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Holovid Star
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Raven Redstar
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 7:52 pm    Post subject: Holovid Star Reply with quote

While discussing character concepts with someone we came across an interesting build, taking the Holovid star template and then giving him only a couple of pips in tons of different skills to represent how some actors will dabble in the skills necessary to pull off particular roles, the main skills of course are going to social skills like Con and Persuasion.

The character could have had roles in action/adventure type movies where he learns a pip in blaster, dodge, brawling, and melee combat.

Perhaps he had a role where he played a law enforcement investigator netting him a pip or two in search and investigate.

You get the point. I was thinking about coming up with a list of various former roles the character has had before joining up with the Rebellion, and I thought I'd pose the idea to the community to see what fun ideas everyone comes up with.

Thanks in advance!
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MrNexx
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Human.
4D Perception, 2D Technical, 3D everything else.

2D in Con, with 1D for specialization for Acting, and a couple other skills.

The remaining 4D becomes 12 pips in various skills, most which will be 3D+1... Competent, but not great
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Raven Redstar
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MrNexx wrote:
Human.
4D Perception, 2D Technical, 3D everything else.

2D in Con, with 1D for specialization for Acting, and a couple other skills.

The remaining 4D becomes 12 pips in various skills, most which will be 3D+1... Competent, but not great


Yes, the character will be from Alderaan originally. Going to go with the standard Holovid Celebrity template to start with:
http://d6holocron.com/wiki/index.php?title=Holovid_Celebrity
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Bren
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 1:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The concept sounds like a lot of fun.

Unfortunately I think the system doesn't facilitate it being all that fun in practice. My concern is that since everyone can already do virtually anything at the level of their base attribute, having 1 pip more than your base attribute is barely noticeable and having 1 more (or even 2 more) pips will seldom spell the difference between success and failure. So effectively you are spending your points to be a smidgen better in a six or ten skills than you would have been if you concentrated your points in a just 4 or 5 skills.

And from a roleplaying standpoint, I could just say my character knows how to shoot a blaster, fly a space ship, ride a bantha, or wear just the right sort of clothes for a wedding on Ralltir because I did it on a holoshow and functionally it makes little difference if I only have 3D in the skill rather then 3D+1.

Note that mechanically it would be a completely different matter if the system penalized a character for rolling skills that are not above the base attribute. If let's say there was a -1D penalty for attempting an unfamiliar skill, now the character with an extra 1 pip in a bunch of skills does get some real benefit to that expenditure. Now the system is working to help that character shine.
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Raven Redstar
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 1:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bren wrote:
The concept sounds like a lot of fun.


Thanks! It was just an idea that popped up randomly.

Bren wrote:
Unfortunately I think the system doesn't facilitate it being all that fun in practice. My concern is that since everyone can already do virtually anything at the level of their base attribute, having 1 pip more than your base attribute is barely noticeable and having 1 more (or even 2 more) pips will seldom spell the difference between success and failure. So effectively you are spending your points to be a smidgen better in a six or ten skills than you would have been if you concentrated your points in a just 4 or 5 skills.

And from a roleplaying standpoint, I could just say my character knows how to shoot a blaster, fly a space ship, ride a bantha, or wear just the right sort of clothes for a wedding on Ralltir because I did it on a holoshow and functionally it makes little difference if I only have 3D in the skill rather then 3D+1.

Note that mechanically it would be a completely different matter if the system penalized a character for rolling skills that are not above the base attribute. If let's say there was a -1D penalty for attempting an unfamiliar skill, now the character with an extra 1 pip in a bunch of skills does get some real benefit to that expenditure. Now the system is working to help that character shine.


This is a very real concern, however I do penalize untrained characters by giving them a situational -5 or sometimes -10 to many untrained skill checks. This is to try and mitigate players who to abuse the attribute/skill system. I don't always need to, but every now and again I do. In a game with this type of character, I would.
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Bren
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 08, 2019 1:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Raven Redstar wrote:
This is a very real concern, however I do penalize untrained characters by giving them a situational -5 or sometimes -10 to many untrained skill checks. This is to try and mitigate players who to abuse the attribute/skill system. I don't always need to, but every now and again I do. In a game with this type of character, I would.
Given that, the character seems workable and useful.

That reminds me of another idea, which is letting the players allocate their +7D starting skill dice during play. The adventure needs someone who can speak Rodian or be good at computer programming and repair -- put +1D or +2D to that. You slice the Imperial database and suddenly you're in a firefight and you still have dice left -- up your dodge or blaster skill. It's a really nice technique for a one shot adventure.

Which reminds me of another thing. I had a player who really wanted a character with flexible skills - i.e. this week they could do some particular and often unusual skill). (I think she watched too many episodes of the Pretender and of Probe back in the 1960s. Laughing) It just occurred to me that a mechanic that allowed her a pool of dice that could be reallocated each adventure or session might have allowed her to play what she wanted without it being an automatic "I win" button.
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