Post by Bricingwolf on Dec 2, 2016 0:27:03 GMT
OK, here's a list of the skills which have crap names, and a basic idea of what they do. Basically, many of these names are just bad. They are placeholder names, at best. Some are just boring, or don't fit the feel of the game, and some aren't that bad, but I'm still just more sure I like them. I'll make a second post explaining the game a bit so everyone has an idea of what the "aesthetic" is.
In case it matters, this is a skill system with Broad Skills and Specialty Skills. In other words, if you need to do a specialty thing, and have no ranks in it, you default to any ranks you have in the broad skill. also the broad skills usually have some super simple "ribbon" stuff that is always just a broad skill use, and ranks in a skill also equate to knowledge level regarding that skill and closely associated things, rather than having knowledge skills. So, if you have high ranks in Vehicles, you know about vehicles. If you have high ranks in computers, you can explain how a computer works, etc.
also, you defend against magic using similar Magic, and some skills are general defense skills, like Tumble can be used to dodge things, there's a resolve skill that can be used to resist mental attacks, Rebuke can defend against supernatural evil, etc. or, you can just rely on your Defense score, and focus your actions on offense. Instead of the minor action, reaction, etc of DnD, you have two quick actions per round, and they can be used on any turn. Some things are proactive things on your turn, like activating an ability, and others are defensive, like using a skill to defend against an attack.
anyway, here are the skills I'm unsure of.
Alchemy: Specs are Elixers, Sigils, and Transmutation. Not happy with "Elixers". Want something that evokes magical chemistry, other than the broad skill name.
Althetics: has CLimb, Swim, and...Jump/Run? Not so much a naming issue, I guess. Maybe running faster just needs to be a use of the broad skill?
Con: Lying skill. Spec skills are Deception, Disguise, and Suave-faire (sp?). Willing to rename Con or Deception or both. Don't dig the third one, but that is what it's called in GURPS. I do think Avon is a solid name that encompasses the other three, but I think it may confuse some gamers.
Cryomancy: need one for freezing things, one for shaping ice, and something mystical. Maybe manipulating time in some way, or something related to the idea of stasis? Basically, each elemental magic has something less direct, more mystical and associated with the element's mythical associations.
Electromancy: I'm fine with Conductivity and Lightning, but Control Device is...a lame name. It does what it says on the tin, though.
Geomancy: Stoneskin, Intertia, Earthsense. Defensive durability boosting skill, manipulation of gravity on small scale/light telekinesis, and ability to hear like Daredevil if touching solid objects that vibrate with impact, or do the Aragorn listening to the earth to tell how many orcs there x miles away yadda yadda. Terramancy? Idk
Hydromancy. Is Aquamancy better? idk. Specs are Biomancy (healing skill, basically), Water Breathing, and Weather. Biomancy is fine, but the other two are terrible names. Just the worst. Water Breathing needs to evoke being able to live in water, echolocate like animals with sonar, etc, not just breath in water. Weather...I mean, I feel like there is a name for weather magic, and I just can't find it/think of it.
Influence. Fine broad skill name. Specs are Persuasion, Negotiation, and Communication. Negotiation could change to Haggle to make it more clear why it isn't also persuasion, but then it loses the flavor of deal making of the sort a diplomat does, to some extent.
Investigate: Has Research, Deduction, and Gather Information. I'd love a shorter name for Gather Info, and Research is a terribly broad name, and also a broad part of the game. Id rather something that evokes being skilled at figuring out how to find information, if that makes sense. Make a check with this skill when you need to figure out what books to read at the library, or how to navigate the archives, etc, as well as how to use indexes and to quickly find information and cross reference things in a book, website, etc,
Enchantment: I've no names for the specs. I want a glyph (temp enchantment, ward, etc) making skill, a skill for making a permanent enchantment into a distinct item, and a skill for manipulating existing magical effects, fields, glyphs, etc, like 4e DnD's active uses of Arcana.
Nature Magic: Healing, Herbalism, Plant-Growth. all terrible names. Especially "Healing". How exquisitely boring. Especially since Sacrumancy also has a "Healing" skill. I'd be willing to ditch the idea of Nature magic having a healing skill outside of Herbology, but I haven't thought of a good skill idea to add in it's place. Perhaps something for speaking and listening to animals and plants, the earth, etc.
Necromancy: This one is changing from standard dnd necromancy, to the magic of life and death. So, Command Dead stays. Use for speaking to the dead, commanding them back to their rest, animating them, etc. Need a skill for draining life, and another for restoring it, I think. Unless you've ideas for a better arrangement of three Necromancy specializations. If not, I'll come back to it.
Pyromancy: Combustion, Convection, and Luminance. (things have changed in the last couple months, used to have Pyromancy inside electromany) combustion is the fire starter skill, convection is heating yourself or things you hold, Luminance is manipulating and shaping flame and light, including to reveal that which is hidden.
Sacrumancy: Healing, Bless, Rebuke. Do what you'd expect. Holy magic (sacrum=holy or sacred). I'd be willing to ditch Healing if we can come up with a good replacement. Sanctify seems like it would be a function of Bless. Rebuke is both a defense skill against supernatural attacks/effects, and something you can use to "turn undead" and the like. Right now the different healing skills work differently, so I'm also fine with keeping them in. They just need different names. also, Sacrumancy, Sacromancy, or Sacramancy?
Shadow Magic: Has Obtenebrate, Vitiate, and Sombramancy. Obtenebrate is for making yourself into a shadow being, which has defense, speed, and stealth benefits, and passing through objects. Vitiate sucks the will and energy from stuff. It's the entropy skill, basically. Sombramancy (good broad skill name?) covers making things of shadow, shaping shadow, etc.
Shamanism: Communion, Ghost Walk, Healing. bleh. I love using this skill set, but I hate the names. Communion is talking to spirits and gaining their wisdom, Ghost Walk includes taking spirit form and taking on spirits aspects, like a totem warrior. Healing is self explanatory, but focuses on ailments of the spirit, and should probably also be a defensive skill.
Sonic Magic: not the hedgehog. but, hedgehog wizards, right? ahem, anyway, includes Sonic Blast, Resonance, and Voice Casting. Sonic Blast is just creating waves of sound at things. Resonance involves manipulating vibrations in objects, creatures, etc for various effects, including disrupting enemy casters, helping allies concentrate, echolocation, and some stuff that involves crystals and frequencies that would take a paragraph to explain. Voice Casting involves throwing sounds, creating "ghost sounds", speaking over distance, etc.
Unarmed: Striking, Grappling, Throws. Mostly I don't dig "Throws". but basically a skill for redirecting momentum, throwing opponents, etc.
and that's about it. The weapon skills may get shuffled around soon, so I'm not worried about them RN, but just in case:
One-Handed: Blades, Bludgeons, Axes.
Two-Handed: see above
Thrown: Blades, Axes, Slings (includes atlatl, so not a great name)
Pole-arms: Blades, Axes, Whip (flexible reach weapons, includes chains, ball and chain, etc may get moved to it's own skill)
Bows: Hand-Bow, Crossbow, Manual Bow. I often call it longbow, but it includes a range of bow sizes, so I don't like that.
Firearms: Sidearms, Rifles, Shotguns
Heavy Arms: Mounted Guns, Launchers, Artillery
Defense Weapons: Hand Shield, Arm Shield, Parrying Weapon. Hand and Arm shield refers to whether the shield is simply held with a handle, or strapped to the arm.
also I am open to changing the naming of Broad Skill and Specialty Skill. Perhaps simply Skill and Specialty?
In case it matters, this is a skill system with Broad Skills and Specialty Skills. In other words, if you need to do a specialty thing, and have no ranks in it, you default to any ranks you have in the broad skill. also the broad skills usually have some super simple "ribbon" stuff that is always just a broad skill use, and ranks in a skill also equate to knowledge level regarding that skill and closely associated things, rather than having knowledge skills. So, if you have high ranks in Vehicles, you know about vehicles. If you have high ranks in computers, you can explain how a computer works, etc.
also, you defend against magic using similar Magic, and some skills are general defense skills, like Tumble can be used to dodge things, there's a resolve skill that can be used to resist mental attacks, Rebuke can defend against supernatural evil, etc. or, you can just rely on your Defense score, and focus your actions on offense. Instead of the minor action, reaction, etc of DnD, you have two quick actions per round, and they can be used on any turn. Some things are proactive things on your turn, like activating an ability, and others are defensive, like using a skill to defend against an attack.
anyway, here are the skills I'm unsure of.
Alchemy: Specs are Elixers, Sigils, and Transmutation. Not happy with "Elixers". Want something that evokes magical chemistry, other than the broad skill name.
Althetics: has CLimb, Swim, and...Jump/Run? Not so much a naming issue, I guess. Maybe running faster just needs to be a use of the broad skill?
Con: Lying skill. Spec skills are Deception, Disguise, and Suave-faire (sp?). Willing to rename Con or Deception or both. Don't dig the third one, but that is what it's called in GURPS. I do think Avon is a solid name that encompasses the other three, but I think it may confuse some gamers.
Cryomancy: need one for freezing things, one for shaping ice, and something mystical. Maybe manipulating time in some way, or something related to the idea of stasis? Basically, each elemental magic has something less direct, more mystical and associated with the element's mythical associations.
Electromancy: I'm fine with Conductivity and Lightning, but Control Device is...a lame name. It does what it says on the tin, though.
Geomancy: Stoneskin, Intertia, Earthsense. Defensive durability boosting skill, manipulation of gravity on small scale/light telekinesis, and ability to hear like Daredevil if touching solid objects that vibrate with impact, or do the Aragorn listening to the earth to tell how many orcs there x miles away yadda yadda. Terramancy? Idk
Hydromancy. Is Aquamancy better? idk. Specs are Biomancy (healing skill, basically), Water Breathing, and Weather. Biomancy is fine, but the other two are terrible names. Just the worst. Water Breathing needs to evoke being able to live in water, echolocate like animals with sonar, etc, not just breath in water. Weather...I mean, I feel like there is a name for weather magic, and I just can't find it/think of it.
Influence. Fine broad skill name. Specs are Persuasion, Negotiation, and Communication. Negotiation could change to Haggle to make it more clear why it isn't also persuasion, but then it loses the flavor of deal making of the sort a diplomat does, to some extent.
Investigate: Has Research, Deduction, and Gather Information. I'd love a shorter name for Gather Info, and Research is a terribly broad name, and also a broad part of the game. Id rather something that evokes being skilled at figuring out how to find information, if that makes sense. Make a check with this skill when you need to figure out what books to read at the library, or how to navigate the archives, etc, as well as how to use indexes and to quickly find information and cross reference things in a book, website, etc,
Enchantment: I've no names for the specs. I want a glyph (temp enchantment, ward, etc) making skill, a skill for making a permanent enchantment into a distinct item, and a skill for manipulating existing magical effects, fields, glyphs, etc, like 4e DnD's active uses of Arcana.
Nature Magic: Healing, Herbalism, Plant-Growth. all terrible names. Especially "Healing". How exquisitely boring. Especially since Sacrumancy also has a "Healing" skill. I'd be willing to ditch the idea of Nature magic having a healing skill outside of Herbology, but I haven't thought of a good skill idea to add in it's place. Perhaps something for speaking and listening to animals and plants, the earth, etc.
Necromancy: This one is changing from standard dnd necromancy, to the magic of life and death. So, Command Dead stays. Use for speaking to the dead, commanding them back to their rest, animating them, etc. Need a skill for draining life, and another for restoring it, I think. Unless you've ideas for a better arrangement of three Necromancy specializations. If not, I'll come back to it.
Pyromancy: Combustion, Convection, and Luminance. (things have changed in the last couple months, used to have Pyromancy inside electromany) combustion is the fire starter skill, convection is heating yourself or things you hold, Luminance is manipulating and shaping flame and light, including to reveal that which is hidden.
Sacrumancy: Healing, Bless, Rebuke. Do what you'd expect. Holy magic (sacrum=holy or sacred). I'd be willing to ditch Healing if we can come up with a good replacement. Sanctify seems like it would be a function of Bless. Rebuke is both a defense skill against supernatural attacks/effects, and something you can use to "turn undead" and the like. Right now the different healing skills work differently, so I'm also fine with keeping them in. They just need different names. also, Sacrumancy, Sacromancy, or Sacramancy?
Shadow Magic: Has Obtenebrate, Vitiate, and Sombramancy. Obtenebrate is for making yourself into a shadow being, which has defense, speed, and stealth benefits, and passing through objects. Vitiate sucks the will and energy from stuff. It's the entropy skill, basically. Sombramancy (good broad skill name?) covers making things of shadow, shaping shadow, etc.
Shamanism: Communion, Ghost Walk, Healing. bleh. I love using this skill set, but I hate the names. Communion is talking to spirits and gaining their wisdom, Ghost Walk includes taking spirit form and taking on spirits aspects, like a totem warrior. Healing is self explanatory, but focuses on ailments of the spirit, and should probably also be a defensive skill.
Sonic Magic: not the hedgehog. but, hedgehog wizards, right? ahem, anyway, includes Sonic Blast, Resonance, and Voice Casting. Sonic Blast is just creating waves of sound at things. Resonance involves manipulating vibrations in objects, creatures, etc for various effects, including disrupting enemy casters, helping allies concentrate, echolocation, and some stuff that involves crystals and frequencies that would take a paragraph to explain. Voice Casting involves throwing sounds, creating "ghost sounds", speaking over distance, etc.
Unarmed: Striking, Grappling, Throws. Mostly I don't dig "Throws". but basically a skill for redirecting momentum, throwing opponents, etc.
and that's about it. The weapon skills may get shuffled around soon, so I'm not worried about them RN, but just in case:
One-Handed: Blades, Bludgeons, Axes.
Two-Handed: see above
Thrown: Blades, Axes, Slings (includes atlatl, so not a great name)
Pole-arms: Blades, Axes, Whip (flexible reach weapons, includes chains, ball and chain, etc may get moved to it's own skill)
Bows: Hand-Bow, Crossbow, Manual Bow. I often call it longbow, but it includes a range of bow sizes, so I don't like that.
Firearms: Sidearms, Rifles, Shotguns
Heavy Arms: Mounted Guns, Launchers, Artillery
Defense Weapons: Hand Shield, Arm Shield, Parrying Weapon. Hand and Arm shield refers to whether the shield is simply held with a handle, or strapped to the arm.
also I am open to changing the naming of Broad Skill and Specialty Skill. Perhaps simply Skill and Specialty?