&& ability guidelines.

[Ike]

So for this board, we're going to have (in addition to the normal character application) a skillset for everyone. Now, I'm going to explain what that MEANS before anyone gets an idea in their head.

I do not mean this:

MY CHARACTER HAS LEVEL 10 GUNS WHICH GIVES HIM A +2 TO ROLLS INVOLVING GUNS AND...

I'm not asking you to give your characters each specific skills that they must use with levels. This is a much more freeform system.

What I'm asking you to do is attempt to quantify any specific knowledge and skills your character has into a numeric value... And then describe what that value means.

Here is your scale. The descriptions afterward are sample descriptions, focusing on engineers and weapon use as these will probably be the most used.

0 - Way, way below human average. Less than you could figure out on your own. You've probably never seen the weapon in question or never heard of the skillset in question.

1 - Your character has a passing familiarity with the weapon in question but has never seen or used one before - or your character has heard OF the mechanical device/skillset in question but never used it/worked on it/etc. A character with a 1 might be directed to use something to a higher knowledge, but probably not.

2 - Your character may have used this weapon once or twice and could probably use it with some level of success - without killing themselves, for example. Your character is familiar with the tools of the trade for a specific job but doesn't know how to use them - he could assist an engineer or a mechanic with fetching tools or parts, for example, but doesn't have the knowledge to fix a complex moving part.

3 - The "average" number. Your character knows what a weapon does (how to operate the safety on a gun, point it, and shoot it, without direction) but probably doesn't have any formal training. Your character can probably fix a really simple mechanical problem (connecting a wire from one thing to another without dying, for example) but is still in the dark about the inner workings of things.

4 - Your character has begun to learn about the weapon in question - maybe they've picked up a few tips or tricks from a teacher, or they've just begun a training regiment. Your character may understand, in a book knowledge way, how the ship's engine works - but he would need direction to actually find and fix a problem.

5 - Your character has progressed to a more intense training regiment with the weapon in question. He may have familiarity with more weapons (someone who was talking about guns, for example, may be familiar with weapons not as commonly used in a self-defense situation.) Your character has a working knowledge of how a ship's engine works, but might not be able to assess the situation immediately or may take some extra time to fix a problem.

6 - Your character is comfortable with a variety of weapons in the field in question, though weapons with unfamiliar technology or custom weapons may still throw them for a loop (a custom pistol, an oldschool musket, a phaser from the future). Your character is completely familiar with the inner workings of the ship and is capable while fixing it, but may not be able to as easily assess the state of a foreign ship (IE: you boarded a ship that is older/newer than yours with a somewhat unfamiliar engine). Your character has the book smarts to fix these foreign problems, but it may take them longer to do.

7 - Your character is a savant with a weapon. They can recognize any weapon in the class they are knowledgeable in, even if it is custom. A weapon with technology unknown to them may take them a second to figure out, but not long. Your character has studied for decades or served on many different kinds of ships and has a huge working knowledge of many ships.

Obviously, you need some sort of guidelines for what is appropriate, so here we go.

You will probably never, in your entire existence, see a character with a 7 in ANYTHING. This part of the scale is reserved for savants, people that have had immense schooling, or people that have been experimented on by the military. This scale is pretty far above the human average in general, but it exists on the off-chance someone wants to play a savant or a freak of nature. That said, having a 7 pretty much guarantees that you will be required to do an additional roleplaying sample showing what you think that 7 allows you to do... For balancing purposes, of course.

On the flip side, no-one in this RP should ever have a 0 in anything. This stat exists for monkeys, babies, and time travelers that aren't The Doctor. Most characters have a 3 in most things considered "common knowledge" - if your character is particularly bad at something (has had bad experiences with mechanical things and so avoids them, etc) they may have a 2 or a 1.

Weapons are a bit different - most characters in this RP will probably have a 2 somewhere with guns - because this just means they may have shot a handgun at some point... And most of your characters (being pirates) have. Additionally, a number really only talks about your proficiency in/with something. So, if I have a 7 in Guns that doesn't mean I'm a fantastic shot with a sniper rifle - it means I know how to use one, clean one, recognize one, I know what kind of bullets it uses, and I can use it effectively at a reasonable range. I would need to talk about my sharpshooting skills (detailing training received or the practice I've had separately).

As a general rule, your character shouldn't have more than 2-3 skillsets that are in or around a 6 - as this takes a fair amount of studying/training to do. Someone who has just finished a formal training regiment/just finished school will have a 5 - anything above that is generally learned, not taught.

Your character can (and probably will) become more proficient in certain things during the course of the story. Anything that is considered under a 3 doesn't need to be documented in your post unless it has an IC purpose (your character has a 1 because it killed mommy in the past), and any movement (including moving up to a 3 as this is considered "average") doesn't need to be approved.

Anything that requires movement above a 3 requires actual in-roleplay training, and a discussion with an admin.

Here's a quick example from one of my own character's Sonja:

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abilities

sometimes we do things right

[style=color:#6d4350; text-transform:uppercase;]First Aid :: 4 ::

Being the Master at Arms, it's important for Eres to know how to treat many different kinds of wounds from many different kinds of weapons, though she's just above average in this - her bandaging might be top notch, but she's still not fully trained.
[/style]

sometimes, we do them wrong

[style=color:#6d4350; text-transform:uppercase;]Knives :: 6 ::

Sonja has been fighting with Knives for as long as she can remember. Her skill in close-range combat is almost unparalleled, and she is capable of using everything from a traditional dagger to a tiny pocket knife.

Knives (Thrown) :: 4 ::

Throwing Knives isn't Sonja's preferred method of delivery, but it'll do in a pinch. She's not quite as comfortable with this method of combat, but she's confident enough to throw some knives when she needs to.

Small Guns :: 5 ::

Sonja has been around guns for her entire life, and as such is quite comfortable with them. However, she views larger guns as "cheating" - so her proficiency is only notable with the smaller guns - handguns and such included.

Large Guns :: 3 ::

Sonja is barely familiar with guns she considers "cheating" - anything that is semi-automatic or that is intended to kill from a distance is her definition of "Large". Though she knows more than the layman might about these weapons, they are far from her specialty.
[/style]

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It's simple! You just need to talk about why your characters have a certain skill, where it came from, and give us an idea of their proficiency. The numbers are there for a rough guideline (and to help us get an idea of how skilled YOU think your character is).

This is not forcing your character into a box. Feel free to be creative. But we want to know what kind of training your character has received. Have you been to school? Served in a lot of missions in the military? Done this job for years? And what was their focus, if any?

So, TL;DR:

Your characters knowledge and skills are classified on a scale from 0-7.

Most characters will not have 0s (totally ignorant) or 7s (some sort of crazy savant or government experiment).

3 is the human average for knowledge. You can assume your character has a 3 in most anything.

2 is the human average for weapons. You can assume your character has a 2 for almost every kind of weapon.

Your character CAN get better at things. This only needs to be documented on your claim if you are moving above a 3, and must then be approved by an admin. Moves below 3 do not need to be approved.

Only skills that are above a 3 need to be documented on your claim.

7s require an additional, admin chosen roleplaying sample.