Q: Suggestions for adding skill specialization

[technorat]

I've been playing around with adding the Skill Specialization option from Savage Worlds Deluxe. I think the tricky thing is making it somewhat useful for different settings since people may have different ideas about what focuses there should be for the skills. Since it's not mentioned on any of the forums I'm guessing it's not a popular option but I rather like it for more gritty settings.

My general strategy after a few tries is this:

1. Add flag for SkSpecial
2. Make each skill that can be specialized be non-unique and allow domains to be set if SkSpecial is set(similar to Knowledge skill) . isunique="no" <tag group="User" tag="NeedDomain"/>
   Q: should this be done in thing_skills.dat or can it be done in separate data file
3. You buy the initial skill with one focus at the regular price. If you buy the skill again with a different focus you only pay 1 skill point (rather than Knowledge where you pay full price for each time you buy it in a new domain).
4. Add field (or is a tag group better?) for different weapons called WeaponSk which is the skill specialization (matching skill domain) that is needed for that item.
   Q: what's a good way to do this differently for different settings? Just define weapons separately for each setting or can we somehow change the field during initialization for a new setting.
5. WeaponSk needs to be displayed for each weapon if SkSpecial flag is enabled for setting.
6. When determining net attack for weapon on Armory tab and in Tactical console we need to check if SkSpecial is enabled and do a comparison of WeaponSk and the domains for the associated skills. This is similar to the way the Knowledge(Battle) prerequisite is determined for the Tactician Edge.

Could anyone tell me if this is a good approach, or am I trying something that just won't be possible? I've thought of setting it up using lists or the existing WeaponType for equipment but I think that might be too rigid.

[CapedCrusader]

We looked at the Skill Specialization material, and in Hero Lab it becomes complicated very quickly. The entire Savage Worlds system is based on generalized Skills, and this turns that idea upside-down. It's the same with Hero Lab.

There are many places in the code where Knowledge Skills require special handling because they aren't unique, and this would have to be extended through all of the Skills eligible for Specialization. The code you see in Tactician is a good example of that special handling. That type of exception happens a quite a few places for the Knowledge Skill, and to create the same exceptions on a conditional basis for a list of other skills would take a lot of work. The cost differences are also something that would require quite a bit of effort to set up, because it means needing a whole new way to buy Skills.

It boils down to a major re-write of Hero Lab for Savage Worlds to support it properly, and it more or less creates a new game system.

That being said, you've obviously spent some time looking at the nuts and bolts, and that's very cool. I saw your post on an alternate Pace default value. Keep it up!

What other Settings do you play? There are several Setting files making the rounds, with several more under construction. The other data file contributors and I are always on the lookout for new folks to write Setting files, and it looks like you're off to a great start.

[technorat]

Thanks for the encouragement. Right now I'm still trying to get a group off the ground with Savage Worlds and since I can't help but tinkering it's going to be based on Darwin's World with a liberal amount of house rules thrown in (I also have Interface Zero, Hellfrost and Solomon Kane).

If I have some success with some of the rules mods I try and I get comfortable with it I might be up for doing some data files or helping with some bits of code. I know it's a major undertaking to do them so it might take a while. Lots of respect to you and the other data file authors because there's a lot of power in this engine and it's not trivial to work with.