Re: Skill levels
In reply to #6473 Skill Levels
[email removed] writes: > [email removed] writes: > < > < 5 Mel Gibson's character in the Lethal Weapon films. Can strip > < down any rifle (possibly even alien designs) and rebuild it > < as any other rifle. > <Rest of description deleted to save space.> > > I would venture to suggest that any 'A-team' member (I'm talking the TV > series here) is somewhere in category 5. What? They never hit anyone. The only reason they win is that the bad guys can't hit them either! > < 6 No-one's ever this good (unless your characters are level 5 > < sharp-shooters, in which case the arch bad-guys will always > < be level 6). Can teach others to make a Gauss rifle as per 5. > < Can pick-off enemy eye-balls at 500 km with eyes closed. > < Can ruin a gnat's prospects of a fulfilling sex-life at up to > | 500 metres. Barns give up and surrender en-masse. Can make > | informed investment decisions in the middle of a firefight > | with no loss of accuracy or ability to dodge incoming fire. Sledge Hammer! Admittedly he has Handgun 6 rather than Combat Rifle 6, but you get the idea. Can shoot the gun out of the other guy's hand with a snap shot. Can shoot the tyres of a moving vehicle with one hand, and drink coffee from the cup in the other hand. Since no-one else seems to have done it, here's my list for Pilot: None Needs to roll against intelligence to find the right queue at the starport. Flies as well with his eyes open as with his eyes closed, i.e. has trouble finding the seat. Knows what a ship is - it's a big thing which goes "whoosh". Imagine your favourite politician flying a ship. 0 Knows one end of a ticket from the other. Can make a stick, knob or push-button go in the right direction. Can keep the ship straight and level while the ship is in deep space. Knows what a ship is - it's over 100 tonnes, goes "whoosh", but only in an atmosphere. Imagine yourself flying a ship. 1 Has a basic idea of what controls to look for, and where to find them on one or two ships. Can perform simple manoeuvres, up to and including landing and taking off. Can keep the ship straight and level in an atmosphere with a light wind. Knows what a ship is - it can make interstellar jumps. Imagine yourself flying a ship if you're good at video games. 2 Basic professional level. Can recognise the controls on a variety of ships. Can perform any manoeuvre in the book. Can keep the ship straight and level in any atmosphere. Knows what a jump drive is. Imagine your favourite airliner pilot flying a ship. 3 Advanced professional level. Can recognise the controls on any ship designed by his species. Can perform any manoeuvre in the book, even if the ship has been slightly damaged. Can keep the ship straight and level any time he feels like it. Knows where the jump drive is. Imagine an Air Force fighter pilot flying a ship. 4 Really advanced professional level. Can make an attempt at figuring out the controls on a ship designed by any sentient species. Can perform any manoeuvre he feels like. Can keep the ship straight and level, but gets bored doing so. Can yell at the engineer to fix the jump drive, and land the ship at the same time. Imagine your favourite WW2 air ace flying a ship. 5 Amazingly advanced level. Can reliably work out what the controls on any ship will do. Invents new manoeuvres on a regular basis. Straight and level is for wimps. Can kick the engineer if the jump drive isn't fixed real soon, and keep on the tail of the enemy ship at the same time. Luke Skywalker is level 5. 6 Disgustingly advanced level. Ignores the controls. Gets the engineer to rig up switches so he can control all the engines manually. Straight and level is for dead people - this guy does loops while asleep, just before landing. Doesn't need to threaten the engineer because the engineer worships him. Luke Skywalker would be level 6 if he concentrated on flying and ignored unimportant stuff like the Force. - -- "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott Adrian Hurt | JANET: [email removed] UUCP: ..!uknet!cee.hw.ac.uk!adrian | ARPA: [email removed]