DwD Studios
Why no Athletics skill?!
Mon, 09/26/2016 - 10:27pm | 
Bill Logan
As the d00 system has evolved over the years, one question we seem to get a lot in emails and at conventions is "why isn't there an Athlete skill?" The truth is, we had one in Covert Ops during development. We removed it intentionally, and so I thought I'd take a moment to explain and hope that some folks comment and help convince me otherwise.
One thing I like to ask back: how do you define athletics?
If you define it by describing flips and tumbles and leaps and rolls and running and jumping and more, then I always suggest that perhaps your character should have a good DEX score and a descriptor that you "like to perform feats of acrobatics" or "engages in parkour" or even something more fun like "hoppy-skippy-jumpy." Then you'd have high chance of succeeding in such activities, and earn some extra DP for doing it. Win-win.
Athletic training is indeed a real thing. Making your body stronger and faster and more coordinated is the goal of most athletes. But the goal isn't to make someone good at football or track & field; the goal is to make someone have more effective core attributes which result in being better at football, gymnastics, etc.
And that's where we draw the distinction.
The very act of making yourself a better athlete makes you better at all other uses of those physical attributes as well. Therefore, it's our opinion that you make yourself a better athlete by working on your strength, stamina, maneuverability, balance, grace, and coordination... or whatever physical ability scores represent a character in any given incarnation of a d00system game, not the other way around.
Okay - so that's our rationale. Poke holes in it and convince me I need an Athletics skill...
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An athletics skill only makes sense (to me) if you define it as being good at sports. In other words, you know the rules of baseball, and you are skilled at the strategies necessary to win. And that seems too narrow for a Covert Ops skill, unless it's a major focus of the campaign. In terms of the physical abilities that make one good at sports I agree with you entirely.
Athletics seems to narrow as a skill for D00lite indeed. Just using DEX or similar works. I mean, what would someone with the skill of "Athletics" actually do that is interesting in the frame of Covert Ops? Maybe in a game about Athletes "Olympics the RPG" or something. But as a Spy, yes you could be athletic, but you are not having a job as an Athlete.