Various Rule Questions

[murazor]

A Matter of Defaults:
Rodrigo buys a D-level of proficiencies and decides to focus on his scimitar, but to give himself a decent dagger skill for close combat and backstabbing.
So he places 6 in Sword & Shield and 3 in Dagger. But Sword & Shields 6 defaults to Dagger 4, which means that the 3 points he put in actually gives him a Dagger proficiency of 7, 1 higher than what was intended as his primary fighting skill. Is this correct?
Another example. Say that Rodrigo has a Dagger skill of 3, but then starts training heavily with Scimitar (Sword & Shield). Once his S&S skill reach 3, the default kicks in and starts to push his dagger skill up until it reaches 6. Correct?

Regarding Armaments: I was looking at the Weapon Statistics, and I noticed that though a Rapier is allmost absurdly long for a one handed weapon - longer than most Long Swords, which has a length of long - it still has a length of medium. Is there any particular reason for this?

Maneuvers: For rapiers, feints have an activation cost of (1), while others have (variable). Does this mean that most swords have no activation cost, only the number of dice equal to the number spent on the feint, while for rapiers there is an extra cost of 1? If so, why?

[Lance D. Allen]

Defaults:

So he places 6 in Sword & Shield and 3 in Dagger. But Sword & Shields 6 defaults to Dagger 4, which means that the 3 points he put in actually gives him a Dagger proficiency of 7, 1 higher than what was intended as his primary fighting skill. Is this correct?

Correct. This reflects that he started out with S&S, which gave him a basic understanding of how to use most weapons, then he switched his focus to dagger, pushing it beyond his skill in S&S.

Another example. Say that Rodrigo has a Dagger skill of 3, but then starts training heavily with Scimitar (Sword & Shield). Once his S&S skill reach 3, the default kicks in and starts to push his dagger skill up until it reaches 6. Correct?

Read exactly by the rules, I'd say this is also correct. Personally, however I stop allowing defaults to be raised once you've points in them. That is my own house rule however, so your mileage may vary.

Maneuvers: For rapiers, feints have an activation cost of (1), while others have (variable). Does this mean that most swords have no activation cost, only the number of dice equal to the number spent on the feint, while for rapiers there is an extra cost of 1? If so, why?

This is how I've always read it as correct. However, I couldn't begin to tell you why. I just trust in Jake's knowledge, and call it a fair trade for how deadly the rapier is.

[Spartan]

Correct. This reflects that he started out with S&S, which gave him a basic understanding of how to use most weapons, then he switched his focus to dagger, pushing it beyond his skill in S&S.

Really?  I figured that proficiency points were just subsumed by the default until they surpassed the default rating.  Learn something new every day, I guess.

-Mark

[murazor]

Defaults:

Maneuvers: For rapiers, feints have an activation cost of (1)

This is how I've always read it as correct. However, I couldn't begin to tell you why. I just trust in Jake's knowledge, and call it a fair trade for how deadly the rapier is.

Oh, I can agree upon that last statement. In my game earlier today, I accidentally ran one of my players through with a rapier today. It was just a 1 point margin of success hit, but it turned into a level 4 wound to the chest. And all from a meaningless duel from a perceived insult.

It allmost killed him, but for desperate first aid by his companion. Which brings me to yet another question; The rules doesn't specify it, but are cumulative first aid attempts allowed on the same wound?
It was a sad way to die, so I allowed it this time.

[Lance D. Allen]

I would allow an "assisting" roll. Have the assisting character roll against First Aid, and for every success, the primary caregiver can add 1 die to his roll.

[Lance D. Allen]

Really? I figured that proficiency points were just subsumed by the default until they surpassed the default rating. Learn something new every day, I guess.

I stubbornly held on to the same belief for quite some time until Jake came and made it clear I was wrong. Then I shrugged and went to fix Tiberius' character sheet.

[murazor]

I would allow an "assisting" roll. Have the assisting character roll against First Aid, and for every success, the primary caregiver can add 1 die to his roll.

But won't help at all, since you stop 3 points of bleeding per First Aid success. Hence, to stop a Blood Loss of 19, as the relevant level four wound caused, you need 7 successes. Which, unless you have an Agility (or more properly dexterity, which doesn't exist) of 7 or more is impossible.
Though I suppose a wound like that _should_ be lethal in a premodern setting. And it shouldn't be possible to patch a punctured lung with first aid. But; Is it within the rules at all to heal serious wounds and heavy bleeding without magic?

[Lance D. Allen]

But won't help at all, since you stop 3 points of bleeding per First Aid success. Hence, to stop a Blood Loss of 19, as the relevant level four wound caused, you need 7 successes. Which, unless you have an Agility (or more properly dexterity, which doesn't exist) of 7 or more is impossible.

Sure it'll help.

Like so:

Assisting person rolls AG(5) -vs- First Aid(6) and rolls 6, 1, 6, 5, 2. Two successes. This adds one die to the primary aid giver.

Say the primary aid giver is so because he's practiced his first aid, and he's more agile than the average fellow.

AG(6) -vs- First Aid (5). Now you add the +1 die from the two successes by the Assisting person, so he's rolling 7 dice. 2, 9, 4, 3, 9, 10, 5. Four successes. That's 12 BL stopped, leaving the injured character with a much more manageable BL of (19-12=7). So he bleeds a little more, maybe making one or two more BL checks. His chances of success are immensely improved. But the primary first aid person realizes he's still bleeding, so goes in to bind the wounds again, until the bleeding stops.

When it comes to stopping severe bleeding, you don't stop until they die of blood loss, or the (bright red) bleeding stops. If you don't get it on the first try, they just lose more blood until you do, that's all.

Mind you, the assisting roll is a completely optional rule, but it makes sense, and has some small amount of mechanical precedence in the method that acrobatics can add CP for full evades. The rest of my explanation should work as advertised.

Edit: To think, I found the healing and first aid rules to be somewhat confusing, but in explaining it to you, I'm getting a better grasp on it.

[Brian Leybourne]

I think that if I allowed an assisting roll at all, I would certianly only allow two people to assist the primary healer. There's only so many people that can squeeze around a body and wrap bandages around it etc :-)

But yeah, otherwise not a bad house rule.

Brian.