Revision [163]
This is an old revision of Av2SkillsDiscussion made by ConradWong on 2010-09-30 21:18:25.
Social Skills
Persuasion (Spirit)
- Use this skill when you want to improve another NPC's reaction to you. In a pinch you can also use this skill when you want to convincingly act like a different person.
- However, AIs normally do not pick up tone of voice and emotions well: you take -2 to Persuasion when attempting to use emotional manipulation on an AI-controlled robot or NPC.
- AIs are programmed to look for certain keywords and respond in a certain way. You can use Knowledge: AI or Knowledge: VR Game World (when dealing with in-game characters) to make cooperative skill rolls on Persuasion, or you may get lucky and just hit on the right keywords, gaining a role-play bonus.
Intimidate (Spirit)
- Use this skill when you want to make another NPC fearful, i.e. to bully them into some course of action or to drive them away from the scene.
- A successful Test of Wills will cause the target to be Shaken. Intimidate is opposed by Spirit.
- A show of Strength, Fighting or Shooting prowess, or brandishing an armed grenade will all give you significant bonuses to Intimidate even if you don't have the skill.
Taunt (Smarts)
- Use this skill when you want to insult another NPC, temporarily enraging them into attacking you and being more likely to make foolish mistakes.
- A successful Test of Wills will cause the target to be at -2 to their rolls and more than likely attacking you. Taunt is opposed by Smarts.
- If you want to try to goad them into doing something else to demonstrate they're not as weak as you think they are, this adds a penalty to your roll depending on how opposed they would be to this action under normal circumstances.
Streetwise (Spirit)
- Use this skill when you're listening at bars or other public areas for information, dealing with merchants, or trying to get information out of someone. Asking around to see if anyone knows where to find a certain artifact would be Streetwise.
- You can use Streetwise against someone to try to learn what makes them tick. This is opposed by their Persuasion.
- If successful, you gain a circumstance bonus to further social skill rolls against that person.
Investigative and Technological Skills
Notice (Smarts)
- This is a passive skill that will let you notice if something is happening at that very moment - it will not give you any advantage in discovering a hidden trapdoor or a stash of scrolls hidden behind that fallen bookcase. It reflects how well you pay attention to changes to your surroundings, i.e. faint vibrations in the earth that herald an avalanche up the mountainside.
Tracking (Smarts)
- In addition to tracking someone or something, you can also use this to minutely inspect your surroundings and discover hidden objects or clues.
- Familiarity with your surroundings will help immensely.
- In a VR setting, you can make a cooperative roll with Knowlege: VR Game World (Avatars or Gloaming) as appropriate.
- In the modern world, if your background suggests you might be familiar with an area, you can make a cooperative Smarts roll.
- Anywhere you live, work, or frequently visit is an automatic +2 to Tracking.
Lockpicking (Smarts)
- For modern characters, they are able to bypass both regular mechanical locks and combination locks and futuristic electronic security systems like cameras, tripwires, and pressure panels.
- Disabling electronic security systems may receive a cooperative skill roll from Repair as long as you can access the machinery that goes into it, i.e. being able to rewire a camera to show a loop requires access to the camera's circuitry.
- For VR characters, they are able to bypass both regular mechanical locks and combination locks and magical locks that act like minigames in the VR setting.
- This doesn't extend to hacking cybernetic defenses, which is a very different skill set.
Repairs (Smarts)
- Allows a modern character to fix or disable both machines and electronics.
- You can bolt two or more machines or weapons but with a high target number. The MacGyver Edge gives you a better chance of turning an ordinary robot into a remote-control minelayer.
- You need the Weird Science Arcane Background to be able to invent things like Quantum Synchrony Transducers. Whatever those do. In other words, you can't add Powers to items, you can only take equipment that already have the functions you want and make them work together.
- Modern characters only.
Computers (Smarts)
- This replaces Investigation because in the world of Avatars 2.0, there is so much information around that your only hope of finding something in all the various archives is to be good at using search engines and intelligent agents to help you filter the information down to something sane.
- This expertise also allows you to better interact with AIs and AI-controlled NPCs. When asking questions or giving orders to an AI, use Computers. If you're successful, the AI doesn't need to roll Smarts to see if it understood you.
- Use Hacking to break into a computer, use Computers to tell it what to do once you get there.
Hacking (Spirit)
- Security systems of the future are immensely complicated and layered. You need to be able to sense the flow of a system to tell when to fire your intrusion probes, and when to fall back and clean up before their sniffers get a clear trail back to you. Thus, it is Spirit-based, not Smarts.
- Use Hacking to break into a computer, use Computers to tell it what to do once you get there.
Knowledge (Smarts) versus VR character Lore (Smarts)
Athletic Skills and Traits
Climbing
Parry
Dodge
Agility Tests
Damage Soaking and Evasion
Transportation Skills
Riding
Driving
Piloting
Sailing
