Just wondering what are some popular skills that some characters have, but never get a look in during an adventure. And how GMs would incorporate them to make them useful in regards to risk; ie - a character can spend all day failing Trade (Valet) checks, it's only risky if they fail and their master beats them or there's some direct negative/positive consequence that's useful to the adventure at hand (and where do they get someone to serve anyway?). Gamble 's another one that springs to mind - gambling at cards is too obvious, has it been used in any other situations in your campaigns?

... Or are them some skills that should just be stricken from the records, they're too painful to incorporate or just plain useless?

In my game it is Demolitions. There's always two or more people having the skill, but never ever using it.

Atesh said:

I can't think of any that any of the PCs in my game have that are useless, though I can think of some skills that seem useless (don't know if any PCs have them or not). Off the top of my head (and because it came up in anouther thread earlier) Trade (technomat) seems particularly useless or, at the very least, highly specialized in what/when it would actually be used (much less rolled on) in game. Actually, come to think of it. most of the Trade skills would see little rolling.

Literacy is one which, while highly useful, has yet to actually be rolled on (making those Literacy +10 and +20's particularly useless) though i guess i could call for it's use to speed up the search through a library or some such, but the need to read quickly has, likewise, not come up.

One you mentioned, Gamble, actually got a fair amount of use in my game. It was used while the cell was infiltrating a Beast House operation as potential clients/party-goers. In order to get "the invite" to the secret show, they had to attract the attention of a Countess without obviously seeming to attract her attention. To do this, they decided that they'd need to set themselves up as high-rollers bored with the usual betting fair. Que mass amounts of gambling checks to look like competent high-rollers and not complete fools. Most of the betting was on odd bloodsports (which the Scum and Adept combo got quite good at, the adept using Medicae and Logic to figure which fighter to put money on before the match giving the scum a +10 to his gamble to actually weight the odds and make a good bet).

Gamble has also been used as an ice breaker, a means of gathering funds on the down-low when the cell was strapped for cash (these I usually just had a single roll with DoS netting funds and DoFs losing them funds... one roll per night of gambling and what not).

I guess it all depends on the story being told and the direction you take events. I can see a need for Trade (valet) such as blending in with the house servants without tipping off others that you are no servant, but an assassin....

Atesh said:

This may seem a silly question - but aren't all skills only useful if they obtain a result useful to the adventure at hand? I don't necessarily think so, but I'd like to see the opinions of others here too.

Don't forget that if they have sufficient time and inclination during their downtime, they can qualify as trading class for their income. That might not mean much to a cleric or techpriest, but to a down-on-his luck guardsman or scum that can be a godsend.

Also, I can see plenty of use for various Trade skills if a character has to find a way to work undercover somewhere. It's a lot easier to get access to somewhere when you're actually qualified and employable. For example, the acolytes need someone on the inside of a librarium for a fair while, so they figure someone's going to get a job there and rat out anything interesting that comes up. The Adept with high literacy and trade(copyist) skills is going to have a breeze of a time impressing anyone. A little Charm or Deceive to mitigate any questions might come in handy too.

The guardsman who doesn't even have Literacy isn't going anywhere near this.

The Hobo Hunter said:

I can't help reiterate this enough. Having a trade skill under your belt and enough downtime allows you to earn possibly far more than you could normally or if you are a cleric or other highly paid class, then a small supplement.

The Inquisitor's Handbook has rules on expanded skills which give additional uses for every skill, including Literacy and Trade, which make them more useful in an adventurer's life. Very handy.

That said, I have run systems with a vast number or skills which can easily go unused. My advice, and what I started doing myself, is to look at each character and pick a skill they haven't yet used or seems unlikely to be needed in the course of an adventure and write a place for it into the next session or two. The players will appreciate you putting their obscure skills to use and you'll have fun coming up with creative ways to do so.

Graver said:

The only two guys in my group who has Literacy uses it allot . They always need to find out something about someone and they always start by digging through libraries and cogitator registers. Where each degree of success grants them additional information (or finds any if it's a narrow field of knowledge they want to find out about) .

Other than that.. no, I can't say there's one they never use. Just yesterday they had to roll on Low Gothic as they ventured into the underhive to make sure they understood anything at all (they rolled pretty bad so I had to twist my voice really weird and almost growl out my word heh, was a bit amusing to watch four guys sitting as big question marks and again and again trying to make sense out of what the Gate Guard was saying)

Thanks for the replies, definitely got me thinking - but...

I'm struggling to find an innovative way of incorporating Blather (ie; not just using it to hold up an enemy while the PCs wait for reinforcements). Even in novels, whenever a character Blathers, it always seems to just add dimension to a character (and make him/her seem irritating and socially inept), but I can't think of an interesting case where there's risk involved. Any ideas?

Atesh said:

"Do not waste our time."

The Hobo Hunter said:

I think he's got it. Other situations would be

The guards of a local noble that recently escaped an assassination attempt are on high alert. Given the noble's influence, they'll simply capture and lock up or beat up anyone who seems to be acting suspiciously to them

The baddies have an informer in the security control center of a large instillation our heroes are in. If they simply blend in with the crowd they won't be noticed but if someone rings in a person trying to distract guards, then they will likely be spotted

What if they simply blather the wrong thing? Maybe with a failure they concoct a story about being a building inspector. Thing is, this individual has reason to keep the authorities out of their abode and who will notice a missing minor functionary in the hive?

In my campaign i now have two very good pilots and they have yet to really need their skills. I suppose this is more a case of skill combinations than anything.

My adept/Lore monkey has a few skills that she's never actually used; Barter, Logic, and Evaluate. Although she has it she never has used Pilot (civilian craft) either.

Get the GM to:

• Use Logic tests to get some handy 'metagaming' prods from the GM in response to a particularly challenging puzzle or some sort.
• Start forcing Evaluate checks to actually realise the quality of materials used in particularly strange or unusual constructions, the effectiveness of certain businesses, etc. All sorts of little things where you need to identify the quality inherent in a nonhuman (that's for Scrutiny IMO) entity.
• This crosses over with Barter a bit, but you could also ascertain the worth of strange objects with a good Evaluate roll.
• Don't set a base price for objects to be sold (1/2 money or somesuch). Start making Barter checks.

Now enjoy being your Party Face on the mercantile front, and watching them squirm and writhe in a sea of favours as they use you for literally everything not related directly to combat!

numb3rc said:

Below; and copied from IMDB, is quite possibly the best ever example of failed Blather and Deceive tests. Compliments to Mr. Ford and Mr. Lucas; the former for his ad libbed lines, the latter for having the vision to use them.

• Han Solo: [sounding official] Uh, everything's under control. Situation normal.
• Voice: What happened?
• Han Solo: [getting nervous] Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?
• Voice: We're sending a squad up.
• Han Solo: Uh, uh... negative, negative. We had a reactor leak here now. Give us a few minutes to lock it down. Large leak, very dangerous.
• Voice: Who is this? What's your operating number?
• Han Solo: Uh...
• [Han shoots the intercom]
• Han Solo: [muttering] Boring conversation, anyway.

But yes, I like to include a little something as a basis to my interaction rolls. Believable, if I can come up with it. Otherwise the strangest things come out of my mouth when pressed and speaking in character...

-=Brother Praetus=-

Brother Praetus said:

As the designated spokesman for our group quite often, I've found Han Solo ain't the only one failing Blather/Deceive tests.

In one game I let a Psyker with 'Blather' and 'Common Lore (Imperial Creed)' combine the skills to distract a prison guard (challenged the prison guard on his beliefs on the Emperor). This caused an argument between the guard and the Psyker, allowing a prisoner in the nearby cell to stab the Guard through the bars.

In another one I wrote a particular trap they had to get through, and they discussed lots of different ways. I wrote a complete solution for the trap, and the player with 'Logic' tested against it to see if I'd tell him (ie. if his character had figured it out).

Worked quite well.

Though I must say, we haven't quite got to the point where we've found a use for 'Trade (Cook)'.

BYE

H.B.M.C. said:

How about to conceal the taste of poison in a food so it cannot be detected? Food is all about chemistry.

LeBlanc13 said:

And the very best culinary poisoners who are chefs can combine normally innocuous foods into a "slow boil, time released" poison without the addition of noxious chemistry. Though, I would still say such a consummate connoisseur would want Trade (Cook) , Chem-Use , Scholastic Lore (Chymistry), and maybe some Medicae to do the idea its proper (in)justice.

-=Brother Praetus=-

I did give the character several 'Long Life Potatoes', which he can mix with CS rations to make them not taste so bad.

BYE

In my campaign the Priest once helped sustain the party with a palatable walking fish stew on Iocanthos once. Never passed another roll after that though.