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Pulp Hero Everyman skills?


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Just started my campaign last night when i was asked about everyman skills. I couldn't find anything in the PH book so I had to resort to the Modern list given in the 5er main rule book.

 

However I struck out Paramedics as I don't think knowledge of first aid was as widley known in the Thirties as it is now.

 

And looking at the list of Acting, Climbing, Concealment, Conversation, Deduction, Native Lang., Paramedics, Persausion, Prof. Skill, Stealth, Transport Fam. and Area Knowledge, these don't strike me as being particulalry "pulpy". However I've got no idea of what should be on a Pulp everyman skill list.

 

Anybody got any suggestions?

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

The Ultimate Skill has a section that gives suggested Everyman skills for most gaming eras. The suggested list for Pulp Hero is:

 

Acting

Climbing

Concealment

Conversation

Deduction

AK: Home country or region

KS: Of player's choice, 11-

KS: Of players choice, 8-

Native Language (4 points' worth, with literacy)

Paramadics

Persuasion

one PS at 11- (representing the character's job, hobby or the like)

Shadowing

Stealth

TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles

(at the GM's option, characters growing up in rural areas may substitute some other appropriate vehicle or riding animal instead)

 

Everything is 8- unless otherwise specified. I have also noticed that all of the everyman lists is now worth 20 points.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

If the list suggested is not pulpy enough add more skills.

In my two pulp games I have no set list of everyman skills. The reason for that is every character's background leads to slightly different skills. I have a rich White Russian Aviatrix whose background skills include Russian 8-, French 8-, and High Society 11-. Her skills do not include TF small motor vechicles due to she always had a driver, so she had to pay for that.

Just an idea on how to handle it...

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

Just started my campaign last night when i was asked about everyman skills. I couldn't find anything in the PH book so I had to resort to the Modern list given in the 5er main rule book.

 

However I struck out Paramedics as I don't think knowledge of first aid was as widley known in the Thirties as it is now.

 

And looking at the list of Acting, Climbing, Concealment, Conversation, Deduction, Native Lang., Paramedics, Persausion, Prof. Skill, Stealth, Transport Fam. and Area Knowledge, these don't strike me as being particulalry "pulpy". However I've got no idea of what should be on a Pulp everyman skill list.

 

Anybody got any suggestions?

 

Don't get hung up on the term "paramedic". All that it really means is that you have a fairly accurate idea of how to suppress bleeding, bandage a wound, maybe treat a snake bite, and splint a broken leg, probably without doing your patient further injury.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

As others have said the list is just a suggestion. I believe that they leave out Everyman lists in most of the genre books since the Everyman skills should be based upon what the GM believes is right for his campaign. The Everyman skills are simply supposed to be the things that any normal average person is likely to be familiar with. If you were running a campaign in 1920s China the average Chinese person's Everyman skills would likely be much different.

 

Paramedics, as a skill, exists even in Fantasy Hero settings but of course in that case it may be representing the medieval skill of a Chirurgeon or simply be called Healing. In a Pulp Game it would probably be known as First Aid since I don't think Paramedic became a common term until pretty late in the 20th Century.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

Paramedics' date=' as a skill, .... In a Pulp Game it would probably be known as First Aid since I don't think Paramedic became a common term until pretty late in the 20th Century.[/quote']

 

Yep, it would be called "first aid" and (N)PCs probably learned it at a Red Cross class.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

In fact get a copy of the old Justice Inc and use the names from that book instead. ;)

 

Are the skills in JI differently named to warrant purchase? Also is JI worth it if I already have Pulp Hero? Plus there isn't a single copy of it on eBay right now... so I suspect that it might be quite rare and therefore quite expensive.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

(First post, wooo!)

To find an old, out of print rpg, try http://www.nobleknightgames.com They are an excellent company and have an extensive selection of new and used games. To give you an idea of how good thier selection is, they were the only people I could find who had an original Crimson Skies boxed set. Give them a try.

 

In fact, I just searched and they do have a copy.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

Okay, I am home now and have looked over my old Justice Inc. book. There are really not too many changes between Justice Inc. and Pulp Hero.

 

  • Animal Handler did not exist, instead there was the skill Animal Trainer
  • Boxing was the only common martial art
  • Brawling was a skill but it is exactly like buying +1d6 HA for each 3 point spent to buy Brawling
  • High Society was called Culture
  • Paramedics was called First Aid
  • Weaponsmith was simply Gunsmith.
  • Systems Operation did not exist but the skill Radio Operator did.
  • Lockpicking was split into two different skills. Lockpicking was DEX based but there was also the skill Safecracking which was a General Skill.

 

The Everyman Skill list was briefer too, but then this is pre-4th Edition so there were not as many skills anyway.

 

Justice Inc. Everyman Skills

Climbing

Concealment

Deduction

Disguise

First Aid

Shadowing

Stealth

 

Of course all everyman skills were 8 or less. There is no mention of a character getting an Area Knowledge or City Knowledge as an everyman skill.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

Boxing as the only common martial art seems odd to me. I would have thought that Wrestling would also be common(maybe not AS common as boxing) and "Dirty Infighting" or "Cinematic Brawling" should also be common. But then, when "Justice Inc" was written "Ultimate Martial Artist" HADN'T been so these "martial arts" hadn't been invented yet.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

The Hero system was in a transition of sorts at the time. You could not buy individual maneuvers since that rules concept had not yet come to be. Boxing was a "combat skill" which cost 10 points. Once purchased it allowed the character to use four maneuvers:

 

Boxing Block +2 OCV +1 DCV

Jab +1 OCV +2 DCV +1d6

Cross +1 OCV +1 DCV +2d6

Uppercut +1 OCV +0 DCV +3d6

 

This was back when the various titles produced by Hero were each stand alone games. A variation of the original Champions rules was used for each game and each individual game (Justice Inc., Espionage, Champions, etc.) were not 100% compatible with each other.

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Re: Pulp Hero Everyman skills?

 

In fact' date=' I just searched and they do have a copy.[/quote']

 

Umm... they do. At $32, more than Pulp Hero. I think I'll pass and set-up a search on eBay and play the waiting game.

 

Okay' date=' I am home now and have looked over my old Justice Inc. book. There are really not too many changes between Justice Inc. and Pulp Hero.[/quote']

 

Thanks Edsel, just what I was looking for. Given this info I think the Everyman list from Ultimate Skill is probably the best way to go, perhaps with a little judicious renaming of skills to enhance the Pulp flavour a little.

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