New skill/trait: Judge opponent

[Pheel]

Judge Opponent allows the user, using 1-2 Access actions, to get an idea of how they stack up against an enemy.

With a success (assuming this is a skill; it could also work as a lifepath trait, or a trained skill, like Observation), the character gets an idea of how tough a potential enemy is.

There are two ways to play this:

(1) the GM can just tell the player the numbers, narrowing the range depending how successful the roll is, (good for fast play but BO-RING) or;

(2) the COOL way -- the character is instantly transported to a fantasy duel -- a bridge, a wide field of grass, a forest road, a moonlit beach -- where he/she battles the opponent in a one on one duel. Upon the death of one character, SNAP BACK to reality; the character has a good idea of how tough the enemy is (and personally, I WOULD award skill exp for such a battle, but not Artha).

Got the idea from samurai manga, specifically LONE WOLF & CUB.

Thoughts, crits, etc?

Philip

[foxandwarlock]

I have an alternative thought since the transportation thing would only work in certain kind of campaigns. What about if the skill allowed you to see the next 'x' number of rolls that the NPC/character makes where 'x' is the Ob? So you would get a random sampling of your opponents stats and skills depending on what actions they performed in the wake of your skill test. Or it would be cool if the reader performed certain actions so as to illicit specific Natural Defenses so that they could see specific attributes. I.e. I want to know how fast this guy is so I try to Get Inside after I check my Assess Opponent skill and then when he rolls his Speed, I get to see it.

And that way, it would encourage people to use the skill at the beginning of a fight - which is where they would be watching for that stuff. However, this holds little benefit for GM's who roll in the open.

Or what about a high Ob test for this skill results in being able to see the first action of their next exchange? So you are kind of reading their body language and you could forfeit in order to react to them.

I think TROS has a skill like this for swordsmen/duelist types called Body Language (but I could be wrong on the name).

Overpowered? The problem with these skills is that everyone always wants/has them (in terms of Players).

[Pheel]

I have an alternative thought since the transportation thing would only work in certain kind of campaigns... Or what about a high Ob test for this skill results in being able to see the first action of their next exchange? So you are kind of reading their body language and you could forfeit in order to react to them.

Overpowered? The problem with these skills is that everyone always wants/has them (in terms of Players).

The "vision" approach works with small groups and a specific flavor of play --one that uses a lot of "cinema," in the sense of flashbacks and other non-linear techniques -- more narrative than gamist...

I like getting a read on the first action of the next exchange -- like to make the Ob based on an opponent's Will, modified by appropriate traits (Poker Face, for example, would render this skill/training useless). This seems less "numbers" oriented to me.

Both this and the vision could be used, based on what's going on story wise.

RE: overpowered, it makes sense to make it available only through specific lifepaths or training -- something a duellist would have, possibly a courtier -- certainly not run of the mill infantry, or non-military paths.