roll of 13-; but "Sponge-Boy" only has an INT of 10, "Sponge-Boy" would only have a skill roll of 11-) but depending on the build maybe he would also get any skill levels associated with the skill. (ie. the chess player has 3 skill levels in Chess (so a 16- check), so "Sponge-Boy" would also get those 3 levels (for a 14- check)). Does that make sense?

 

I was thinking of a Telepathy based power for this, with a set effect. But maybe Transform? I am not sure.

 

Anyways, any ideas that you may have would be appreciated.

[Cancer]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

This sounds like a pretty straightforward Transfer.

[Vanguard00]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Sounds like a small VPP only for skills with some other limitations i'm too tired to think about.

 

Does the person being sponged from need to be thinking about the skill for it to be used? For example, if the chess player is also a mechanic, would Skill-Sponge Boy still know mechanics at the base level? If the answer is 'yes', then you'll want/need low-level telepathy. If not, then just the VPP should do the trick.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

I'd go with Both - Transfer into a Mimic VPP. You can't Transfer into a skill/power you don't have so you need the VPP.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Unless the person loses the skill when Sponge Boy mimics them, it's not a Transfer.

 

A highly limited Mimic Pool should really do the trick. The size of the pool will really depend on how many skills the character can mimic at once. Will he be limited to one or two at a time or can he copy everything that somone like Telios, Mentiac or Dr. Destoyer knows? And how many people can he copy from at once? Personally I think copying 100+ points worth of skills might overload him just a bit, which could be an interesting limitation.

 

If Sponge Boy knows and controlls what skills he is going to get or if the target can somhow resist, you might want to buy some Telepathy and Mind Scan.

 

Mind you, putting skills in a power framework requires express GM permission and I know several that will flat out say no to such a construct.

 

An alternative is to simply buy lots of INT based skills with a -2 Lim on all of them "Only within close proximity of somone else with the same skill", which should birng the skill point cost down to 1 pt each. Then buy some 5 pt skill levels (say +10 to any INT based skill) with the same -2 Limitation. If the character can also learn languages this way, don't forget to pick up Universal Translator.

 

Obviously this build runs into the problems of somone having a skill you haven't bought and it's aslo potentially a lot more expensive.

[Vanguard00]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Actually, that's not bad...

 

How 'bout a VPP Mimic Pool that only allows Familiarity with skills within range? Give it enough points that SpongeBoy can use 10 or so skills, then buy some CSLs only to raise the skills from the VPP. You could even put the 'Concentrate' limitation on the CSLs--i.e. he has to think about the skills to get the full effect from them.

 

Just throwin' stuff out there...

[Sean Waters]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Theoretically you can't adjust something you haven't got, and the build doesn't seem to deprive the original 'owner' of it, so I'd say no to transfer.

 

You are not supposed to have skills in a VPP for all the obvious reasons.

 

Usually when this question comes up I say 'can't be done' but the difference here is that you have to be in the proximity of the skill 'owner'.

 

I'd allow a specialised form of telepathy, as suggested. Say with limitations ONLY TO READ (-1/2), ONLY TO UNDERSTAND SKILLS (-1). This would then give you the base skill. I'd be very wary of letting this apply to knowledge skills if youwere getting a -1 for 'only for skills' though. You could also have 'set effect - requires EGO+20 -1/2'

 

Then buy (say) 4x8point skill levels (limited: linked telepathy and only up to the number of skill levels the target has -1) so that you can add skill levels.

 

How's that?

[Dust Raven]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

I like Bloodstone's idea of just buying a bunch of skills with a Limitation to represent you can only use them with someone else nearby has that skill.

 

A suggestion on how to handle various Background Skills, which may be optionally based on INT and are infinate in number: For each type of Knowledge (general, area, culture, city) and science, the character buys one KS or SS named "All" with a 10 levels (for each). These all have the same limitation. The levels serve only to counter the "impossible" penalty for the character knowing everything, and don't actually apply to the skill. This, of course, is very expensive, but it will cover EVERYTHING.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Hmm. How about an application or varient of Cramming?

[Bloodstone]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

I've done psychic cramming with levels only to offset the study time before.

 

The problem is, Cramming only ever gets nets you a Familiarty and you can't improve it with skill levels in any fashion, so it won't work for waht mallet is describing.

[Mostly...]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

I think Telepathy with a few levels of Cramming (-2 only what can be read )would do it. Thought I do like the KS:Anythingwith the -2 limitation.

If you want to gain all the skills in the room, then it's area effect. Wooga.

 

X dice of Telepathy, (Invisible to mental senses +1/2, AE:Radius, or Any Area) [only to read -1/2, only to gain others skills -1]

X levels of Cramming [only for skills learned thru telepathy -1/2, skills are lost when person leaves area affected by Telepathy]

 

Personally,I'm not to crazy about the VPP skill set. But then again, it's not my campaign. )

[Mostly...]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

KS: Everything 30- (Only for what people nearby know. -2)

 

Then add in Absorption linked to Intellgence. The more you bang your head against the wall, the smarter you get.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Then add in Absorption linked to Intellgence. The more you bang your head against the wall' date=' the smarter you get.[/quote']

Rep if I can!

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

I'd go with a 30pt VPP to mimic the skills of those around you. Gives the ability to mimic up to 10 skills at 11- or fewer skills at higher levels.

 

Then to add bonuses to these skills, buy INT Skill levels with the limitation "Only with Mimicked skills (-1).

[Mike W]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

The difficulty here is that the obvious build(a Mimic VPP) is technically illegal. So we have two options:

 

1. Say "screw it" and make it a VPP anyway. Which as a GM I would be tempted to do, especially for an NPC, just to make it simple. On the other hand, this thing could get really nasty, really fast. I think I'd just create somthing brand new for it which would be:

 

Universally Skilled(30 points) The character can understand and use any one skill at a time that is known to a person in his presence. Character only gets a base roll with the skill and cannot use any skill rolls to improve it. The character loses the skill if either he or the person he is "learning" the skill from leaves.

 

Essentially, it's a version of "Universal Translator" that applies to all skills.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

When I was trying to figure out how to build a Time Lord character (ala Dr. Who) I ran into the problem that their training plus centuries of experience seem to mean they know at least a little bit about nearly everything. Thus, working on the Universal Translator idea, I came up with these:

 

20 Universal Scientist (INT roll) - The character has at least a basic understanding of most sciences, even the most obscure. A successful USc roll will reveal what particular science is used in/by a given device or the basic principles and ideas of a given field of science. A roll made by a higher margin will allow the character to make Simple (by +1), Easy (by +3), or Difficult (by +5) evaluations/deductions about the probable outcome of a given application of the science, or a way to modify/defeat that particular application. Failed rolls may result in anything from just an unsuccessful attempt (-1) to destroyed devices/components (-3) to a major disaster in the making (-5).

 

20 Universal Traveler (INT roll) - The character has at least basic knowledge about practically any place and time they may visit. A successful UTv roll would tell them what planet (and possibly what country/city) they are on; a roll made by at least a margin of +1 will tell them what basic time frame they are in, as well. Rolls made by higher margins reveal more details about their surroundings and other significant points of interest of the local, relative to where they are. A failed roll may mean anything from a slight misjudging of local (-1) to a completely inverted conclusion about where and when they are (-5).

 

20 Universal Scholar (INT roll) - The character has at least basic knowledge about such a wide variety of subjects they often seem to literally "know everything." A successful USr check will reveal the sort of basic facts about a field/race/person that an interested and informed layman in the subject might know from extensive "armchair research"; rolls made by higher margins will result in more extensive and more detailed information. A failed roll may mean anything from a few 'commonly known' but incorrect pieces of information being taken as true (-1) to utter [and possibly disasterous] inversion of the facts (-5). [Example: "Daleks? Oh, yes...gentle scholars that happily answer any question put to them."]

 

**NOTE: I was tempted to include a "Universal Historian" talent, to include the character being able to know at least the general outline of history/historical events on any given world, so they can know when history is being tampered with, but decided against it; a combo roll in Universal Traveler / Universal Scholar should include this sort of thing already, I think.

 

20 Universal Tradesman (INT roll) - The character has been nearly everywhere and done nearly everything; as a result, they have at least a general idea of how to carry out just about any task or the basics of any job or profession. Rolls made by a higher margin indicate a job carried off with near-professional results; a failed roll could indicate anything from an ugly but workable solution (-1) to a near-disaster (-5) ["But I thought the poached eggs were SUPPOSED to be served by cleaning them with one's tongue before presenting them to the customer!"]

 

 

In the case of "Sponge Boy" you could slap a limitation on it along the lines of "Can only be used for skills that are possessed by another person within xxxx feet" (-1) or somesuch.

 

Of course, these only model the broad "classification" skills -- more or less the same way you can buy Skill Enhancers, so it doesn't cover individual "named" skills like Acrobatics or Tracking. I suppose you could make another catch-all like the above, but make it for Skills that don't already fit one of the listed categories. I'd make it more expensive, though, along the lines of 40 or 50 points because it's potentially so much more useful, plus the fact that the skills it would be imitating generally cost more than the kinds of skills that fit in one of the above categories.

 

 

 

 

Edit: and I see that Mike W beat me to it.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

I think Telepathy with a few levels of Cramming (-2 only what can be read )would do it. Thought I do like the KS:Anythingwith the -2 limitation.

If you want to gain all the skills in the room, then it's area effect. Wooga.

 

X dice of Telepathy, (Invisible to mental senses +1/2, AE:Radius, or Any Area) [only to read -1/2, only to gain others skills -1]

X levels of Cramming [only for skills learned thru telepathy -1/2, skills are lost when person leaves area affected by Telepathy]

 

Personally,I'm not to crazy about the VPP skill set. But then again, it's not my campaign. )

 

the problem with Telepathy and Cramming, is that both of those require effort on the part of the character, and from the description, the Skill mimic doesn't require any effort; it just happens.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

the problem with Telepathy and Cramming' date=' is that both of those require effort on the part of the character, and from the description, the Skill mimic doesn't require any effort; it just happens.[/quote']

In that case slap on Always On and Uncontrolled.

 

Of course that leaves Mental Defense to get through... yeah, probably not the best solution.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Universally Skilled(30 points) The character can understand and use any one skill at a time that is known to a person in his presence. Character only gets a base roll with the skill and cannot use any skill rolls to improve it. The character loses the skill if either he or the person he is "learning" the skill from leaves.

 

Essentially, it's a version of "Universal Translator" that applies to all skills.

 

 

 

I like this, I do...but...

 

UT works as a detect: detect meaning of language and text. This is a desperately reaching meta-construct for something that is so subjective and obscure as to be undetectable - having said which the final result is fine, I just don't feel that it necessarily justifies the means.

 

You might be able to build some aspects of some skills as a labouriously worded detect, but I'm not sure I could stand to watch you try. To be honest, you might as well just pick a numner of points out of the air.

 

You have to decide if it is good for your game for characters to have access to a huge range of skills for less than the price of 7 of them. The 'only in the presence of someone with the skill' limitation may be the saving grace here.

 

Matter for you.

 

 

 

You could certainly build some

[Mike W]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Personally,

 

I think the idea of building Universal Translator as a Detect is stupid. I mean, Universal Translator isn't a sense. And the build doesn't take into account that the character can reply - which the text description clearly states that the character can, albeit awkwardly. I think the idea of "building" a lot of the Talents and Enhanced Senses that were established made some sense - especially the Enhanced Senses. But not all of the builds make sense. And this is one of them. Talents should just be talents; the parenthetical builds can be used as guidelines for adjudicating what other ones should be worth, and I never use them for anything else. (And as a side note, not all of the parenthetical builds actually add up correctly anyway. Eiditic Memory applies to 4 Sense groups which should give it a base cost of 50, at -3 that makes it 12 points, not 5. Or was that fixed in a later edition?).

[Sean Waters]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Personally,

 

I think the idea of building Universal Translator as a Detect is stupid. I mean, Universal Translator isn't a sense. And the build doesn't take into account that the character can reply - which the text description clearly states that the character can, albeit awkwardly. I think the idea of "building" a lot of the Talents and Enhanced Senses that were established made some sense - especially the Enhanced Senses. But not all of the builds make sense. And this is one of them. Talents should just be talents; the parenthetical builds can be used as guidelines for adjudicating what other ones should be worth, and I never use them for anything else. (And as a side note, not all of the parenthetical builds actually add up correctly anyway. Eiditic Memory applies to 4 Sense groups which should give it a base cost of 50, at -3 that makes it 12 points, not 5. Or was that fixed in a later edition?).

 

 

Wholeheartedly agree.

 

Eidetic memory is now +5 to INT rolls for remembering only (-2). They've still got the cost wrong though, as they are using 3 point levels for +1 INT not 5 point levels as they should be. The cost should be (5x5)/3=8 points. Ah well.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

Wholeheartedly agree.

 

Eidetic memory is now +5 to INT rolls for remembering only (-2). They've still got the cost wrong though, as they are using 3 point levels for +1 INT not 5 point levels as they should be. The cost should be (5x5)/3=8 points. Ah well.

 

What's the deference between a 5 point INT Level and 5 points of INT?

[Zed-F]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

One is subject to NCM, and the other is not. Oh, and one is easier to drain than the other.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

One is subject to NCM' date=' and the other is not. Oh, and one is easier to drain than the other.[/quote']

 

How is one easier to drain if they are the same cost?

[Bloodstone]

Re: Skill Sponge

 

I believe he was refering to the fact that characters are much more likely to encounter opostion with a Drain INT then a Drain INT Skill Levels...