Comeliness based skills

[Vondy]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

 

Frankly, I'd do away with "Characteristic Bases" for Skills and just have them be modifiers to Char rolls as appropriate but that's outside the scope of this thread. Characteristics would represent potential, Skills (and some Talents) would be refinement.

 

So, nu? Start the thread.

[Vondy]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

I don't agree that we need to create skills to make COM useful or provide rolls for it. Nor do I agree that someone who believes almost no - or even no - skills are properly COM based is not a "friend" of the characteristic, whatever that means. As for me, most the the skills here don't strike me as being skills, but rather, raw COM rolls. The fact that COM is a passive, objective stat that doesn't lend itself well to skills like many characteristics do doesn't mean it can't provide some very useful, situationally appropriate rolls.

 

Most of these things are things I would buy characteristic skill levels for, however. +2 COM rolls for Effect X, for instance. There is room for debate, but I think most of these things amount to a raw characteristic rolls, while most of the PSs and their ilk seem (by my lights) to better fall under other characteristics. COM based abilities strike me more as straight characteristic rolls, talents or even power builds than skills.

 

For instance, strippers don't dance much, and some are hotter than others, but most of being successful is dependent on other skills entirely - a combination of human perception, streetsmarts, manipulation, grooming, attitude, and general good health. Those are the things I'd assume fell into the PS. Any attractive idiot can writhe and look good. You don't need a skill for that. Being able to use your COM to maximum effect is more of a smarts and/or human perception issue than a raw beauty issue.

 

Or, at least, that's my 2d.

[Vondy]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

That strikes me as something that would be a completely separate Appearance Skill. Probably it would be a way to grab someone's attention based purely on appearance. I'm not sure how it would work in game terms' date=' though.[/quote']

 

"Make a COM roll."

 

Or... a COM attack!

[Kenn]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

The hair flip.

 

From the 2000 "Charlie's Angels" movie

 

 

Alex (to Natalie over mouthmike): Flip your hair.

Natalie (also over mouthmike): What?

Alex: Flip. Your. G-dd@amn hair.

(Natalie flips hair.)

(Pete stares dumbfounded, drinks saki he just poured and comes over to ask Nat out.)

[Markdoc]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

"Make a COM roll."

 

Or... a COM attack!

 

We have in fact, used COM attacks exactly the same way one uses PRE attacks in games in the past. It's basically a "Hey, look at me!" affect. Doesn't lend itself to many situations, but for things like "Will you carry this heavy box for me?" or "Really officer, I just didn't see the sign" it models the situation pretty well.

 

cheers, Mark

[Vondy]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

We have in fact, used COM attacks exactly the same way one uses PRE attacks in games in the past. It's basically a "Hey, look at me!" affect. Doesn't lend itself to many situations, but for things like "Will you carry this heavy box for me?" or "Really officer, I just didn't see the sign" it models the situation pretty well.

 

cheers, Mark

 

 

It seems perfectly viable to me.

[Vondy]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

The hair flip.

 

From the 2000 "Charlie's Angels" movie

 

 

Alex (to Natalie over mouthmike): Flip your hair.

Natalie (also over mouthmike): What?

Alex: Flip. Your. G-dd@amn hair.

(Natalie flips hair.)

(Pete stares dumbfounded, drinks saki he just poured and comes over to ask Nat out.)

 

 

Hair Flip: +1d6 Com Attack / +1 Com Roll.

 

This may have been enhanced by an oddball use of the Teamwork skill...

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

We have in fact' date=' used COM attacks exactly the same way one uses PRE attacks in games in the past. It's basically a "Hey, look at me!" affect. Doesn't lend itself to many situations, but for things like "Will you carry this heavy box for me?" or "Really officer, I just didn't see the sign" it models the situation pretty well.[/quote']Hm. That strikes me as just an application of Persuasion... though I suppose one could (if I may back up in the thread just a tad) call the Dazzle Skill just the COM equivalent of Persuasion.

[Kenn]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

As much as I like having COMeliness a chracteristic, I honestly don't think it lends itself to many, if any skills, that couldn't also be modeled with PREsence and PRE based skills that would get a complimentary COM roll to strengthen the effect.

 

I remember, I think it was in 3rd Edition, that Climbing was a STR based skilled, presumably because of the aspect of climbing that involves grabbing and pulling one's weight up. Starting in 4th, it became a DEX based skill (and clumbsy people do have trouble climbing, no matter how strong they are) but a STR roll could be complimentary.

 

I really think COM works best as a complimentary roll to many PRE based skills. But as a characteristic, it fits in with with the complimentary roll rules.

[Markdoc]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

Hm. That strikes me as just an application of Persuasion... though I suppose one could (if I may back up in the thread just a tad) call the Dazzle Skill just the COM equivalent of Persuasion.

 

Exactly. There's multiple ways to handle such an approach, each with a different potential range of effects and modifiers. A slick con woman could use Persuasion, a bimbo with high COM would use a COM attack to try for the +10 "target will consider deeply what the attacker says" level, whils She-Grondha will use raw PRE for the same effect, and MindLass will use mindcontrol. The outcome of a successful (or a failed) roll is likely to be different as well as what's achievable by each approach

 

To insist that they must all be handled the same way is similar to saying that EB, RKA, TK and HA are all really just the power "Damage", and should be replaced by it. You could do it that way - but it doesn't seem like a useful approach.

 

cheers, Mark

[lapsedgamer]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

I am not a fan of changing the stats in the Hero System. I am old fashioned that way. I never buy up COM on a character unless it's part of the conception. I can see the point about COM rolls and COM attacks. In fact, I will theoretically be using them more often in the future.

 

I will still maintain that good strippers do dance and it does take skill. On the other hand, most strippers aren't that good at it and get by on their looks and other attributes.

[nexus]

Re: Comeliness based skills

 

I don't think Exotic dancing isn't a skill but in my conception of skills it's one that helps the character use their Comeliness more effectively in a specific situation since Comeliness is the character's visual appeal. A Dex/Dancing rolls would be complimentary IMO particularly for something really acrobatic or Pre or Pre skill might be useful too for an act that uses gimmick or specific attitude to appeal to a fetish. A character could get on stage and shake gyrate in a talentless manner (unskilled raw char use) and they were attractive enough no one might care. Aphrodite (Comeliness 33) could probably stand there and listlessly take off her clothes and mortals would still pay to see it

 

Of course, that's an opinion and doing the other way around is just as viable.