Beginner's Luck and Weapon Use

[donbaloo]

So I don't have any skill points in sword use and am testing my Agility 5 against Obstacle 2 in battle as beginner's luck. Should I also double the Add of my weapon when determining Sup., Mid, and Superb wounds?

[Thor Olavsrud]

So I don't have any skill points in sword use and am testing my Agility 5 against Obstacle 2 in battle as beginner's luck. Should I also double the Add of my weapon when determining Sup., Mid, and Superb wounds?

No. Leave the Add as is. However, note that all Obstacles count double. If you are Striking while Closing or Withdrawing, your Obstacle, which would normally be 2 (base 1 + 1 for Moving Quickly) is now 4. If your opponent throws a Block and gets 2 successes while you're moving Quickly, your Obstacle is now 8!

[donbaloo]

Okay, so all the obstacle additions double as well, but not disadvantages right?

It seems that sometimes Beginner's Luck is better than a base skill score, and I remember reading across a thread eariler that touched on this so we don't have to go into detail here again...but just to make sure I've got it I want to set this up.

In my original example, barring any moving quickly penalties or other additions to my obstacle my base obstacle to hit is a 2. With my sword of an Add 2 I can potentially achieve a Mark hit by getting at least 4 successes out of my 5 dice (from Agility B5). But then once I've met my aptitude and opened the skill at a B2 level (half Agility rounded down), my obstacle in that same situation is now only a 1 but having only 2 dice to roll for my attack I can only achieve an Incidental hit?

[amnesiack]

If your opponent throws a Block and gets 2 successes while you're moving Quickly, your Obstacle is now 8!

I don't have my book to check (a friend is borrowing it), but I thought that successes from Blocks/Avoids were treated as opposed rolls, not direct increases to your obstacle to attack.

[luke]

I don't have my book to check (a friend is borrowing it), but I thought that successes from Blocks/Avoids were treated as opposed rolls, not direct increases to your obstacle to attack.

a defensive maneuver essentially sets the obstacle for your opponent.

donbaloo, a root skill and beginner's luck have very similar odds, but the similarity disappears under scrutiny. First, higher obstacles (3+) are impossible via a stat. Second, it takes a lot of effort to open a root once a player realizes that perhaps he might be able to make that climb or win that sword fight if not for the blasted double obstacle penalty.

if you want to test the theory, put a B4 Swordsman against a B6 Agility'd character in a duel. Beginner's Luck is meant to say, "hey just cause you don't have the skill, doesn't mean you're incompetent," but those Counterstrikes from the skilled character become murder...

-L

[donbaloo]

Okay. In combat should I apply defensive successes directly to the obstacle, then double it? Or do they subtract from my unskilled swordsman's successes, with the final result being applied to the doubled base obstacle?

I knew that the similarities would disappear very quickly with escalating obstacles, but it was at that base combat obstacle of 1 that it seemed the unskilled swordsman was in a better position than he would be after he actually opened the skill.

[luke]

I knew that the similarities would disappear very quickly with escalating obstacles, but it was at that base combat obstacle of 1 that it seemed the unskilled swordsman was in a better position than he would be after he actually opened the skill.

that's why it's called Beginner's Luck.

Okay. In combat should I apply defensive successes directly to the obstacle, then double it? Or do they subtract from my unskilled swordsman's successes, with the final result being applied to the doubled base obstacle?

Yes. Any time you're dealing with a double Ob penalty, the unskilled person should have to generate twice as many successes as the skilled.

-L