knacks, talents, etc.

From: Bryan Thexton <bethexton_at_...>
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 11:46:49 -0700 (PDT)


One of the things I liked about character creation in Ars Magica was "knacks"--things that were not skills, but enhanced any of your skills when you were doing something related to your knack.

The enhancements rule in HW should make knacks quite easy to model, with GM permission. A simple example would be: "excellent with horses." It could be used as an augment for riding, taming a horse, caring for a horse, or whatever. HW rules would also let it be used, with a hefty improvisational modifier, to substitute for a missing skill (you don't know how to tame horses, but you are very good with them, so maybe you can make it up as you go....). I don't think many GMs would argue with this sort of use.

In Ars Magica knacks got used in all sorts of quirky way, so you could have a knack in the kitchen, meaning that any skill (within reason) that you were using in the kitchen would be enhanced--be it cooking, bargaining, seduction, or magic, as long the fact that you were in the kitchen was relevant). This let characters have, essentially, home turf where they were much harder to tackle. Any opinions on whether this is something that is reasonable to import to Glorantha? If so, you could have Orlanthi with "thrives in thunderstorms" Yinkini with "best in the hour before dawn", and Ernaldans with "Loves Gardens"

So, a reasonable idea? Or pushing the envelope too far?

--Bryan



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