Natural Apptitude

First Age

Banded Mongoose
Some of our Mongoose 1e house rules are here: http://www.gamingtavern.eu/phpBB3testTHZ/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=4636

As a variant we have a natural aptitude rule, which happens to use the Boon die mechanism:

Natural Apptitude

After character generation the player can pick any one skill for which the character has a natural aptitude. This skill is underlined so that it stands out. The skill can be any one, it doesn't have to be the highest and can even be a level 0 skill.

When using the natural aptitude skill, instead of rolling the usual 2d6, roll 3d6 and lose the lowest.

Might be one for the Traveller Companion?
 
First Age said:
Some of our Mongoose 1e house rules are here: http://www.gamingtavern.eu/phpBB3testTHZ/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=4636

As a variant we have a natural aptitude rule, which happens to use the Boon die mechanism:

Natural Apptitude

After character generation the player can pick any one skill for which the character has a natural aptitude. This skill is underlined so that it stands out. The skill can be any one, it doesn't have to be the highest and can even be a level 0 skill.

When using the natural aptitude skill, instead of rolling the usual 2d6, roll 3d6 and lose the lowest.

Might be one for the Traveller Companion?

That would be the same as them getting a "Boon" on a roll, so it would be really easy to implement in the new rules.
 
It's a mechanic concept used in other RPGs. e.g., Pelgrane's Night's Black Agents has the MOS (military occupational specialty) mechanism whereby the character has one skill they are exceptional in and so get an automatic success with it once per game session.
 
Stainless said:
It's a mechanic concept used in other RPGs. e.g., Pelgrane's Night's Black Agents has the MOS (military occupational specialty) mechanism whereby the character has one skill they are exceptional in and so get an automatic success with it once per game session.

Barbarians of Lemuria. :wink:
 
Balance issues arise from this however.

Rolling to-hit then becomes trivial with nothing to counteract your natural aptitude.

Melee combat
Ranged combat
Vehicle combat
Space combat
Any roll that is not "opposed"

All the above rolls become trivial or near trivial (only if the character has nearly no skill/dm bonus). The defendin characters/npcs on the other side - cannot benefit at all.

I'm rather against it unless for each skill/roll, natural aptitide also removes the natural aptitude bonus of the person rolling against you.

Therefore natural aptitude pilot, would remove the bonus die from a natural aptitude gunnery-turret.

Natural aptitude melee, would remove natural aptitude melee from an attacker.

Natural aptitude Athletics dex, would remove natural aptitude gun-combat from your attacker.

We need to always look at how the systems a affected from both an aggressor/defender pov when implementing any modification to any roll.
 
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