David Dunham wrote:
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> I'd likely give this +3, assuming these are Sartarites. (Farmers from
> other cultures are less likely to also be warriors.)
>
Agreed.
>
> >But what if the farmer was Farmer 17 (Stout spear +1) against
> >Mercenary 17 (Sword and Shield +2). Stout spear versus Sword and
> >shield sounds like a fair match (no specific ability bonus either
> >way) but it means that the farmer, riffing of his Farmer skill, is
> >almost a match for the Mercenary who's skill riffs of a much more
> >specific umbrella skill...
> >
> >If all that makes sense, does anyone have any thoughts?
>
> Sounds OK to me. They both put points into the ability, so it's
> important to the character.
>
I'd probably still give the +3. Unless I am misremembering, Umbrella
keywords still fall under the idea that the individual abilities you've
put points in are "part of the keyword" so I'd say the same judgment
applies. After all, these people have stats, so it is obviously PCs.
(This doesn't exist as a question with NPCs.) If the players have the
same sort of "huh, that seems weird" reaction you do, it clearly calls
for a more specific ability bonus.
>
> What you're neglecting is that a mercenary is likely to have a lot
> more abilities to augment with. And have skills relating to what
> leads up to the fight (scouting, making camp, being on watch).
>
The augment with isn't a huge advantage. I suppose he has a few more
credible skills but assuming the Farmer busts out something interesting
and compelling, they each get one augment (which can easily cancel out.)
The Mercenary certainly has an advantage if it is setting up a fight,
since he could presumably gather some lingering bonuses and the like in
prepping the fight. IF it is just a "they get angry in a bar and they
grab their weapons and throw down" situation, none of that will help.
LC
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