Untrained Skills

[Wiserbud]

How do people deal with characters that are untrained in skills that they obviously should be able to attempt. For example: Sense of Balance, Prowl, Climb, most Lore skills, etc. Of course not all skills can be attempted untrained, such as Demolition Disposal, Computer Hacking, Electrical and Mechanical skills, etc.

I realize possessing the skill indicates a certain amount of training and practice or study, but some skills should be allowed to be attempted by anyone.

I thought of two ways of doing this:

1. Letting the character make a percentile roll against the relevant Attribute score (P.P. check for Prowl, I.Q. check for Lores, etc). This makes pretty much any skill possible but very unlikely success.

2. I thought of letting the characters have the ability to roll certain skill at half starting proficiency (Radio: basic at 22%, normally at 45% + 5% per level). Any % bonus due to high I.Q. would still be applied.

How do you deal with untrained skills in your campaigns?

Also, what about replacing the % bonus from high I.Q. by additional secondary skills? I myself as a player would often prefer having more skills than just a few bonus % points to those I already have. I figured following the same table as M.E. (+1 for each two points of I.Q. starting at 16) for additional secondary skills.

Any thoughts?

[Bill]

In situations where a skill could reasonably be performed without formal training (basically secondary skills), I ask players to roll under an appropriate attribute as a percentile. So a character that hasn't been trained to move silently (O.C.C. skill or related skill) or spent time practicing on their own (secondary skill) with a P.P. 14 still has a 14% chance of avoiding detection.

[Killer Cyborg]

A staffer once said in the forums that you roll percentile against the most applicable attribute.
That seems the best way to handle it, and it's the most official answer we have.

[Alrik Vas]

I pretty much changed skills to work with a d20 (for a number of reasons). So I do it like this (and it translates back to percentages):

Success with a skill outside of combat/duress: 12
In combat/duress: 15

Take your skill % as listed on the sheet, you have +1 for every 10% of skill. You gain +2 more for every ten points of your attribute that relates to it (usually IQ or PP, but MA or PS work for a lot as well).

So basically, you could use this method and it would give a base of 20% for every 10 points of the relevant attribute. A strong person with a PS of 20-29 would have a 40% climb skill, and so on.

[Glistam]

I don't allow it. But you can still attempt it - just if you are required to roll to succeed you will fail.

[ShadowLogan]

How do people deal with characters that are untrained in skills that they obviously should be able to attempt. For example: Sense of Balance, Prowl, Climb, most Lore skills, etc. Of course not all skills can be attempted untrained, such as Demolition Disposal, Computer Hacking, Electrical and Mechanical skills, etc.

Sense of Balance, Climb I would just give them the basic level (1/0). For SoB/Climb I would point out that the text in Climb allows a "do over" if you fail the check as a "skilled" climber. Which makes taking the skill useful. Sense of Balance might also fall in the Prowl category of being a D20 roll (see Rifts Japan's Martial Art Section).

I don't think Prowl Skill as defined can be used "untrained" in RMB/RUE. That doesn't mean you can't move cautiously, but it isn't the same thing as Prowl. IIRC the counter to Prowl is Perception, which means a D20 vs D20 roll off, with the Skill granting bonuses. So basically here you could prowl with no bonuses on the D20 roll (maybe even the high PP bonus, but it would have to be something included in the Skill roll off to IMHO).

I do not think I would categorize Lore as something that should be available untrained. I might allow an attribute check here that you might have heard/read something, but it isn't the same thing as in depth studying that results in the skill being gained.

[Mack]

Once upon a time... Character needed to ride a motorcycle without the skill. GM allowed the attempt at half the base piloting skill, had to periodically re-roll (every 500 yards or something), and no special maneuvers could be attempted.

That was a reasonable approach that let the character have a shot of making it, and as long as he went slow the wipeout damage wasn't deadly.

[Brayon]

As a loose interpretation of the rule from HU2, all PCs could drive a Motorcycle, or Car, but as a normal daily driver thing. Any special maneuvers, or high speed driving was out of the question, unless you trained in the skill.

[Incriptus]

They'd roll a D20 + their level, I'd either assign a target number or roll a D20 ... depending on the outcome I'd describe the attempt

While it appears a bit arbitrary (and it is) it's related to my opposed skill check rule

Unskilled vs Unskilled = Roll off (D20 + level)
Skilled w/ Successful skill roll vs Unskilled = Skilled wins
Skilled w/ Unsuccessful skill roll vs Unskilled = Roll off (D20 + Level)
Skilled w/ Successful Skill Roll vs Skilled w/Unsuccessful Skill Roll = Successful Roll wins
Skilled w/ Unsuccessful Skill Roll vs Skilled w/ Unsuccessful Skill Roll = Roll off (D20 + Level)

----

So for example you don't have the motorcycle skill but you think trying to ride will be better than going on foot.
If the conditions require a skilled driver you simply fail.
If the conditions don't you'd make a level roll, If the road ahead was previously defined I'd set a number, otherwise I'd randomly roll.

If someone unskilled with Demolitions Disposal found a bomb and attempted to disarm it, I'd give him a chance if it were set by someone unskilled at Demolitions, or by someone who failed their demolitions skill.

[Damian Magecraft]

I house ruled that skills got their level adjustment at level 1 (level 1 is a level after all).

And then anyone attempting a skill they did not possess would roll against the skills base with no bonuses (except those granted by a high IQ).

[Kagashi]

I do option 1.

[Library Ogre]

Have I mentioned my "Pimp my Skill Monkey" article from my blog? It's in my sig.