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<TITLE>RE: Phoenix - Skill Mechanism</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>|| One possibility for a combat/magic/skill mechanism for P&P </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| is to use the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Combat Table.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| OCV-DCV or MEL-? or 0 plus or minus situational modifiers </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| (particularly</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| time) determines which line to use. Note that many skills (example</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| musician) do not allow extra time.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Problem is, the effect of EL in combat is nearly minimal (EL x 2 subtracted from roll) as compared to the "other" skills (usually EL x 10 for most skills, with others at a percentile level.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Remember 'EL 4' in a weapon is supposedly the same as a EL 40 skill (if "or 80"). If you go from EL5 to EL5 in a weapon you see a gain of 2% in combat, where as other skills see a 10% gain.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>One variant I had toyed with while doodling one day was to extrapolate the CEL/MEL concept and apply it to all skills. It was something like "Combat Talent", "Magical Talent" for the existing CEL and MEL. One would also have "Survival Talent" (touches all skills involvig outdoors tasks), "Social Talent" (Involving personal interaction), "Crafting Talent" (or Artistic Talent), etc.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>In this simplified system the player rolled 2d10+skill+any appreciable talent to hit a target number, (or 10+opposing skill+opposing talent). The possible talents were never fleshed out, though.</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>----------------------------------------</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Burton Choinski</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Principal Software Engineer, Quality Engineering</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>email: burton.choinski@matrixone.com</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>phone: 978-322-2135</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>fax : 978-452-5764</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>MatrixOne, Inc.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Two Executive Drive</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Chelmsford, Ma 01824</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>www.matrixone.com</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>|| -----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| From: Alex Koponen [<A HREF="mailto:akoponen@MOSQUITONET.COM">mailto:akoponen@MOSQUITONET.COM</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 12:38 PM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| To: POWERS-AND-PERILS@GEO.CITG.TUDELFT.NL</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Subject: Phoenix - Skill Mechanism</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| An incompletely worked up thought re skill mechanism is:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| One possibility for a combat/magic/skill mechanism for P&P </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| is to use the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Combat Table.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| OCV-DCV or MEL-? or 0 plus or minus situational modifiers </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| (particularly</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| time) determines which line to use. Note that many skills (example</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| musician) do not allow extra time.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| The roll is then modified by:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| - offensive EL, + defensive EL</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| or</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| - magic spell EL, + defensive MDV</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| or</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| - skill EL, + Cost to Learn (if unlearned).</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| All skills (except Carrying) would use (abilities) / (5 x # </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| of abilities).</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| This might even apply to spell skills with formula of (Prime </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Requisite +</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| MEL)/10 for max.*</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Sufficient resources (example: well equipped shop) could </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| modify EL by up</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| to ?.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Perhaps shields would modify DCV (towards shield facing)?</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Missiles continue to use set range-based OCVs.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| [Perhaps firer's CEL could offset defender's dodge + CEL]?</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Naturally(?) aspected mana fields and spells such as </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Purification might</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| modify which line to use for certain spells, rather than </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| acting as EL.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| *This suggests an optional rule of adding CEL as an ability </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| to the max</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| level formula for all combat skills. Thus combat skills would have</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| (abilities + CEL) / (5 x (# of abilities + 1)).</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| --------------------------------------------------------------</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Another possibility is to work on getting rid of this divide by five</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| business and have skills ranging up to 100+. Lots of other </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| games already</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| do this.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| Skills might then have a formula for max level of (total </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| abilities)/(# of</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| abilities / 2)? CEL and MEL may be added to the formula as </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| another ability</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| if appropriate.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>|| </FONT>
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