* Too short to be useful.
* Your spelling, grammar, and punctation are sub-par.
* Pretty much every game other than D&D/ D20 does this, so this is interesting to most gamers why?
I want to give you a chance to improve the post, before I would challange it. Go to Comment
While I can understand where you're coming from with the idea of this, I disagree to a point.
The lockpicking skill (as you refer to it) is, as said, a generalized skill. It's supposed to represent a general skill level in how well you know how locks work, and if something is different in a certain lock, your ability to cope with that difference. The D20 system was quite good in it's realism of harder locks having a higher Difficulty level.
That said, I think that some of the suggestions (namely 2 and 5) are good and might be well incorporated into most systems. The others, however, I think are redundant. 1 is already done by any competent GM, no-matter what system he uses. 2.5 (in relation to lockpicking in general) is a given anyways, as is 4. Number 3 is up to each GM as to how his magic system works, for it could go either way. Magic is definitely peculiar.
I do think it's a tad bit short, perhaps a tad bit of fluff would have made it seem less impersonal and opinionated. Add in an example (a story blurb) of how each mechanic might be played, that sort of thing. As is, 2.5/5 is all I'm getting out of this. Keep going and I'm sure it can get better.
As a side note, is there any real reason why this is a codex? Go to Comment
It is a very short crash course in the subject. It is the right idea. There is so much more that could of been added with a little more effort. Thus it seems incomplete to me.
Also there are a number of musical instruments on the site that can be linked in to the article. You might want to do that. Go to Comment
Short but certainly useful, the lute is by far too common and smacks entirely of the animated Robin Hood. (Dont get me wrong, I love the movie, but in terms of gaming, its campy fun!) Go to Comment
This is cool. My parents happened to be fans of Medieval music, and I was lucky enough to go to a concert at a castle in Germany once, so I can relate pretty well to what you're talking about here. It's not something that could be used very often in a game, but it's great for world-building, and I'm glad someone other than myself has a passing interest in this stuff. Go to Comment
This is a valid point Druid, many countries have radically different laws from one another. Another thing to consider is the allowance of weapons from one country to the next, and things like the sumptuary laws that allowed only people of certain station to wear certain fabrics or colors and people of lower station attempting to wear or display these were punished for their transgression.
Another thing to consider is that long term incarceration for 'mundane' crimes is a rather new innovation. In ye olden times, rehabilitation was non-existant. Exile or execution were prime punishments for major crimes and the rest were handled with public beatings, shaming, and other things, or acts of penance by teh criminal. Other countries marked criminals, branding or cutting off the hands of a thief.
Rape, however, is a touchy matter. it should only be brought up in a game context if the playing group is mature enough to handle it with the severity it deserves. Careless handling of this topic can quickly alienate many people, especially those of the female persuasion. Go to Comment
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