The staff of NERO Neridia feels that the expanded use
of Craftsman (Other) skills can aid in developing the depth of the game. These
skills are not meant to replace actual action during the game. No one will be
allowed to simply say "Craftsman Runner, I run faster than you and
escape," or, "Craftsman Bard, I’m really singing even though I can’t
carry a tune." There will however be times during the game where craftsman
skills will be of use, even great use to the player. The player will be able to
tell a marshal or plot member that they have a given craftsman skill to see if
they may, due to their training, know anything relevant about an encounter. In
general we do not recommend simply shouting out a craftsman skill or calling a
hold for this. Simply talk to the marshal or plot member when there is time. At
the beginning of any module please tell the director of any craftsman skills
possessed. In addition there will be opportunities to use various craftsman
skills in interaction with the Neridia Economic System. Various skills may
modify a player’s chances of making a profit in a given situation, some may
even be required to be involved in a particular situation.
We are standardizing our use of the craftsman system
within the Neridia campaign so that all players with craftsman (other) will
expect the same treatment. We will be publishing a list of fully supported craftsman skills which we feel make sense in the interaction with the game world. The list will be as complete as possible but if you have a craftsman skill that is not on the list please feel free to submit it to the NERO Neridia staff for consideration. The list of supported skills is to avoid skills which do not fit into the game mechanic such as for example "high-altitude coin-flipping" or "underwater basket weaving". For each craftsman skill category a player has they
will receive a writeup regarding that skill and their use of it at each event
that they pre-register for with at least two weeks notice. If the notice is
shorter the staff of Neridia will attempt to complete their writeup but cannot
guarantee it. If a player pays at the door for an event the staff of Neridia
will attempt to complete a writeup for them before the end of the first day of
the event but cannot guarantee it. Multiple craftsman skills of the same type
will also give a more in depth writeup with greater detail. There is no use for
more than ten craftsman skills in a single subtype, though more than ten related
craftsman skills may be of additional use.
Each month a player with craftsman skill will be able
to submit one question they are researching regarding their craftsman skill or
one thing they are attempting to do with their craftsman skill. In general the
staff of Neridia will respond immediately upon submission with a notification of
receipt and within two weeks time with a writeup by e-mail or two weeks plus the
delivery time by U.S. Postal Delivery.
In addition to the skill itself a craftsman who
acquires certain tools of the trade in game will be able to use them to increase
their ability in their chosen field. For example a craftsman sage (dragon lore)
who finds a tome of dragon lore may be able to use it to gain greater
information. A craftsman siege-engineer will be able to accomplish more if he
has a siege weapon. These in game modifiers are cumulative but not necessarily
directly additive.
In addition Neridia Plot will write directly into
encounters, plotlines, and modules, places where certain craftsman skills will
be able to determine information based on the skill. The more specific the skill
the greater the depth of the information but the less likely it will be to apply
to a given scenario. There may even be situations in which a particular
craftsman skill is required to be involved. These situations will always be in
the hook or beginning of a module so a player will never become involved in a
module only to find out half way through that they need a particular craftsman
skill to continue.
"Prophecy Policy": The prophetic
ability of certain craftsman skills is used through a specific type of divination which the PC
chooses to specialize in. Examples of this include astrology, card
reading, reading tea leaves, reading bones, and numerous other forms. The
plot committee of NERO Neridia recognizes this as a highly developed roleplaying
aspect of the game and has defined a policy for gaining plot input over and
above what the normal skill of astrology would give. First the PC must
have at least two of the appropriate skill (Craftsman Other: Divination
Type), with the more of the skill taken, the greater the specificity of the
foretelling. Then, the PC must inform a plot committee representative of
the foretelling and the specific question to be asked, with as much time as
possible given for plot to discuss the question. Finally the PC must then
perform a divination which is roleplaying based and geared to entertain those
whose fortunes are being read. The divination must last a minimum of 30
minutes. this may never be used to gain specific information about another
PC's actions and it is not superior in nature to the formal magics Dreamvision
or Create High Horoscope. This policy is geared to increase the overall
entertainment of the PCs and is not necessarily limited to the gypsy race--any
PC may ask for similar considerations with the similar requirements.
