Project Notes

Project Notes & Design Philosophy

This page serves as a repository for ongoing thoughts and planned changes for the AAA (Alterated Alternity Alternative) system.

Implemented System Changes

Disconnecting Broad Skills from Attributes

Broad Skills are no longer strictly classified by Attribute. While they have a default Attribute for base checks, the system now supports using Broad Skills with different Attributes where appropriate.

Unified “Covert Ops” Broad Skill

The Covert Ops Broad Skill has been implemented, consolidating:

• Unified Stealth: Merging hide, sneak, and shadowing into a single Stealth specialty.
• Physical Bypassing: Including Lockpick and Pickpocket.
• Removed: Manipulation (Broad) and Prestidigitation (Specialty) have been retired.

Profession & Background Changes

• Diplomat: The Diplomat will no longer be a standalone Profession (class). Instead, its core identity and skills will be redistributed into one or several Backgrounds (e.g., Ambassador, Negotiator, Politician). This allows characters of any profession to have a background in high-level social interaction.

New Species & Psionics

• Drive-Space Entity (Name TBD): A new species originating from “Drive Space” (the dimension used for FTL travel). They are specialized psions with a physiology adapted to the non-Euclidean nature of that realm.
• Teleportation Broad Skill: A new Psionic broad skill allowing for the manipulation of space and distance. This will include specialties for personal blink-steps, long-range jaunts, and potentially shifting objects.

This change aims to streamline “rogue-style” characters and reduce skill bloat in the dexterity and intelligence categories.

Skill Familiarity & Cross-Specialty Training (The “Half Rule”)

Training in one firearm frequently translates to others. A character’s highest specialty rank in a broad skill (like Modern Ranged or Melee Combat) should theoretically “pull up” their base competence in others.

• Proposed Baseline: Use half of the highest specialty rank (rounded down) as a baseline for other specialties in the same broad skill (Familiarity Rank).
• Familiarity Scope: Only affects accuracy/modifier calculations, NOT rank benefits (like Quick Draw or Rock-n-Roll). Benefits must still be purchased natively.
• The Integration Bonus: To solve the “XP dead zone,” characters should receive an additional -1 step bonus while their native ranks are lower than their familiarity floor. This bonus is lost once native training catches up.

Modern Ranged Specialty Split (5-Specialty Model)

The AAA system implements a 5-specialty structure for modern firearms to improve tactical niche clarity and “Real Experience” balancing over the standard 3-specialty model:

1. Pistol (DEX - Compactness/Speed)
2. SMG (DEX - Close-Range Automatic)
3. Assault Rifle (DEX - Mid-Range Automatic)
4. Shotgun (DEX - Tactical Versatility/Selection)
5. Rifle (DEX - Long-Range Precision)