Disable Device and Juryrig

[Ninasie]

On cthughua's True20: Star*Drive Wiki a new skill is defined as Craft (Juryrig).

Thinking about it, how about making the action of juryriging a challange of Disable Device?

I figure that if you are able to disarm or sabotage a device then you would have some knowledge of how it works, so it makes sense that you could use the skill in reverse and as a challange.

Challanges (for Disable Device)
Damage Control:
You attempt to make a device that is broken work for a short period of time. The length of time that the device works for should be determined by the Narrator and based on by how much the challange was made by.

Enable Device:
You attempt to reverse someone else's use of Disable Device on an object. This could be a contest of Disable Device skills.

Both of these challanges are at -10 unless the character has access to appropriate "spares" of some kind, which drops the penality to -5.


What do you think?

[barsoomcore]

This post hasn't gotten much love, but I'm poking around in the bowels of Disable Device and came across this so rather than start a new conversation, let's just keep this going.

I think Disable Device is best understood as a specialization of Craft -- Craft (mechanical), as it were. Same key ability, same restrictions -- it really is just a Craft skill.

That said, it's SO useful to adventurers that I think it's worth having it called out as a separate skill, but I think your notions on jury-rigging are properly part of Craft skills. That is, rather than have a Craft (juryrig) skill, just have a juryrig use of Craft and Disable Device. This is the approach taken in the Expert's Handbook, except that in there (and in raw T20) there is also a Craft (mechanical) skill, so the Disable Device skill does not have a juryrig use. So the Damage Control use you describe is really just a special case of either the Repair or Juryrig uses of Craft or Disable Device.

Does that sound reasonable?

[True20Chick]

I prefer the idea of it being a skill challenge rather than a separate skill.

[cthughua]

Normally, I agree, however Craft (Juryrig) represents a near mystical ability that some mechanics have to just fix ANYTHING that's unique to the Star*Drive setting. Of course that might make for a very good Expert Core Ability as well.

New Expert Core Ability: Juryrig
By spending a point of conviction you gain max ranks in any Craft Skill, if you already possess the craft skill, gain a +8 bonus to this check.

(I'm sure it could use tweaking but that's just off my head.

[Nightshade]

Normally, I agree, however Craft (Juryrig) represents a near mystical ability that some mechanics have to just fix ANYTHING that's unique to the Star*Drive setting. Of course that might make for a very good Expert Core Ability as well.

New Expert Core Ability: Juryrig
By spending a point of conviction you gain max ranks in any Craft Skill, if you already possess the craft skill, gain a +8 bonus to this check.

(I'm sure it could use tweaking but that's just off my head.

I'm assuming this would be one for new custom roles or as an alternate for Expert?

[cthughua]

Obviously.

[~HANZO~]

wouldn't jury rig be almost like a challenge. If a craft skill would take an hour, but with a little ingenuity you can trow it together in 1/2 the time, even if the patch/quick-fix doesn't last. Seems like you would roll or what ever skill you would use to work on the object to begin with.

Or what about a feat that allows you to "quick fix" As a skill roll. Or "Patch up" on the fly. using what ever technical skill you already posses. Example:

Mr. Fix-it
Player may make a Quick fix challenge with any craft/technical skill he possesses.
+5 difficulty to the skill roll. The patch will last for a number of rounds
equal to his ranks in the skill used +3.

I dont know, just a thought.

[Nightshade]

Obviously.

Sorry, missed "expert" in the header.

[cthughua]

wouldn't jury rig be almost like a challenge. If a craft skill would take an hour, but with a little ingenuity you can trow it together in 1/2 the time, even if the patch/quick-fix doesn't last. Seems like you would roll or what ever skill you would use to work on the object to begin with.

Or what about a feat that allows you to "quick fix" As a skill roll. Or "Patch up" on the fly. using what ever technical skill you already posses. Example:

Mr. Fix-it
Player may make a Quick fix challenge with any craft/technical skill he possesses.
+5 difficulty to the skill roll. The patch will last for a number of rounds
equal to his ranks in the skill used +3.

I dont know, just a thought.

Right, I think that's what most people are saying that Jury Rig should be a challenge for each individual Craft skill. The problem is then, only people who have RANKS in a given Craft will have any hope of Jury Rigging. As its own skill it comes with the benefit of being useful when you DON'T have an applicable craft skill, with the draw back of damaging the object and making future legitamate craft checks (and jury rig checks) more difficult. The other solution was a Core Ability that grants ranks in craft skills for the purpose of Jury Rigging. Again, they are rule add-ons that works in one type of game, but not in all. YMMV.