Success Probability Too High?

[RangerDan]

...your character might have been a farmer once (because his father was), but it's not certain he learned the trade well if he never really liked it.

I've always seen the profession/background bonus as the very minimum someone is likely to learn by practicing that trade, even if completely disinterested, whereas the "freebie" points represent a character's true passions and interests.

A character keen on taking over Poppa's farm will sink his freebie points into the farming skills. A character who spends his day at the farm daydreaming about slaying dragons and rescuing princesses will still learn something about farming - that's the +10% background points in farming. But he spends all his free time sparring with the local guards - that's the +30% into Sword & Shield.

Good stats get you 30+, plus 10 for background plus 10 for profession plus 30 for free points and we're looking at 80+. Keep in mind this is still a character below 21 years of age. I know some cultures will produce an absolute badass by 21, but not everyone is a Cimmerian, Spartan or Cheyenne.

Regarding this, I actually think the percentage is spot on. Remember, this is a hypothetical 21 year-old with tremendous natural talent (good stats), coming from a warrior culture and trained non-stop from a young age. It's the +30% freebie points in particular that represent relentless training and practice. For all intents and purposes he is a Spartan.

 

[PhilHibbs]

Regarding this, I actually think the percentage is spot on. Remember, this is a hypothetical 21 year-old with tremendous natural talent (good stats), coming from a warrior culture and trained non-stop from a young age. It's the +30% freebie points in particular that represent relentless training and practice. For all intents and purposes he is a Spartan.

Yes quite, spending 30 points on a skill means that that person has dedicated as much time as they can to perfecting their skill. And if you impose a fixed cap, that just means that there's no advantage to being naturally talented, and everyone starts out the same. If you want a game where everyone starts out being mediocre or incompetent, just give fewer points and cap free pointss at 20 per skill. 80% is not superhuman, and very few characters will get that at the start anyway, only a few skills get +10 for both culture and profession.

 

[Mugen]

Huh, magic really isn't more exponential than combat in Runequest.
Yeah, sure when you increase your grimoire both your chance to cast it, and the damage increases. But when you increase your combat style, you also increase your defensive ability, and the chance that opposed rolls, such as trips, disarms or bleeds will succeed.

So both of these are most certainly linear.

In the case of Sorcery, your skill defines both your chance to affect your target AND the final effect.
Most other skills only affects your chance at succeeding. Combat skills increase you chance to get CMs, but always in a linear way.

Against a helpless opponent, Wreck's average damage is 2.5*0.4 = 1 with a Grimoire of 40%, and 4.5*0.8= 3.6 with a Grimoire Skill of 80%.

I agree however that in order to resist Sorcery, you need to be trained in more skills than is needed for combat.