Writing What is Skill Level and Grinding?

[NotaNuffian]

Continuation to https://forum.scribblehub.com/threads/taking-the-power-of-a-weapon-into-body.21861/

In LitRPGs, the skills are all laid out bare and forward and all MC has to do is literally GRIND ie do the correct motion/s repetitively and watch the level of the skill/s climb.

In my dumbass wanting to change that, I said that previously MC can take in experience of weapons as his own. Like, instantly he is a good sword user as long as he touches a sword.

So right now older and dumber me thought about something stupid; what happens when MC wants to grow as a person and evolve from just being early episode Peter Petrelli? How does the skill growth get accounted?

In LitRPGs, everything is number coded, if readers want see growth, all they have to see is the numbers going up. And because all stats and skills are accounted for, the numbers are clear.

But in my dim mind that spawned my work, my system works when MC touches a weapon. Then he gains experience not his own. And once he switched to a different weapon, said experience would mostly go bye bye or leave smidges in his feeble mind.

What happens if he chooses to go by the way of katana, practise and crap but is stuck using the blunderbuss? Because by right, all the system will take note is his growth as blunderbuss not as katana.

How would all the unaccounted numbers come up? Was planning maybe backlogs but then it becomes more problem of its own.

 

[Placeholder]

Per pixar, we’re interested in when a character strives and sweats towards things.

Your overpowered skill character isn't going to hit as interesting as some poor bastard who has to take out the dark lord with a folding chair.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

You can look to tabletop games for advice.

One game called "Champions" had something called a "Variable Power Pool" - a specialized one for weapons would capture this character's situation - he has a set number of skill levels he can immediately use with any weapon he picks up, but temporarily "forgets" other weapons UNLESS he specifically trained (i.e. spent character points to learn) that other weapon.
Since he trained a long time with the katana, he loses any "bonus abilities" his power grants him, but not the core skill - but with the blunderbuss he has all the abilities as long as he keeps using it. If he sets it aside, and then picks up, say, a halberd, he loses all blunderbuss abilities, but now has them for the halberd.

At least one game also had a "skill atrophy" rule - a character who went a set amount of time without using a specific skill loses points from it - but that may be more than you want to deal with (and was an optional rule in that game).

 

[Biggest-Kusa-Out-There]

Continuation to https://forum.scribblehub.com/threads/taking-the-power-of-a-weapon-into-body.21861/

In LitRPGs, the skills are all laid out bare and forward and all MC has to do is literally GRIND ie do the correct motion/s repetitively and watch the level of the skill/s climb.

In my dumbass wanting to change that, I said that previously MC can take in experience of weapons as his own. Like, instantly he is a good sword user as long as he touches a sword.

So right now older and dumber me thought about something stupid; what happens when MC wants to grow as a person and evolve from just being early episode Peter Petrelli? How does the skill growth get accounted?

In LitRPGs, everything is number coded, if readers want see growth, all they have to see is the numbers going up. And because all stats and skills are accounted for, the numbers are clear.

But in my dim mind that spawned my work, my system works when MC touches a weapon. Then he gains experience not his own. And once he switched to a different weapon, said experience would mostly go bye bye or leave smidges in his feeble mind.

What happens if he chooses to go by the way of katana, practise and crap but is stuck using the blunderbuss? Because by right, all the system will take note is his growth as blunderbuss not as katana.

How would all the unaccounted numbers come up? Was planning maybe backlogs but then it becomes more problem of its own.

even in life, the more you use a knife to slice meat, you'll progressively get better at it. If your system messes with muscle memory and makes mc forget all the katana/sword/mace/axe muscle memory once he picks a new weapon... then it's not really a good system imho. It should only enhance, no? The basics of bipedal, two arm, opposite thumbs creatures is the <usage of tools>. Evolution gave that to us and it's what made us win the evolution race when we figured out how to throw shit and run for a long time. LitRPG should be an added feature, no? It's been over three years since I last rode a bike but I still remember how to, for example. A litRPG makes things quicker and in a quantifiable way. You're overcomplicating the litRPG aspect of your story, my friend.

 

[NotaNuffian]

You can look to tabletop games for advice.

One game called "Champions" had something called a "Variable Power Pool" - a specialized one for weapons would capture this character's situation - he has a set number of skill levels he can immediately use with any weapon he picks up, but temporarily "forgets" other weapons UNLESS he specifically trained (i.e. spent character points to learn) that other weapon.
Since he trained a long time with the katana, he loses any "bonus abilities" his power grants him, but not the core skill - but with the blunderbuss he has all the abilities as long as he keeps using it. If he sets it aside, and then picks up, say, a halberd, he loses all blunderbuss abilities, but now has them for the halberd.

At least one game also had a "skill atrophy" rule - a character who went a set amount of time without using a specific skill loses points from it - but that may be more than you want to deal with (and was an optional rule in that game).

Yeah, I am not using Skill Atrophy because like the CN always put it, once you have DeepBlue, alzheimer and dementia goes away.

even in life, the more you use a knife to slice meat, you'll progressively get better at it. If your system messes with muscle memory and makes mc forget all the katana/sword/mace/axe muscle memory once he picks a new weapon... then it's not really a good system imho. It should only enhance, no? The basics of bipedal, two arm, opposite thumbs creatures is the <usage of tools>. Evolution gave that to us and it's what made us win the evolution race when we figured out how to throw shit and run for a long time. LitRPG should be an added feature, no? It's been over three years since I last rode a bike but I still remember how to, for example. A litRPG makes things quicker and in a quantifiable way. You're overcomplicating the litRPG aspect of your story, my friend.

Ok.

Am backlogging.

 

[Kenjona]

Yeah, I am not using Skill Atrophy because like the CN always put it, once you have DeepBlue, alzheimer and dementia goes away.

Ok.

Am backlogging.

You could always also go with the age and usage of the weapon can correspond with how much skill the user get when he uses that weapon.
800 Year old Katana; your using it like a Great Grand Master level Dancing off walls and turning everything within strike range into Puree'; 20 Year old Blunderbuss, expert level allows you to win shooting contests, and do some trick shooting with it; Brand spanking new, never been used Fairburn knife, pointy end might go this way, and you think you can stabby stabby with it.

Oh and the atrophy skill rules is in GURPS (Generic Universal Roleplaying System) TTRPG to be used for very long campaigns, or for older characters.

Grinding though is the constant ad nauseum practicing of a skill to get better at it over time.

 

[laccoff_mawning]

Have the stats page be a several-hundred metre long monstrosity that details every single stat a mortal could possibly wish for, plus several million more for all the stats that no mortal wants to see, but have regardless. All stats sorted alphabetically, of course.

Then add a search-bar feature to the status window.

 

[RoyalTime]

I'm at a hiatus, so don't ask me questions

 

[PancakesWitch]

Continuation to https://forum.scribblehub.com/threads/taking-the-power-of-a-weapon-into-body.21861/

In LitRPGs, the skills are all laid out bare and forward and all MC has to do is literally GRIND ie do the correct motion/s repetitively and watch the level of the skill/s climb.

In my dumbass wanting to change that, I said that previously MC can take in experience of weapons as his own. Like, instantly he is a good sword user as long as he touches a sword.

So right now older and dumber me thought about something stupid; what happens when MC wants to grow as a person and evolve from just being early episode Peter Petrelli? How does the skill growth get accounted?

In LitRPGs, everything is number coded, if readers want see growth, all they have to see is the numbers going up. And because all stats and skills are accounted for, the numbers are clear.

But in my dim mind that spawned my work, my system works when MC touches a weapon. Then he gains experience not his own. And once he switched to a different weapon, said experience would mostly go bye bye or leave smidges in his feeble mind.

What happens if he chooses to go by the way of katana, practise and crap but is stuck using the blunderbuss? Because by right, all the system will take note is his growth as blunderbuss not as katana.

How would all the unaccounted numbers come up? Was planning maybe backlogs but then it becomes more problem of its own.

So he just becomes an expert of any weapon he holds? I dont think this needs to be LitRPG because the purpose of LitRPG is that you can see the progress in numbers and skills, but if he loses things every time he grabs something new then it shouldnt really be that. Unless you want to make this an "ability within the System" itself, like for example, let's call it [Fake Weapon Master] or something, so any weapon he holds with either of his two hands is instantly mastered as long as he holds them, but he quickly forgets how to use them afterwards. The skill can level up an add more techniques of any weapon he holds, more attack power, attack speed, and supernatural bullshit techniques. He could also gain permanent skills on the side after using weapons for a while which he can slowly accumulate to not completeley forget about these weapons, giving a proper sense of progression which LitRPGs are well known for. Well, that's what I would do in your case.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Have the stats page be a several-hundred metre long monstrosity that details every single stat a mortal could possibly wish for, plus several million more for all the stats that no mortal wants to see, but have regardless. All stats sorted alphabetically, of course.

Then add a search-bar feature to the status window.

I'm at a hiatus, so don't ask me questions

So he just becomes an expert of any weapon he holds? I dont think this needs to be LitRPG because the purpose of LitRPG is that you can see the progress in numbers and skills, but if he loses things every time he grabs something new then it shouldnt really be that. Unless you want to make this an "ability within the System" itself, like for example, let's call it [Fake Weapon Master] or something, so any weapon he holds with either of his two hands is instantly mastered as long as he holds them, but he quickly forgets how to use them afterwards. The skill can level up an add more techniques of any weapon he holds, more attack power, attack speed, and supernatural bullshit techniques. He could also gain permanent skills on the side after using weapons for a while which he can slowly accumulate to not completeley forget about these weapons, giving a proper sense of progression which LitRPGs are well known for. Well, that's what I would do in your case.

Well, it is the usual "brain can compute but body is lacking"

MC can touch Mihawk's Yoru and gain knowledge of a master swordsman. His body however, needs to be trained to be at least able to use Mihawk's moves.

 

[PancakesWitch]

Well, it is the usual "brain can compute but body is lacking"

MC can touch Mihawk's Yoru and gain knowledge of a master swordsman. His body however, needs to be trained to be at least able to use Mihawk's moves.

The novel "Worlds' Apocalypse Online" has a main character with a similar ability.

 

[NotaNuffian]

The novel "Worlds' Apocalypse Online" has a main character with a similar ability.

I got the idea from...

A ton of places. Namely CNs.

One novel even put it quite nicely as "regression" ie as though lived a past life filled only with mastering the same skill/ weapon and now "reborn" with the knowledge.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Wonder if I could find any of my old notes. I had two characters in different stories (one written for NaNoWriMo about ten years ago, and the other for a shared universe superhero story in the 90s) who had "combat minds" - they had an instinctive talent for tactics and the ability to understand any weapon just by handling it for a few seconds (and one could learn Martial Arts styles with a day or two per maneuver; the other didn't bother, just relying on weapons, geometry and allies, pretty much in that order).

 

[NotaNuffian]

Wonder if I could find any of my old notes. I had two characters in different stories (one written for NaNoWriMo about ten years ago, and the other for a shared universe superhero story in the 90s) who had "combat minds" - they had an instinctive talent for tactics and the ability to understand any weapon just by handling it for a few seconds (and one could learn Martial Arts styles with a day or two per maneuver; the other didn't bother, just relying on weapons, geometry and allies, pretty much in that order).

Thank you, but there's no need to.