Re: What's a keyword?

From: ttrotsky2 <TTrotsky_at_...>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 07:53:54 -0000

Jane:
>
>
> --- Mike Holmes wrote:
> > Here's the current definition that I'm using, one
> > that Mark Humphreys came
> > up with: A keyword contains all of the abilities
> > that would be had by every
> > member of some group of which the keyword is
> > archtype description
>
> Nice. I tend towards "the abilities that would be
> possessed by a typical member of the group", myself,
> rather than "every" member. 85%, not 100%.

When I'm writing them for Heroes of Malkion, or whatever, I tend to think along the lines of 95-99%. Abilities that it would be quite unusual for someone not to have, but acknowledging that exceptions will always exist. 'Drive Car' for modern European/American society would be an example.

> You can
> always explicitly not take them, after all: the
> typical Heortling may have "fear dragons", but how
> many PCs choose to take it?

Personality Traits are different, in that they are explicitly optional, so I don't regard those as anywhere near universal. Those I use for stereotyping. For instance, it would be far more common to encounter a Seshnelan who is not Pious than one who cannot Assess Social Standing (an ability it would be unhealthy to lack in Seshnela, one suspects).

-- 
Trotsky
Gamer and Skeptic

------------------------------------------------------
Trotsky's RPG website: http://www.ttrotsky.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/