Skill Confusion

[daddystabz]

I am rolling my first character for Robotech The Shadow Chronicles. His OCC will be Veritech Pilot and his MOS is Alpha Pilot. I am a tad confused about base starting % for skills though. For instance, 2 of my OCC starting skills are Climbing and Pilot: Airplane. According to my OCC section Climbing starts out for me at +10% and Pilot: Airplane starts out for me at +30%. However, in the back of the book under the skills sules section it says that the base % for Climbing is 40%/30% and that the base % for Pilot: Airplane is 50%. So what % do I start at for these skills? The base ones in the back of the book under the skills section or what it says under my OCC?

What I am thinking for how it works is as follows: You take the base % for the OCC skill in question from the back of the book and then add the +% from your OCC to it to start. So: For Pilot Airplane, for instance, I would start at 80% (50% base and +30% from OCC).

Is this correct?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Also, where is the secondary skills list? Under my MOS it tells me to choose a secondary skill from the secondary skills list in the skills section. I do not see a secondary skills list in the skills section anywhere. Does this mean I just choose any skill as a secondary skill from the skills list and just take it at the secondary skill base %?

[daddystabz]

Also: If you take the Alpha Pilot MOS do you get ALL the MOS skills listed under Veritech Alpha Pilot MOS? I see some skills that are listed there that aren't given a + % to start with and that makes me suspicous that you might have to choose. Also, when making my character I had chosen Mecha Pilot: Veritechs as an OCC Related skill but then when I saw what MOS skills I'm supposed to get I see it listed there as well. I noticed if I take this skill as an OCC Related skill I can get it at +10% to start but if I take it as an MOS skill I get it only at the base starting level. So if I want the bonus then I'd have to take it as an OCC Related and waste that skill I would otherwise automatically get in my MOS skills, correct?

[ShadowLogan]

The Secondary Skill list can be found in RT: TSC RPG on pg. 218-9, with answer to your other skill question about calculating the starting percentage (yes you are right, add them together).

If you take the Alpha Pilot MOS do you get ALL the MOS skills listed under Veritech Alpha Pilot MOS? I see some skills that are listed there that aren't given a + % to start with and that makes me suspicous that you might have to choose.

Unless otherwise noted in the OCC or MOS skill listings you get all the skills listed, not all skills have a percentage check or recieve a bonus. To see an example of when you have to choose from a list look at the Science MOS for the Technical Officer on pg. 89. It lists:
-Electrical OR Mechanical Engineer
-Pilot: One of choice

In both these instances you have to choose between skills (Mechanical or Electrical Engineering skills and a pilot skill of choice).

[daddystabz]

The weird thing is as follows: in the Shadow Chronicles rpg you can take Pilot Mecha: Veritech with a +10% bonus to the base percentage under your O.C.C. Related skills. However, you automatically get Pilot Mecha: Veritech under the Alpha Pilot M.O.S. but you get it with no starting bonus at all. I chose on my character to in essence give up one of the skills I would have had otherwise to take this same skill as an O.C.C. Related skill to start with the +10% bonus.

Also: in the Macross Saga Sourcebook Veritech pilots start with a +20% bonus to their starting Pilot: Veritech skill but Alpha pilots in TSC only start with a +10% bonus starting in their Alpha Pilot skill.

I guess pilots were better or something overall in the Macross era.

[ShadowLogan]

The weird thing is as follows: in the Shadow Chronicles rpg you can take Pilot Mecha: Veritech with a +10% bonus to the base percentage under your O.C.C. Related skills. However, you automatically get Pilot Mecha: Veritech under the Alpha Pilot M.O.S. but you get it with no starting bonus at all. I chose on my character to in essence give up one of the skills I would have had otherwise to take this same skill as an O.C.C. Related skill to start with the +10% bonus.

Not sure about this part, you might want to bring this up in the errata and nitpicks thread. When the Pilot Skill is used to choose a Mecha Piloting speciality they receive a +10 to +13%bonus to the skill (varies by mecha type), I think PB did not double list it to avoid confusion and getting a double bonus.

Also: in the Macross Saga Sourcebook Veritech pilots start with a +20% bonus to their starting Pilot: Veritech skill but Alpha pilots in TSC only start with a +10% bonus starting in their Alpha Pilot skill.

I guess pilots were better or something overall in the Macross era.

I don't have Macross yet so I can't help you there.

[daddystabz]

Also, just to make sure I'm doing this right. I am starting my character at lvl 5 for my campaign. For Mecha Pilot: Veritechs the base % is 55% and goes up 4% per lvl. For my OCC Related skills I get a + 10% for any pilot skill. So at lvl 5 my Pilot Mecha: Veritechs would thus be at 81%, right?

[Tiree]

It should be Base Skill (the one in the skill description) + OCC Bonus + Intelligence Bonus + % per level -1. So if you had a skill that's base is 55%, a 10% OCC Bonus, 0% IQ Bonus and 4% per level, and the character is fifth level. Your skill should be 81% If you have a specialty and that specialty provides a bonus, at that % to your skill %. Let's say there is a 13% Specialty Bonus, so that specialty would be 94%

[daddystabz]

I thought that was how it worked, Tiree. I noticed that Alpha Pilots get Mecha Piloting Specialty: Alpha. I had wondered what this does in game mechanics terms as I could not find a description for it in the book anywhere. How much does this specialty give, if anything?

[daddystabz]

Anyone?

[daddystabz]

Thanks! By taking another physical skill my PS just got bumped to 16, which gets me +1 to my HTH damage. Does this +1 also get added to mecha combat HTH damage?

[daddystabz]

Anyone know the answer to my latest skills question just above this post? My guess is no but I just wanted to make sure.

[daddystabz]

Thought that would be the case.

Thanks!

[daddystabz]

I'm thinking I still don't have my bonuses absoutely correct. This game ruleset if freaking insane. I just read in the ranged combat section that the only applicable parry/dodge bonus for dodging energy or gun attacks is your PP bonus and any O.C.C. bonus to dodge. So this means that my boxing parry/dodge bonus is only applicable to melee combat? This means that any dodge bonuses you get do not count?

Please help!

So far this is what I have for my bonuses:

Bonuses
16 PS: HTH combat damage +1
25 PP: +5 Parry/Dodge (melee or ranged) and +5 to strike (melee only)
PB 16: 30% Charm/Impress
Boxing: +1 additional attack per melee and +2 Parry/Dodge and +2 PS, +3d6 SDC
Weapon Systems (Heavy M.D. Weapons): +1 to strike for cannons, particle beams, rail guns, missile and grenade launchers
WP Quickdraw: +3 Initiative
Zero Gravity Training: # attacks per melee round unchanged and +1 Initiative, +1 strike, +1 Parry, +1 Disarm, +1 Pull Punch, +2 Dodge, +10 normal Spd while in a zero G environment in an environmental suit or flight suit or vacuum suit or body armor (CVR-3) [DOES NOT APPLY TO MECHA!]
Mecha Combat Elite Training (Alpha): +2 attack per melee round (at char lvl 5) and +2 Initiative, +2 to strike, +2 Parry, +2 Disarm, +3 Pull Punch, +2 Dodge on ground and +4 Dodge in flight (any mode), +2 Roll With Impact
Hand to Hand Expert: (At char lvl 5)=5 attacks per melee round and Kick Attack (1d8), +3 Pull Punch, +2 Roll With Punch and Fall or Impact, +3 Parry/Dodge, +2 strike in melee, +2 Disarm, can perform Karate Punch, can perform Karate Kick (2d6 damage)
Athletics (General): +1 Parry/Dodge, +1 Roll With Impact, +1 PS, +1d6 Spd, +1d8 SDC
Special Aptitude (Sure Shot): +2 to strike with projectile and energy weapons (not missiles!) AND penalties for off balance, moving, etc. are at half (Does not include missiles!)
Spd: Can run around 16 mph

Human
Attacks/Actions Per Melee Round: 6
Initiative: +3 / +4 (Zero G)
Strike Melee: +7 / +8 (Zero G)
Strike Ranged: +2 / +3 (Zero G)
Strike Missile: 0
Parry: +11 / +12 (Zero G)
Dodge: +11 / +13 (Zero G)
Pull Punch: +3 / +4 (Zero G)
Roll With Impact: +3
Disarm: +2 / +3 (Zero G)

Alpha
Attacks/Actions Per Melee Round: 8
Initiative: +5
Strike Melee: +9
Strike Ranged: +4 / +5 (Heavy M.D. Weapons)
Strike Missile: +1
Parry: +13
Dodge: +13 on ground / +15 (Air)
Pull Punch: +6
Roll With Impact: +5
Disarm: +4

Other Battloids
Attacks/Actions Per Melee Round: +7
-20% to all skills

[Jefffar]

Those attacks per melee seem high to me, what level is the character?

[daddystabz]

He is level 5. Keep in mind I get extra attacks per melee due to my mecha combat elite training also. I also get attacks per melee due to boxing and HTH combat expert. You know now that you mentioned it, I did not think of something. The extra attack I get from boxing.....does it only count for melee combat? Also, if this is the case then why do you use your HTH attacks per melee to be your attacks in your mecha whether it be melee and/or ranged?