Abilities come in two parts - the description and the score. The description determines the applicability of the ability to a conflict, the score determines how effective the ability is at resolving conflicts in the character's favour.
A character can have an ability "crack shot 13" but as soon as push comes to shove (i.e. the ability is used in a conflict) the dice comes out and if the player can't roll 13 or less...
You can have "wipe out the planet in one blow 13" as an ability, but if it ends up in a conflict with another characters slightly less megalomaniac "twat 'em with big stick 10W4" guess who's going to come off worse? Hint: It's not the geezer with the big stick.
Cheers,
Ash
> --- In HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com,
> "L.Castellucci"
> <lightcastle_at_...> wrote:
>
> > But I'm also leery of something like the "in love"
> table below what
> > if people put abilities in different ways?
> >
> > "Adores X, Infatuated with X, Obsessed by X, In
> Love with X, Loves
> > X, Grand Passion for X"
>
> It's the "professionnal runner" (17) vs "run like a
> galloping horse"
> (17) problem again... which of them is the quickest
> ?
>
> There are two options :
>
> 1) Words prevail : "run like a galloping horse"
> describes something
> quicker than "professionnal runner".
>
> Fine, but how do you handle a running contest
> between the two of them
> ? "Run like a galloping horse" should benefit a
> important bonus in
> this contest... How do you estimate it ?
>
> This option favours megalomaniac players, who will
> prefer "kill
> everything in one strike" (13) than "veteran
> soldier" (5M1)...
>
>
> 2) Ranks prevail : "professionnal runner" (17)runs
> as fast as "run
> like a galloping horse" (17).
>
> In this case, we can simply use the contest rules to
> know which of
> them will win.
>
> By way of consequence the naming (description) of
> each ability should
> match the meaning of the rank :
> "professionnal runner" (17)
> "run like a galloping horse" (10M1)
> "run like the wind" (5M3)
> for example
>
> I prefer this option, because it makes sense.
>
>
> > I don't think it gets as simple as your table.
> Again, any GM might
> > want that table for their own game, of course.
>
> I don't think it's as simple either... But I would
> like to have some
> scales, even if I choose to ignore them, change
> them... It would ease
> my work, that's the purpose of roleplaying rules :
> make things easier.
>
> I don't want scales for everything, but with a love
> scale I can work a
> hate scale, a loyaulty scale... out.
>
> Because relations and fealings are the heroquest's
> abilities, I find
> the most difficult to figure out. What's the
> difference between "in
> love" (5M1) and "in love" (5M2) ? I don't want to
> know the difference
> between them just because I'm a bloody
> simulationnist nerd
> who-wants-to-calculate-everything-even-feelings...
> but because I need
> it to play it or to narrate it.
>
> Relations or feelings abilities should not be there
> just to give
> augments or information, they must be played, they
> have drawbacks...
> But how can I play, describe, narrate them if I
> can't figure out their
> intensity ?
>
> > I far prefer something like the "Master and
> Master's Master" table
> > we saw in the Hero Book (was it?). Best in clan,
> Best in Tribe, Best
> > in the Land, Best in the World kind of thing. Or
> Master, Master's
> > master, Heroic, Superheroic, Godlike, etc.
>
> These would be useful too !
>
> --- In HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com, Ashley
> Munday <aescleal_at_...>
> wrote:
>
> > If you set the bar for Superheroic as 10W4 then
> > something that's slightly easier could be 10W3. If
> > it's something a superhero would only do if lucky
> then
> > 10W5. Look ma, no tables required, just a
> conception
> > of what you feel is
> mundane/heroic/superheroic/godlike
> > and a set of values that match that.
>
> But I have no idea of the difference between heroic
> / superheroic /
> godlike... I have no way to estimate it...
>
> Breaking the gate of a lunar forteress with tour axe
> : is it heroic,
> superheroic, godlike ? I don't know.
>
> Maybe you can estimate it easiliy. Good for you !
> But I can't
> understand why some tables and scales for guys like
> me would spoil
> your games or your much beloved heroquest rules ?
>
> When I don't like a rule, I change it. Mysticism
> disappear in
> heroquest ? I keep it. Too many augments in
> heroquest, I put a limit !
>
> Or maybe you don't want scales and tables because
> you need a pure
> narrative heroquest system as a flagship of your way
> of playing ?
> No problem, we will bury tables and scales in a deep
> hidden appendix
> and both of us will be pleased. :)
>
> Babel Demeter
>
>
>
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