Re: (TFT) Small Adjustments to UC talents...

["Neil Gilmore" <raito@raito.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Craig W. Barber" <craigwbar@comcast.net>
To: <tft@brainiac.com>
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: (TFT) Small Adjustments to UC talents...


> Right as usual.  That would be a better way to handle it.  I would come up
> with some pretty big bonuses beginning at UCII, which (IIRC) is where the
> price of getting it starts getting steep.
>
> Hmm, OK, UCI is IQ10, DX13, not too bad.  But UCII is IQ12, DX14, pretty
much
> impossible for a normal human at low level, indicating that UCII must be a
> pretty decent level of skill, which justifies a bigger bonus than just +2
> damage and unarmed "shield rushes".  Maybe a defensive bonus to make up
for
> the lack of armor?

Yeah, it's steep, but I haven't found anyone who stops at UCII.

Take UC1. ALL you get is one more hit in unarmed or HTH combat. That pretty
well sucks compared to any other combat skill. At IQ 10, DX 13, ST 9 (32
points), far better to take Sword. Better 1D than 1-2.

Take UC2. IQ12, DX 14. Not for the beginning character. You've spent 4
points of IQ, and you can do (assuming just getting UC2 is what you're
after, and still have 9ST) a whopping 1-1 damage. If you'd taken sword,
you're DX would still probably be 13 (assuming more damage is what you're
after), IQ still 10, which would give you a ST of (9 + 1 for the DX not
taken + 2 for the IQ not taken + 3 for the points earned) 16. And you'd be
doing 2+1 or 3+1 depending on your style. Oh yeah, you can also try to knock
someone down. But at 9ST, you're probably weaker, so it isn't likely to
succeed.

On to UCIII. IQ 14, DX 14. Well, at least you're up to doing a whopping 1D
of damage for your 6 points of IQ spent. The knocking down has gotten a lot
better, with them having to make a 5DX roll unless they're ST is 18. And you
get to defend bare-handed. Meanwhile, the guy on the sword track has
probably added a couple points to his DX, making it 15, which means he'll go
first against you. Since you can't wear any armour, you'll be pretty busy
defending, I think.

Then UCIV. IQ 14, DX 15. What do you get? It's getting a bit better now. You
have eyes-behind, and no rear hex. Defending has gotten better. But there
ain't a lot of offense. You may have just added a single point, but so did
the sword track guy, who's only spent 2 points to cream you if he hits you,
whereas you've spent 8.

And finally UCV. 3 points. And IQ14, DX 16. Yeah, your'e hard to hit, but
you have to do 3 points of damage to disarm your foe. Hard to do if he's
armoured. The sword track guy is probably armoured, and put his last 2
points into DX. If he hits you, it's bad.

And that's what you get for spending 11 points of IQ. And it's also why you
don't punch guys wearing armour and weilding swords (unless you turn it into
a wrestling match).

The real problem is lack of damage, as I see it. Looking at some of the
period manuals, there's a lot of skillful stuff going on, usually for the
breaking of limbs and such, which doesn't fit the TFT model of strike and do
damage very well.

Allowing aimed shots might help, but if you spend your IQ to get a decent UC
skill, you're probably scrawny, and won't be able to do much damage to guys
in armour to get the aimed effects.

How about this?

Allow anyone with a UC skill to use the crippling hit rules. Anyone with,
say, UC2, gets to subtract 1 from their attack roll for the purposes of
determining a crippling hit (i.e. they roll for a crippler on a 7 on down).
At UC5, subtract 2. That may make up for the lack of damage capability. As I
read the rules, you don't necessarily have to do any damage to cause a
crippling hit.

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com
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