Balancing Proficiencies

[TheyCalledMeKiko]

So, we all like proficiencies I think, but to me, it can become a bit of an issue in certain contexts and perhaps the system isn't quite as good as it could be. Firstly I'd like to say that I really do enjoy the proficiency system, and this is a thread to only offer suggestions to improve/rebalance the current system. Anyone can post their ideas here, and it will be edited into the main post.

Suggestion 1 - TheyCalledMeKiko

Spoiler: Click for Suggestion 1

Something I have always wanted is for more proficiencies to be body-shape specific. So far we have unarmed wrestling and boxing, which give a -5 for anyone who isn't muscular or strongman in body-shape. Great. But what about sneaking? Surely a 6'8" Strongman Varran is going to be pretty obvious when skulking about, no matter how soft their feet are, perhaps we could have a -5 for height and body-shape, being small and light is essential to stealth after all? In fact, I think

Suggestion 2 - TheyCalledMeKiko

Spoiler: Click for Suggestion 2

This suggestion may garner some hate, but I hope you can hear it out: separate racial and cultural bonuses. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, that a Mu-Allar would have a better understanding of short swords simply because it's a Mu-Allar. The acrobatics part of the Mu-Allar racial proficiency bonuses makes sense, as they are digitigrade and naturally more nimble, but an entire race cannot be naturally more inclined towards a certain skill. Similarly, the fact that my character Abe was born in the colonies means he was raised with Unionist Seminary, not born with it. Once again, an Orc, born in Regalia, having had no prior experience with Black Powder would just be far superior at using it than a Regalian by blood?

What I suggest is that players should be given two separate bonuses, one for their race which is purely physical and another for their culture which explains there upbringing. This allows our lore to develop more breadth and for where a character is raised to have more impact outside of the Ailor race. My Mu-Allar from Sendras raised as a warrior should have a different proficiency to my Mu-Allar raised in Regalia.

In this system, you'd pick a race, then a culture, and receive both bonuses. Your racial bonus would be purely about your physical capabilities determined by your race, while your cultural one determines the setting you were raised under.

Here's an example of how I see this working:

Race: Mu-Allar
Culture: Karfanthi

Proficiencies:

• +5 Horticulture (+5 from Karfanthi culture)
• +10 Acrobatics (+10 from the Mu-Allar race)
• +10 Tracking (+10 from the Mu-Allar race)

Here, the Mu-Allar has been given: +5 in Alchemy, due to being raised in Karfanth where there are prominent water-gardens; as well as +10 in Acrobatics and Tracking due to the Mu-Allar natural acrobatic suited body and innate heightened sense of smell.

In regards to how long this would take to implement, just take an aspect from the location mentioned within the geography sections of the wiki and translate it into a proficiency, there you have your cultural proficiency. Racial proficiencies should only come from physical features of the race that come from genetics.

 

[Ailethi]

In this system, you'd pick a race, then a culture, and receive both bonuses. Your racial bonus would be purely about your physical capabilities determined by your race, while your cultural one determines the setting you were raised under.

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I do quite like this idea I'm not going to lie.. Sometimes while making your character sheet you end up with unnecessary akills that sometimes don't make sense. You made a good example as well. I hope others will add onto this and I sure will later.

 

[FireFan96]

All for #1

As for #2, I'm going to say no.

Ailor are different from the other races because they have many cultures. Other races have different sub races, which is similar to cultures. At the end of the day, I think having +10 non-Ailor boosts compared to +5 Ailor buffs is good enough.

Also, some point boosts seem really odd (like half elves with bow profs despite no elf race having it) but that's ok. There needs to be a boost from somewhere, so whatever gets picked gets picked.

 

[TheyCalledMeKiko]

All for #1

As for #2, I'm going to say no.

Ailor are different from the other races because they have many cultures. Other races have different sub races, which is similar to cultures. At the end of the day, I think having +10 non-Ailor boosts compared to +5 Ailor buffs is good enough.

Also, some point boosts seem really odd (like half elves with bow profs despite no elf race having it) but that's ok. There needs to be a boost from somewhere, so whatever gets picked gets picked.

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The point I was trying to make is that subraces are not the equivalent or a replacement for cultures, but I respect and hold quite highly your opinion, so thank you for commenting.

 

[MippyMoo]

I do think that it'd be a better idea for Mu-Allar to be given Tracking as a racial proficiency instead of Short Swords due to their blood-smelling capabilities and ability to smell blood from a good block away... .. . . ..

 

[BasilMediator]

Yes, it's odd that Mu-Allar have shortswords instead of something like unarmed or tracking. But the shortswords bonus is really because their bodies are built for shortsword combat, not so much that they understand the blade. They are the combat caste, born and bred to be the efficient soldier of their race.

Obviously, unarmed combat could represent this better, considering they have sharpened talons that are literally so sharp that you can't safely touch someone even gently. However I think they were trying to make the mu-allar unique, considering most other non-ailor races get a unarmed bonus already.

 

[FunctionKey]

Regarding your first point, I'm fairly sure that proficiencies are a measure of technique and knowledge, rather than physical viability.

 

[TheyCalledMeKiko]

Regarding your first point, I'm fairly sure that proficiencies are a measure of technique and knowledge, rather than physical viability.

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In which case, why would the current weight restrictions be in place for unarmed wrestling/boxing?

 

[FunctionKey]

In which case, why would the current weight restrictions be in place for unarmed wrestling/boxing?

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Maybe this has something to do with the physical boundaries of practising the technique. Just an idea.

It is fairly obvious that a 80 year-old Ailor with 60 points in shortswords wouldn't be much use in a fight.

 

[TheyCalledMeKiko]

Maybe this has something to do with the physical boundaries of practising the technique. Just an idea.

It is fairly obvious that a 80 year-old Ailor with 60 points in shortswords wouldn't be much use in a fight.

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Surely there'd, therefore, be a physical boundary to stealth by being too heavy then? By that logic, I mean.

 

[FunctionKey]

I suppose so. Maybe - if it's not already the case - making proficiency knowledge-based would be a decent fix, then.

 

[BasilMediator]

As I mentioned earlier, Mu-Allar used to have different bonus', for example - tracking, unarmed, etc. But I believe staff changed it because it followed similar races such as the Url or Varran. They wanted to make things unique. And racial proficiencies aren't entirely things to do with technique or knowledge. They are quite literally, representations of culture and instinct. Varran are sneaky because of their anatomy, not because they all learn how to be sneaky at a young age. And if it were so, then the shortswords proficiency is a representation of Mu-Allar combat training in Hadar, considering all Mu-Allar are raised in a strict caste setting, offering little occupational differences. Think of an ant colony. The warrior ants are good at fighting because well, they were born to do that.

 

[BasilMediator]

But I imagined the shortswords bonus is to represent the ability and speed of a Mu-Allar. Even if you've never held a sword, you can already swing it much faster than an ailor, given your anatomy. Also, another possible explanation is knowledge passed down genetically - (instinct). Sort of like how a turtle is born with a strong sense of direction, or a bird having the ability to fly once tossed out of their nest after hatching.

 

[Wumpatron]

Just going to comment on a single point being the body build and height affecting proficiencies. Using height as an advantage for CRP is defined as power gaming. Body build on the other hand have a wide range of advantages amd disadvantages to where they cannot be used to affect proficiency, safe for physical combat as those rely on utilizing muscle mass to win figjts, so they are inherent to the prociciency. That being said, embrace freedom of character design. The system would become too muddied on single proficiencies to justify a change. Currently it all works how we want it to function for player clarity and ease of implementation.