Skills

[Trax]

Wasn't sure where to put this so feel free to move it.

I have a question regarding brawling parry vs melee parry.  When you specialize with melee parry, it's with a weapon used to parry any melee or brawling attack.  But when you specialize with brawling parry, you specialize on parrying that type of attack.

To me that would be like saying if you're good with a knife, you're good with a knife no matter how your opponent comes at you, but if you're a good mixed martial artist, you're only good at defending if you're attacker is attacking you using mixed martial arts.  Taking a step into the real world, many martial arts out there teach you how to effectively disarm your attacker, or safely block the attack so I guess this where I'm losing my understanding of this particular difference in the rules.

[Jex]

Or you could look at melee parry as parrying a brawling or weapon attack, regardless if you have a weapon, as you described the mixed-martial arts.

Melee and brawling are similar, but someone trained in melee parry (bare hand and/or weaponed attacks) would still be good against brawling attacks, but not necessarily the opposite.

Maybe if attacked by a weapon, you must use melee parry, but if it is bare handed, you can choose between melee/brawling (unless you are using a weapon, then melee is required)

[GM Craig]

The defensive specializations are all based on the type of attack to be avoided. The melee parry specialization is the "type of weapon used" as in the type of weapon used against you.

Dodge: Energy Weapons means you're good at dodging blaster bolts. Brawling Parry: Martial Arts means you're good at blocking martial arts moves and strikes. Melee Parry: Vibroblade means you're good at blocking Vibroblade attacks, regardless of the type of weapon that is in your hand.

[Jex]

That is different than I had understood it. That may have changed how Jex allocated CP's in the past. It makes sense, but I am pretty sure that my understanding at the time was that the skill was based on Jex using his vibro-blade to parry.

[GM Craig]

Hmmm.

I suppose we can rejigger some CP expenditures. Think about it, and pitch me your reasoning.

[Jex]

Do you still have the CP expenditures (via email) we did?

I might be able to recreate some of it from my shoddy notes ...

[GM Craig]

I should be able to, but it's easy enough to count backwards by refunding pips. You started with 1D worth of specialization. Everything else would have been from CP expenditures.

Just a note - IF we do go through this, the new CP's will not be available to earn Force skills. You probably weren't thinking that, but I wanted to be sure. Once you're done the rejigger, I'll want Jex at approximately where he is now as far as available CP's go, given some error for differing expenditures.

[Jex]

Would the specialization skill not start with the underlying base skill at the time? Not necessarily 1D?

[GM Craig]

Yes. I meant that the specialization would be the base attribute +1D. If your Dex was 3D, and Melee Parry:Vibroblades was 4D, then count CP expenditures from wherever you are to 4D and that's how many CP you sank into it.

[Niil Spaar]

How many "D" in a skill does someone need to teach another person?  I actually have 5D in Lightsaber combat.

[GM Craig]

3 more than the person you are training.

[Niil Spaar]

Dang, that's the funny thing.  From what I understand, Lightsaber combat can be bought as a DEX skill and a Force skill.  I have the DEX skill, which means I was probably taught how to turn the damn thing on and off without lopping myself into kibble.   

[Jex]

They are really two separate skills. One (DEX based) is the purely physical act of using it, the other (Force Power) is integrating it with you Force abilities.

[Niil Spaar]

Yeah, that's what I thought it was.  After seeing the lightsaber description and the potential for self-injury (and consequences), Niil would wait until he had the Force power as well.

Of course without a functioning lightsaber, it's all academic . . . 

[Jex]

Take a fluorescent light tube, fill it with gasoline, apply ignition source. Problem solved ...