Topic: Secondary Skills?

[Gunnar Greybeard]

Just curious how many of you out there use Secondary Skills? Do you put any restrictions on them (i.e only allowing certain ones or limiting them to those relating to character backgrounds)? I am contemplating using them but just curious what balance issues I might run into.

[Nders]

I use all of them and then some 
Well to be honest I use the unified skill system presented in RoCoII And have done so for many years. It works very well for our group but you have to increase the amount of development points the characters get to make it work (as is also sugested in the unified skill system) We solved this by giving development points for a characters prime stats - the two central stats for each profession. This means that some classes will get x2 development points for one of their stats (if their prime is a development point stat) and others will get for two of their usual non-development point stats.

[kevinmccollum]

I actually disagree with giving more DP. A character won't be an expert in a lot of fields but should he be?
The character only has so much effort available for skill acquisition/improvement. She should pick and choose what she wants to work on. If he doesn't have enough points, oh well, work on it another time or develop it slowly over a long period of time.

[mibsweden]

I also use the system from Rolemaster Companion II. It is the best system I have seen so far, except maybe the one used in RMFRP/RMSS.

Similar skills is a brilliant move, although a bit tough on the book keeping and definately not for beginner players in my opinion. Once you have it going it works very well, and nothing prevents you from removing and adding similarities.

The extended level bonus table is also used in my campaigns, but they are usually quite high powered.

I give 20-30 percent extra development points to characters to use on secondary skills.

[AbleKain]

Hmm.... I also use RocoII but I give 12 Dp's extra, seemed like a good amount, but maybe I should use a percentage instead 

[thrud]

We use RMC secondary skills and it's working just fine.

[Fidoric]

Does anybody use the unified skill system from RMC VI ?
IIRC, it was reordering the numerous skills from previous companions and was sort of a premise to RMSS skills system.

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

Does anybody use the unified skill system from RMC VI ?
IIRC, it was reordering the numerous skills from previous companions and was sort of a premise to RMSS skills system.

I once used it for a character that played alongside a number of RM2 characters. I actually liked those rules, including the guidelines provided for creating new professions that went along with them.

I felt that they were pretty well balanced, AND the character I played well fairly balanced against the rest of the RM characters in the group (he was better at some thing, worse at others).