Associated Aspects and Talents with Triggers

[STC]

Hi, all.

 

Just ran my group through character creation this week, and some questions came up that I couldn't find answers to. If they turn out to be in the books, please forgive me. I haven't finished reading them cover to cover yet.

 

1. Skills have an "associated aspect" that, according to the Fated Almanac "is used to determine which skills the character may assign skill values too [sic]" Does this mean that if the associated aspect is "0" or less, a player can't take ranks in that skill?

 

2. Two of the general talents, Critical Strike and Hobbling Attack, have the requirement "Specialized skill with Chosen skill." What exactly does this mean?

 

If the answers do happen to be in the book and I missed them, a page reference would be really helpful.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Brewmaster]

The second answer can be found in the general feats listings. There's a feat called "Skill Specialization" (or something closeish... the feat with "Skill" and "Special" in it's name ), which is the requirement the other feats are talking about.

[hippodruid]

As for the first question, the associated aspect is not a prerequisite.  It's just a number used to determine the Acting Value of an action (and to indicate a trait about a character).  Mind you, a character's AV for an action can be negative.  Some Talents have aspect prerequisites, but no skill does.

[STC]

Thanks, guys! I really appreciate it. One final question:

 

One of my players contests that the skill "literacy" has less to do with whether you can read or not and more to do with how well you read and write. From reading the skill, I get the impression that if you don't have ranks in it you must be illiterate. What do you think?

[Brewmaster]

That phrase "... Covers the ability to read and write the languages..." To me is just a descriptor to let you know what the skill is, but I could see things going one way or the other.

[Lucidicide]

I would never make a player illiterate unless they wanted to be, but that's just me.

[EnternalVoid]

From the description past the second sentence I would take it that your player is correct and it is how well rather than if you can.  You might only be able to write like a grade schooler and not know what alot of big words actually mean but you have enough skill to get by.  I have to agree with Aaron I would never make a player be illiterate unless they choose to be or it is somehow associated with the World *like you are barbarians out of the Savage Sword of Conan and are looking at stuff from the civilized cities*.  Alot of systems have it as a sort of flaw or Hindrance *like Savage world has Illiterate as a Hindrance*.  I imagine someone with out anything in Literacy might have problems reading shakespeare or not recognize most authors.

 

Generally from other systems having players be illiterate tends to create major incidents as well where players try to cheat each other.  Such as one that can read does not tell the truth of what something says but the players know it and it starts to rub them the wrong way.  Better to just avoid the potiental rift it can make unless a person purposely chooses it for their character thus understands that they left this possible open.

[STC]

Coming from a D&D background, I've played with plenty of illiterate characters and never once has it been a problem. Regardless, I have no intention of forcing my players to do anything. It was more that when I read "literacy" as a skill, I gathered that those without it must therefore be illiterate. Probably a good thing that isn't the case, otherwise everyone would have to waste a slot on it. Thanks, everyone.

[EnternalVoid]

From the sounds of it you have had better groups than the murderous backstabbing greedy and questionable alignment people than me.  Rarely has my lot ever been heroes, or even good people many times, so that might speak something of their mentality.

[unanimatedartist]

I guess I was the "Turd" FM...if my players didn't take literacy, they weren't able to read or write. This is the turn of the 20th century, after all; not everyone can read or write. But, looking back, I suppose literacy could be used to improve upon someone's ability to read and write, and those with a 0 Rank would just barely be literate. Nowadays we rectify that by just handing out Literacy as a freebie Rank 1 skill, unless the player WANTS to be illiterate.