Re: [DL] A few rules questions

[TobyAkers@aol.com]

Hey, hopefully I can be of some help.

In a message dated 11/30/01 9:12:39 AM US Mountain Standard Time, 
kao@hamilton.net writes:

>   My group has come up with a situation several times now where a player
>  will roll a majority of 1's yet still make his Trait or Skill check with
>  at least one die, sometimes due to getting an Ace.  Does the player
>  still fail the roll?

Yes, in fact the player has gone bust and something appropriately bad should 
happen.  (If they roll 1,1,43,6,1 the player has busted.  The 43 is 
completely ignored.)
  
>  One thing I have come up with is to have the trait or skill check turn
>  out in a way that leaves the player in a situation that is somewhat
>  pyrrhic.  For example, a cowpoke crossing the desert uses his Survival:
>  Desert aptitude in an attempt to find food when he runs low.  While he
>  makes his Target Number exactly, he still comes up with a majority of
>  1's.  So the cowpoke is able to find food, but it is of such a type that
>  is so salty that it causes him to require extra water the next day.

This could be appropriate, depending on how scarce water is.  You might also 
have them cut into a cactus for water only to find it infested with 
terrorantulas...hehehe.
  
>   If a player raises an aptitude with concentrations, does that mean
>  each concentration is raised to the new aptitude level?  I can
>  understand how this would work with Shootin' Concentrations as they are
>  very similar to each other (Point at whatever is bothering you, pull
>  trigger, & repeat as necessary) but how would this work for
>  concentrations that are not similar such as Science: Biology and
>  Science: Physics?  I really can't see Stephen Hawking someday deciding
>  to become as talented a biologist as he is a physicist.  I have an idea
>  on how to reflect this; have the cost to buy a new related concentration
>  be three bounty points and the cost to buy an unrelated concentration be
>  five (or more) bounty points.

Not all concentrations are related, look at the skill and it should specify 
this.  Proffesional, trade, science, and faith are all examples of skills 
that are not related.  Each skill must be purchased seperate and begins at 
level 1.  Faith is a special exception, and the player probably couldn't have 
more than one except in truly unusual circumstances.
  
>          My third question is about the Artillery: Gatling Guns and
>  Shootin': Automatics aptitudes.  Does a character need both skills to
>  fire a Gatling Gun or can he make do with just the Shootin' Automatics
>  skill? 
>  Are there penalties for not having the Artillery: Gatling Guns skill and
>  if so, what would they be?
  
Artillery is needed for shooting gatling guns.  Automatics is for hand-held 
automatics like a gatling pistol, shotgun, or rifle.

Hope that clarifies things.
    Toby