Re: [DL] d20: Question about Mad Science and Duels

["Kevin L Stoner" <stone1kl@cmich.edu>]

> Under the Mad Science skill, it says to read in the Mad
> Science section in the MAgic chapter on how to use it.
> However, there is NO mention of this skill ANYWHERE in that
> chapter. Making new mad gizmos requires both Knowledge
> skills and Tinkerin skills, but not Mad Science. So, what's
> the point of this skill? What I was thinking of doing was
> instead of requiring a knowledge roll, making it a mad
> science roll, and giving a +2 synergy bonus to it if you
> have the appropriate knowledge skill related to what you are
> trying to build.

Welcome aboard Mark my name is Kevin Stoner and I probably know D20 
better than most people on this list(foregoing author interception of 
course). Anyhow in my game I have taken the mad scientist schtick to 
heart in how difficult it is. When you are sitting down to create a 
blue print you must have the appropriate knowledge to do it(ie physics, 
biology etc.). You make a check against that skill to see if you can 
concievably make it work with the knowledge you have. Due to the New 
Science this means if you can make it sound like it works, this is 
called intuitive inventing and its all the craze amongst the nutty 
professors. Then you design a blueprint. This requires a Mad Science 
roll since this is where you actually add elements of "New Science". 
Thus there is an opportunity here for a Scientist to go a bit daft 
while puzzling out just how the flux capacitor is going to work "Great 
Scott". Then finally when building the device you adjust the tinkerin 
DC by the roll they make on Mad Science check. All of this is covered 
better in "Way of the New Science" which I highly recommend you 
purchase. I have yet to be able to hang on to mine for more than a 
couple of days before someone wants to borrow it. 

> Now... as for Duels... It says in the Ridicule skill (and
> somewhere it mentions Bluff as well) that you can use these
> skills in a duel and to check the section on duels to find
> out how. There's NO mention of these skills in the dueling
> section though. I assume that they can be used instead of
> Intimidate, such as to piss your opponent off (ridicule) or
> trick him by feinting (bluff). Is this the case?

As for dueling the initial round requires a test of wills. A player 
could opt to use his ridicule in that or his bluff, rather than 
intimidate since any of these will affect the will of the opponent. For 
example I may be playin a Huckster who gets himself called out into the 
street. I am not as Intimidatin as a Shootist, but by God I can Bluff 
with the best of them. Therefor the Huckster would be allowed to roll 
versus Bluff instead "Holy Mother of Christ, its a devil bat". 

> Thanks. There's plenty of other minor things like this that
> I have found, but those are the two that I just looked up
> recently. I will ask more when I find any other
> descrepancies. Other than these minor issues, so far the
> game is really fun.

There are actually several discrepancies however it is very difficult 
to convert this game, and a lot of the elements arent exactly right. I 
as a marshall have taken to heart the Golden Rule of D20, that being 
this is just a guide. You are the marshall and any decision you make is 
never wrong. Tailor it to your specific needs. But all in all D20 is a 
good way to introduce people to the Weird West and sometimes a marshall 
may just find himself having a good time running it. Please post any 
future questions and Ill be happy to help however I can. 
 
Marshall Kevin Stoner