Skill steal question

[HelloHound]

Congratulations! you've been granted a skill from the heavens (or wherever) and that skill is the ability to steal the skills of others! What do you do with it?

Spoiler: Here's what I would do...

So I would go and volunteer at places where the people inside are expected to die such as elderly care, terminal care, and death row. I would take care of those inside until it's close to their 'time' and then take any skills they may have. I feel like this way there aren't any potential victims from this act and is overall pretty even with the give-and-take

So that's what I would do (in theory) but I'm curious what y'all would do with that power

 

[Cipiteca396]

Eat the world?

 

[georgelee5786]

...nothing, tbh. I honestly would rather not stir the hornets by stealing abilities

 

[ParticleOfSand]

Go around acting different roles with the different skills and leave a series of disappearing cases.

 

[Succubiome]

Congratulations! you've been granted a skill from the heavens (or wherever) and that skill is the ability to steal the skills of others! What do you do with it?

Spoiler: Here's what I would do...

So I would go and volunteer at places where the people inside are expected to die such as elderly care, terminal care, and death row. I would take care of those inside until it's close to their 'time' and then take any skills they may have. I feel like this way there aren't any potential victims from this act and is overall pretty even with the give-and-take

So that's what I would do (in theory) but I'm curious what y'all would do with that power

Any limits on "skills"?
Any limit on "others"? Can I steal the cheetah's running skill? The wind's voice?
Any distance or other limitations?

 

[HelloHound]

Any limits on "skills"?
Any distance or other limitations?

let's say you can only take a prominent skill of theirs (their first or second top skill, however that's considered) and you need to be within 6 or so feet of them for it to work

 

[Cipiteca396]

let's say you can only take a prominent skill of theirs (their first or second top skill, however that's considered) and you need to be within 6 or so feet of them for it to work

What qualifies as 'them'? My first target would be the weeds in my backyard, so I can get photosynthesis...

 

[Syringe]

Find a thermophile and take its heat resistant abilities so I can survive this coming summer.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

I remember there was an isekai where there was a skill steal ability but you had to pay the percentage of your lifespan equal to the skill

What qualifies as 'them'? My first target would be the weeds in my backyard, so I can get photosynthesis...

A spin on "taking one's breath away"

 

[Cipiteca396]

I remember there was an isekai where there was a skill stealnability but you had to pay the percentage of your lifespan equal to the skill

So how much do you pay for an immortality skill?

 

[ThrillingHuman]

So how much do you pay for an immortality skill?

I am pretty sure there wasn't one but you probably just die immediately

So how much do you pay for an immortality skill?

besides, immortality is a trait, not a skill. How can one even be skillful at being immortal? You either are or aren't

 

[Tyranomaster]

besides, immortality is a trait, not a skill. How can one even be skillful at being immortal? You either are or aren't

You die little deaths each day until you build up an immunity. Easy.

 

[BlackKnightX]

Realistically speaking, how will that work in real life, though? Think about it. Skill comes with experience, right? So if you steal someone's skill, does that mean you also steal their experience? In other word, are you also stealing their memory associated with that skill? If not, then it's not really stealing skill, more like copying, since the target can still use it by experience. And if it's just merely copying skill, then I'm going to town, baby~

 

[Succubiome]

Realistically speaking, how will that work in real life, though? Think about it. Skill comes with experience, right? So if you steal someone's skill, does that mean you also steal their experience? In other word, are you also stealing their memory associated with that skill? If not, then it's not really stealing skill, more like copying, since the target can still use it by experience. And if it's just merely copying skill, then I'm going to town, baby~

Hmm... could be you take on all the experience they had bundled into that skill?

Could be you take on the combat skills of a veteran of some war's combat skills, and suddenly you have memories not only of training and indoctrination in boot camp, but learning how to actually fight when under fire, memories of other soldiers who died by their side as if they were your own dead friends, and PTSD.

You take on a corporate lawyer's skills, and get their learned apathy towards anything but making money, as well as their psychological addiction to the drugs they relied on to get them through law school.

Sounds potentially very risky, if interesting-- but on the other hand, this is a deal you could genuinely offer to retired people, and some people might take you up on it.

 

[Daitengu]

Prison guard or prisoner transport would be the ideal job for such a skill. Nothing quite like stealing the skills of convicted felons. I'd specifically target murderers, rapists, drug dealers, pimps, and multimillion fraudsters.

 

[Aaqil]

Hmm... could be you take on all the experience they had bundled into that skill?

Could be you take on the combat skills of a veteran of some war's combat skills, and suddenly you have memories not only of training and indoctrination in boot camp, but learning how to actually fight when under fire, memories of other soldiers who died by their side as if they were your own dead friends, and PTSD.

You take on a corporate lawyer's skills, and get their learned apathy towards anything but making money, as well as their psychological addiction to the drugs they relied on to get them through law school.

Sounds potentially very risky, if interesting-- but on the other hand, this is a deal you could genuinely offer to retired people, and some people might take you up on it.

 

[DonHon]

Okay re changing the answer: Steal a power to heal and profit also some combat powers for defending reasons

 

[expentio]

Is it stealing or copying? Makes a huge difference. I like how it was portrayed in Core.001, where the MC had to give herself the according opportunities to make the powerhouses use their stuff.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

If I'm in this normal world where nobody has those "Magical steal", then it would he useless.

It's like when you got the ability of copying magic spell in a normal world where nobody uses magic at all.

 

[greyblob]

theoretically you only need to steal 1 skill to function in such a society. anything further is an insurance. I'd see if I can steal from corpses. if not then find someone with a skill on death's door and steal theirs.