A little house rule I thought others might appreciate:
Skill Lending
A character may lend their skill to another character through instruction, providing the instructed character with a +3 bonus per level of the instructing character. Those with skills that cannot be used unskilled may lend their knowledge to unskilled characters. For instance, a surgeon can talk an unskilled character through surgery, or an Enchanter can talk someone through a spirit walk to acquire a familiar or create runes. Cannot provide skill lending to a character of greater rank in the same skill.
Any thoughts?
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Sorry if it is already covered in CO, I'm still working on buying a digital copy.
We have an asssist rule for our games but is quite different.
Assist Rule
If you assist another you must have the same skill. If you're skill is within 10% of the other's skill you give them an automatic +10% bonus. If the differenece is more than 10% you must roll to give them the +10% bonus.
The idea here is that those that are close to the understanding level of the other can help out easier. Those that are not can instruct or hinder as the dice rolls determine.
It is much different, because they're two different concepts and are somewhat complimentary. Assist seems to require physically helping out. Lending does not require the person to physically help out and is useless to anyone with higher skill. This allows for events that can actually take place and are common to television shows. This accounts for someone of much greater skill lending his skill to someone with much less skill or no skill at all. Lending also allows for skill level to improve chances. Perhaps if I made it a difference in skill level, it would compliment the Assist Rule more.
Perhaps it could look like this with the adjustments and clarification.
[Really, I can't believe CO had two editors.]
The game had only Jim White as an editor, and he did a bang-up job, missed very little. I'm not sure the reason for that last sentence - nothing in this post is a direct quote from any Covert Ops book, so I'm not entirely sure why you'd say that.
The only type of "assisted" actions used in the core rulebook is as follows (GM Operations Manual, page 49):
The only type of "assisted" actions used in the core rulebook is as follows (GM Operations Manual, page 49):
I like this one, and it is similar to our houserule. Also simpler to apply on the fly. To me it makes sense that if a character doesn't have a skill level close to that of the person attempting the task, they probably cannot add much of use to the attempt.
The game had only Jim White as an editor, and he did a bang-up job, missed very little. I'm not sure the reason for that last sentence - nothing in this post is a direct quote from any Covert Ops book, so I'm not entirely sure why you'd say that.
For some reason, I read Jim's comment as coming out of Covert Ops. I probably breezed through his opening sentence too quickly.
That said, that assist rule is similar to Jim's, except it uses a 20 point margin instead of a 10 point margin. A lending rule is still needed to allow vocal assistance to unskilled and low skilled characters. I prefer the 10 point margin, because I don't see a 3rd level character giving any kind of outstanding assist bonus to a 5th level character. A flat +10 bonus is easy but a little too good for 20 point difference, I think, especially given that there can be multiple assistants.
Your skill lending is mechanically pretty sound, I like it.
I have no idea what you guys are saying about lending versus assisting. You are either helping/assisting someone or not. I read this thread three times. I don't get it.
I do think it is funny that my house rule is so similar to CO! I must admit to not notincing that rule in the GMs guide. I had all I could do to keep up with the main book during play testing.
It's just me saying it.
If you're restricting it from being any use to unskilled units, and one can assist someone with greater skill, then it means that the character assisting is providing something other than knowledge, but is likely providing back-up, rather than simple information. Anyone without a comparative level of skill is going to be out of their league in assisting or being assisted, thus the reason why they would have to roll to provide any such assistance. If there are two levels difference, then the one assisting is going to be useless, or the one being assisted is going to be shown up and likely unable to keep up with the one assisting.
At least, that's the logic that went through my head when I read the assist skill.
Lending is different. Lending is about instruction, the one with knowledge lending his expertise to the one without knowledge. And the greater the lender's knowledge in relation to the borrower, the greater the benefit they provide.
Ah ha! Ok, that helps my brain.
That also helps me simplify my house rule even more.
Assist Rule
Use an action to help another. If you're skill is within 10% of the other's skill you give them an automatic +10% bonus. If the differenece is more than 10% you must roll to give them the +10% bonus.
There. Now someone who isn't any good but wants to help out can really foul things up. :)
I also didn't know who you guys were talking about when you said Jim's rule. :)
LOL. There's only one "Jim" in this discussion offering a rule. :P
Though I understand if you only want me to call you "jasales" in the forum.
We usually use our user names here. That really threw me. :)
Just to be really niky-pricky-picky-stiky, it's not skill or level that is within a threshold, it's "score" or "chance to succeed". Skill has two values, "level" and "score".
hehe.
btw, BBF had 3 editors, CO had 1, and Jim White does excellent work. jasales does excellent work as well, I call him Epic Jim (for reasons I can't discuss at this time unless you are within 10% of my Developer Score). hahahaha
(face palm) for so many many reasons.
Good point. Score!
Assist Rule
Use an action to help another. If you're score (skill or attribute) is within 10% of the other's you give them an automatic +10% bonus. If the differenece is more than 10% you must roll to give them the +10% bonus.