Random CODA questions

[DavidMowatt]

Just a couple of random questions to throw out to the onlookers...

1. Performance arts are listed under the Entertain skill. Fair enough. "Craft" arts are listed under the Craft skill. Again, fair enough.
So where would people put more subjective "art" skills like the ability to write poetry or fiction? Craft doesn't seem to fit, being a Phys/Agi skill. I know you can change that, of course, but it also puts writing out of the realms of people who should be able to have it (as not many professions have Craft as a professional skill). I'm tempted to list it as Knowledge: Writing, with specialities in Fiction, Poetry and (for different uses) Technical (for the scientists presenting papers and whatnot). Any thoughts?

2. Any suggestions for altering a character's Health trait to make damage slightly more realistic? (Yes, realistic damage is a goal I want, so debates on the ethics of doing so are probably for elsewhere ) Is halving a character's Health value after calculation too vicious?

3. Just as a (off-topic) thought (being as here's the place a lot of general CODA fans congregate who might play LotR as well); does anyone know why Defence turned into 10+Swiftness mod. in LotR as opposed to 7+Nimbleness mod.? Was there a reason for this extra three points of passive defence, or is there a typo I'm missing somewhere?

Anyway, back to more interesting questions...

[Doug Burke]

Originally posted by DavidMowatt
Just a couple of random questions to throw out to the onlookers...

1. Performance arts are listed under the Entertain skill. Fair enough. "Craft" arts are listed under the Craft skill. Again, fair enough.
So where would people put more subjective "art" skills like the ability to write poetry or fiction? Craft doesn't seem to fit, being a Phys/Agi skill. I know you can change that, of course, but it also puts writing out of the realms of people who should be able to have it (as not many professions have Craft as a professional skill). I'm tempted to list it as Knowledge: Writing, with specialities in Fiction, Poetry and (for different uses) Technical (for the scientists presenting papers and whatnot). Any thoughts?

As a Narrator, I would treat it as an Entertain skill myself. Entertain: Composition (Literature) or something like that.

2. Any suggestions for altering a character's Health trait to make damage slightly more realistic? (Yes, realistic damage is a goal I want, so debates on the ethics of doing so are probably for elsewhere ) Is halving a character's Health value after calculation too vicious?

Well, as always, it's up to your (it's your game, after all), but it seems overkill to me (pardon the pun). I would suggtest weighing character longevity vs. realism, personally. You'll notice on screen, that rarely did we see any kind of "realistic damage" unless it was inflicted on an "NPC" (like Terrell in TWOK) or was an important story factor (like Picard's injuries in "Final Mission")

3. Just as a (off-topic) thought (being as here's the place a lot of general CODA fans congregate who might play LotR as well); does anyone know why Defence turned into 10+Swiftness mod. in LotR as opposed to 7+Nimbleness mod.? Was there a reason for this extra three points of passive defence, or is there a typo I'm missing somewhere?

To quote TPTB, "There aren't any energy weapons in LOTR."

[Karg]

Here is another Question What would Damage be for a normal Punch or Kick?

[qerlin]

Strangely enough, I can never find this in the NG, but can in the PG...punch/kick damage is 1d3+STR mod.

[Chris Landmark]

Originally posted by DavidMowatt
1. Performance arts are listed under the Entertain skill. Fair enough. "Craft" arts are listed under the Craft skill. Again, fair enough.
So where would people put more subjective "art" skills like the ability to write poetry or fiction? Craft doesn't seem to fit, being a Phys/Agi skill. I know you can change that, of course, but it also puts writing out of the realms of people who should be able to have it (as not many professions have Craft as a professional skill). I'm tempted to list it as Knowledge: Writing, with specialities in Fiction, Poetry and (for different uses) Technical (for the scientists presenting papers and whatnot). Any thoughts?

Sure.

What I did with my Coda conversion of Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium (still in development ) was to classify such skills as part of the Craft group. My reasoning: Entertain skills are based on presentation and interpretation in front of a large audience. Craft skills deal with the physical (or mental) creation of a work for later consumption.

So what about the fact that Craft is a Phys/Agi skill? I merely added the following to the Test portion of the description:

Certain Craft skills (such as Composition, Poetry and Prose) do not require much manual skill, relying instead upon the artist’s imagination and Intellect. These skills should be resolved using academic tests and the Intellect attribute modifier.

I wouldn't worry about Technical Writing as a skill. This is dealing with writing as an Art, not merely communicating information.

-Chris Landmark

[Ineti]

Originally posted by Chris Landmark
I wouldn't worry about Technical Writing as a skill. This is dealing with writing as an Art, not merely communicating information.

On behalf of many tech writers everywhere, I thank you. So few people appreciate tech writing as the Art it is.

[Karg]

Originally posted by qerlin
Strangely enough, I can never find this in the NG, but can in the PG...punch/kick damage is 1d3+STR mod.

Thanks qerlin, I just saw on the decipher board that it has been errata'ed to 1d6+Str. However, i find it strange as most game system list a little high Damage for a Kick, 1d4 Punch, 1d6Kick as an example.

Again, Thanks

Karg

[DavidMowatt]

What I did with my Coda conversion of Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium (still in development ) was to classify such skills as part of the Craft group. My reasoning: Entertain skills are based on presentation and interpretation in front of a large audience. Craft skills deal with the physical (or mental) creation of a work for later consumption.

That's fair enough. My take was: Entertain as public performance, Craft as physical creation, appropriate knowledge for more "ephemeral" creative crafts. After all, if you can use Sciences as a physical test skill for actually performing experiments, then you can use a Knowledge for the production of a work instead of just theory. Then again, this is just the opposite view of your opinion below. YMMV.

My only problem is that Craft is denied as a professional skill to a lot of characters... if you wanted to create a roving "journalist" character you're pretty much stuck building him as a Merchant or a Mystic. Then again, I have roughly the same problem with every professional musician being stuck as a Rogue. Oh, well...

So what about the fact that Craft is a Phys/Agi skill? I merely added the following to the Test portion of the description:

See above.

I wouldn't worry about Technical Writing as a skill. This is dealing with writing as an Art, not merely communicating information.

Hmm, I don't know... skill in one often gives you skill in the other. Fiction writing needs creativity, but both will fail if you can't string words one after the other in an interesting and comprehensible fashion...

[Sho-sa Kurita]

So where would people put more subjective "art" skills like the ability to write poetry or fiction?

Don't have my PG with me at work but I'm pretty sure there's no Profession skill listed. No reason not invent one though, so I say Profession (poet) or whatever. May not sound creative or artistic, but it gets the job done. Plus you could take those "accountant" skill you've been dying for.

-- Daniel

[DavidMowatt]

Originally posted by Sho-sa Kurita
Don't have my PG with me at work but I'm pretty sure there's no Profession skill listed. No reason not invent one though, so I say Profession (poet) or whatever. May not sound creative or artistic, but it gets the job done. Plus you could take those "accountant" skill you've been dying for.

-- Daniel

Creating a Profession skill is fair enough, but then you get into all the arguments over who gets it as a professional skill and whatnot.

Besides, I had a similar discussion on the Savage Worlds list a while back; if Profession simply comes out as an Int-based Academic skill, why not just use Knowledge instead? Unless, of course, Profession would be Phys/Int, instead (but still, why not Knowledge...? Oh, well)

My players are having enough trouble with character advancement as it is... They got rather touchy with the errata that told them that they couldn't buy more than one level in one non-professional skill per advancement. The general opinion is that somehow they managed to have professions take a step back in class-less systems, not forward... **ducks oncoming flames**

[Almos]

Originally posted by DavidMowatt
[B]
My only problem is that Craft is denied as a professional skill to a lot of characters... if you wanted to create a roving "journalist" character you're pretty much stuck building him as a Merchant or a Mystic. Then again, I have roughly the same problem with every professional musician being stuck as a Rogue. Oh, well...

Take a look at the Entertainer on page 238 in the Narrators Guide. It might help you out a bit. You don't have to conform to the given professions you know. You can create a new one and mix and match abilities from the Merchant, Mystic and Rogue. Perhaps even borrow an ability from an elite profession?