Techniques
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You (or your GM!) may want a way to improve your ability with a specific application of a skill without increasing the overall skill level. This is realistic – people do train at particular tasks to the exclusion of others – but allowing this in the game makes play (and character sheets) more complex. As a result, the following section is purely optional.
A "technique" is any feat that you can practice and perfect separately from the skill that allows you to perform that task. It is a specific action covered by the parent skill, studied on its own. It differs from an optional specialty, which covers a body of theory, not an action. Techniques work a lot like skills, but with a few important differences.
Creating Techniques
There are six steps to creating a technique. We'll walk through these steps using two examples. Even those who plan to use only the sample techniques at the end of this section should read these rules, as they explain the basic concepts involved.
Concept and Name
Decide what you want the technique to do, in general terms, and give it a name that clearly describes the feat it represents.
- Example 1: Both still and motion-picture cameras require Photography skill. A photographer could study just motion-picture equipment in order to get rid of the -3 to use it; therefore, "Motion-Picture Camera" would be a reasonable Photography technique.
- Example 2: Karate skill covers both kicks and punches. A karateka could spend extra time on kicks, with the goal of eliminating the -2 to kicking attacks. Thus, "Kicking" would be a logical technique for Karate.
A technique should never be the "core" action undertaken with the skill. For instance, Punching would not be a valid technique for Boxing skill, which is all about punching! To get better at the primary task covered by a skill, you must improve the skill itself.
Prerequisites
The skill with which a technique is associated is automatically its prerequisite – that is, you must have at least one point in a skill before you can improve its techniques. If more than one skill lets you perform the task covered by the technique, any of these skills can count as the prerequisite. The GM may require other skills and advantages as prerequisites for particularly complex techniques.
- Example 1: The prerequisite of Motion-Picture Camera is Photography skill.
- Example 2: Either Brawling or Karate skill can be the prerequisite of Kicking, since both allow you to kick.
Defaults and Specialties
A technique always defaults to one of its prerequisites. Usually, the default penalty equals the modifier given for the feat in the skill description or elsewhere. There can be more than one default. If a technique offers a choice of defaults, those who learn it must specialize in the version of the technique associated with the chosen default.
- Example 1: Photography skill states that motion-picture cameras are used at -3, so Motion-Picture Camera defaults to Photography-3.
- Example 2: Both Brawling and Karate let you kick at -2 to skill, so Kicking defaults to Brawling-2 or Karate-2. Those who use the Brawling default must specialize in Kicking (Brawling), while those who use the Karate default must specialize in Kicking (Karate).
Difficulty Level
Techniques come in only two difficulties: Average and Hard. Feats that have severe negative consequences on a failure, or that allow only one attempt, are Hard; all others are Average. This affects point cost.
- Example 1: Motion-picture photography is rarely dangerous, and you can usually do a second take if you fail; therefore, Motion-Picture Camera is an Average technique.
- Example 2: On a failed kick, you can fall down – a potentially fatal turn of events in combat – so Kicking is a Hard technique.
Technique Cost Table
| Your Final | Difficulty of Technique | |
|---|---|---|
| Skill Level* | Average | Hard |
| Default | 0 points | 0 points |
| Default+1 | 1 point | 2 points |
| Default+2 | 2 points | 3 points |
| Default+3 | 3 points | 4 points |
| Default+4 | 4 points | 5 points |
| +1 | +1 point | +1 point |
- * Most techniques have maximum levels. For instance, a technique that "cannot exceed prerequisite skill level" and that defaults to skill-5 tops out at default+5.
Maximum Level
Tightly focused practice can only take you so far. Eventually, you'll have to learn new fundamentals in order to improve. To reflect this, techniques often specify an upper limit relative to parent skill. On attaining this level, the only way to improve further is to raise the underlying skill. For a technique that covers an important use of a skill, maximum level is usually equal to prerequisite skill level. More peripheral techniques might be able to exceed prerequisite skill level, or have no maximum level.
- Example 1: An adventurer could make a career of motion-picture photography without affecting game balance. Thus, it seems believable and fair to leave Motion-Picture Camera open-ended and specify no maximum level.
- Example 2: Kicking is a potent attack, and one of the main reasons to learn Brawling or Karate skill; therefore, Kicking cannot be improved past prerequisite skill level.
Description
The prerequisite skill description provides the necessary rules for most techniques, but some techniques supply optional additional detail, or outline entirely new uses of the skill.
- Example 1: There isn't a lot to be said about Motion-Picture Camera – it lets you use motion-picture cameras, per Photography skill.
- Example 2: Kicking does +1 damage relative to a punch, and you must roll vs. DX to avoid a fall if you miss. These rules bear mentioning in any formal description of Kicking.
Buying and Improving Techniques
Buying a technique is a lot like buying a skill – point cost depends on difficulty and desired relative skill level – but there are two differences. You buy up a technique relative to its default, not relative to a controlling attribute, and you determine its point cost using the Technique Cost Table (below) instead of the Skill Cost Table.
To improve a technique, pay the difference in point cost between the desired level and your current level – exactly as for a skill. And just as skills increase for free when you raise attributes, techniques improve for free when you raise the skill on which they are based. For instance, if you have Karate-15 and Kicking-15, and raise Karate to 16, Kicking also goes to 16 at no extra charge!
You need not buy a technique to use it. If you have even one point in a skill, you may use all that skill's techniques at default. To avoid a cluttered character sheet, though, only note techniques that you know at better than default level.
Using Techniques
A technique works just like a skill in play: make a success roll against your level in the technique. Unless noted otherwise, all general modifiers to a skill – for culture, language, equipment, tech level, and so forth – apply to its techniques, as do any special critical success or failure results.
Sample Combat Techniques
See Martial Arts: Techniques for much more!
Special moves in combat are by far the most common techniques, and can give warriors a "bag of tricks" similar to a wizard's spells. If a combat technique has multiple defaults, you must specialize by prerequisite skill. For instance, learning a technique for Axe/Mace skill gives no special ability with the [[Broadsword[[ version of that technique!
Techniques marked with a * are not particularly realistic. The GM may wish to restrict these "cinematic" techniques – even at default – to PCs with Trained By A Master or Weapon Master.
Arm Lock
See Arm or Wrist Lock (Martial Arts Techniques).
Back Kick
See Back Kick or Back Strike (Martial Arts Techniques).
Choke Hold
See Choke Hold (disambiguation page).
Disarming
See Disarming (Martial Arts Techniques).
Dual-Weapon Attack*
See Dual-Weapon Attack (Martial Arts Techniques).
Disarming
See Disarming (Martial Arts Techniques).
Elbow Strike
See Elbow Strike (Martial Arts Techniques).
Feint
See Feint (Martial Arts Techniques).
Finger Lock
See Finger Lock (Martial Arts Techniques).
Ground Fighting
See Ground Fighting (Martial Arts Techniques).
Horse Archery
See Horse Archery (Martial Arts Techniques).
Jump Kick
Hard
Defaults: Brawling-2 or Karate-2.
Prerequisite: Brawling or Karate; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
This technique lets you leap into the air and kick at full extension, increasing range and damage. It is a showy but dangerous move! Roll against Jump Kick to hit. Add one yard to reach and +2 to damage. Your target parries at -2. However, if you miss – or if your target successfully defends – you fall down unless you can make a DX-4 or Acrobatics-2 roll. Hit or miss, a Jump Kick leaves you at -2 on all your active defenses until your next turn.
See Martial Arts: Realistic Techniques: Jump Kick for an improved and more realistic version. A cinematic version is Flying Jump Kick.
Kicking
Hard
Defaults: Brawling-2 or Karate-2.
Prerequisite: Brawling or Karate; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
This technique lets you improve your kicking ability. Roll against Kicking to hit. A kick does thrust/crushing damage based on ST. Use Brawling or Karate skill – not your Kicking level – to determine your damage bonus, and use only the highest bonus. If you miss with a kick, roll vs. Kicking skill or DX to avoid falling.
Knee Strike
See Knee Strike (Martial Arts Techniques).
Neck Snap
See Neck Snap (Martial Arts Techniques).
Off-Hand Weapon Training
See Off-Hand Weapon Training (Martial Arts Techniques). The original technique in Basic Set follows.
Hard
Default: prerequisite skill-4.
Prerequisite: Any Melee Weapon skill; cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
This technique lets you "buy off" the -4 for using your "off" hand with one specific Melee Weapon skill. Use your level with this technique instead of the prerequisite skill whenever you use that skill to attack or parry with your off hand. For instance, if you had Rapier-14 and Off-Hand Weapon Training (Rapier)-14, you could attack and parry at full skill with your off hand.
With the GM's permission, you can learn this technique for any DX-based skill that requires only one hand.
Retain Weapon
See Retain Weapon (Martial Arts Techniques).
Sweep
See Sweep (Martial Arts Techniques).
Whirlwind Attack*
See Whirlwind Attack (Martial Arts Techniques).
Sample Noncombat Techniques
Nearly any task that calls for a skill roll at a penalty could become a technique. The main purpose of such techniques is to buy off skill penalties, but the GM might wish to provide additional details.
Impersonate
Average
Default: Mimicry (Speech)-3.
Prerequisite: Mimicry (Speech); cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
Through practice, you can improve your ability to mimic one specific person, gradually buying off the -3 to impersonate him. Each person mimicked is a separate technique.
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