Your thoughts of litrpg abilities & skills

[2021]

I’ve been trying to decide between calling them abilities or skills. Abilities to me are more in like natural things like [mana manipulation] or [Voracity]. While skills are like [Backstab] [Shield bash] [Basic something something mastery]


Because my thoughts are I hate having hundreds and hundreds of skills that are mostly passive, that you forget later on. So I want other people thoughts on them so I have a wider range of thoughts.

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

Abilities are innate to a race, skills are something you can learn. Basically what you said.

 

[2021]

Abilities are innate to a race, skills are something you can learn. Basically what you said.

Secondary question if you had been force to choose to between the two (Like right now) what would you choose to use.

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

I prefer the passive ones that are not only great when fighting on a attrition battles while also benefitting it to be efficient as well. Why use a bow and arrow that waste so much money when you can just use a fireball and still replenish them infinitely.

 

[Leyligne]

Skills is the traditional term. Abilities means more like employing a skill. So, unless you’re looking to differentiate your system, I’d go with Skills. If you’re worried you have got too many, use less. Simplify, man!

 

[ElijahRyne]

I’ve been trying to decide between calling them abilities or skills. Abilities to me are more in like natural things like [mana manipulation] or [Voracity]. While skills are like [Backstab] [Shield bash] [Basic something something mastery]


Because my thoughts are I hate having hundreds and hundreds of skills that are mostly passive, that you forget later on. So I want other people thoughts on them so I have a wider range of thoughts.

If you are using a class system, abilities are unique to a class and it’s decedents, while skills are more general and everyone can learn them.

 

[2021]

Skills is the traditional term. Abilities means more like employing a skill. So, unless you’re looking to differentiate your system, I’d go with Skills. If you’re worried you have got too many, use less. Simplify, man!

Yes, rebuilding from a plain system to more of a. (The system is no longer a sugar daddy) (System is now learn things yoursel, I ain’t gotta tell you ever single thing). Aka instead of gaining a skill every moment it only shows main things [abilities] like {mana sense} {mana manipulation} {Some other abilities native to a race}. (But I’m trying to smooth out parts so right now it’s like play-do with just ideas

 

[Leyligne]

Yes, rebuilding from a plain system to more of a. (The system is no longer a sugar daddy) (System is now learn things yoursel, I ain’t gotta tell you ever single thing). Aka instead of gaining a skill every moment it only shows main things [abilities] like {mana sense} {mana manipulation} {Some other abilities native to a race}. (But I’m trying to smooth out parts so right now it’s like play-do with just ideas

Yup, sounds like Abilities, then. Skills from the System were the old way, or so it sounds. No skills from the world, but still can gain the ability to use skills yourself, which is interesting. Could play with that, people stuck in the past kind of thing? Anyway, new world orders need new terminology, so “Abilities” is just a perfect distinction without a difference.

 

[2021]

Yup, sounds like Abilities, then. Skills from the System were the old way, or so it sounds. No skills from the world, but still can gain the ability to use skills yourself, which is interesting. Could play with that, people stuck in the past kind of thing? Anyway, new world orders need new terminology, so “Abilities” is just a perfect distinction without a difference.

Yeah hate where do something gain skill. So I’ve kinda made it to abilities & traits. Traits are divided into three categories on where they relate to one’s self. Abilities are going to be like everyone said something natural born with, and the only few gain are more in {mana manipulation} range.

On common ground Backstab doesn’t ever need to be a skill, it’s a just stabbing someone in a special area of their body. It’s nothing special

 

[NotaNuffian]

Skills are the proficiencies developed through training or experience. Using the ADDIE example, the employee has demonstrated skills in applying the ADDIE model when designing training programs. Skills are usually something that has been learned. So, we can develop our skills through the transfer of knowledge.

Abilities are the qualities of being able to do something. There is a fine line between skills and abilities. Most people would say the differentiator is whether the thing in question was learned or innate. I think of organization and prioritization as abilities that can help an employee develop their instructional design skills.



So the website agrees with your distinction.

I prefer the passive ones that are not only great when fighting on a attrition battles while also benefitting it to be efficient as well. Why use a bow and arrow that waste so much money when you can just use a fireball and still replenish them infinitely.

Because irl, not everyone is born with an innate (passive) ability to do what you just gave example to/ whatever you want.

If in the world that is like Supreme Magus where the MC is a growing supergod, we tend to forget/ ignore the normal folks that don't even fireball.

So the thing becomes very good to have, but if you don't have it in you, welcome to the mook army, here's a bow and arrows.

Derailing: I think that it is up to the writer.

Yup, if you want it to be a racial trait, go for it.

The reason why litrpg is fun-ish is because of how the MC can gain skills/ traits/ abilities that his original race can't get.

Fireproof
Breathe underwater
Mind link

These kinds of passive skills/ abilities are not available to normies. Only with the help of system would you get them.

You can streamline and give them a box if you want, but the odds of people taking note and remembering is low. They just know that MC OP, thats it.

 

[Cipiteca396]

I tried to use Skills as Passives, Abilities as Actives, and Talents as attribute based Perks when I was trying to make a game.

To clarify, a skill is something you do, but that doesn't directly consume depletable resources. So, masonry, carpentry, Sword-User, Evasion. Things that you can just do, and get better at through practice and training.

Abilities, also called Spells, would be actions that consume a certain resource through a specific action. So you could have an Ability related to a skill, like Stone Shape, Wood Shape, Cross-Strike, or Magical Dodge.

And Talents, things related to your self, without being trainable or active. Stronger Muscles, Flexible Limbs, Perfect Memorization, Instant Recollection, Immunity to Emotional Outbursts, Luckiness.

---

However... It really isn't a static thing. Any word can have any meaning in any story/game. In my novel, I ended up dropping Skills and Talents and just used Abilities as a general, "This is the important things they can do. Except it's not all they can do." I kind of want to go back to all three, but the main reason I dropped it was because it was unnecessarily complicated. There's no point in writing out three separate sheets of info that probably missed important features when the only one that matters is, "I throw rocks. With my Mind!"

 

[2021]

Skills are the proficiencies developed through training or experience. Using the ADDIE example, the employee has demonstrated skills in applying the ADDIE model when designing training programs. Skills are usually something that has been learned. So, we can develop our skills through the transfer of knowledge.

Abilities are the qualities of being able to do something. There is a fine line between skills and abilities. Most people would say the differentiator is whether the thing in question was learned or innate. I think of organization and prioritization as abilities that can help an employee develop their instructional design skills.



So the website agrees with your distinction.

Because irl, not everyone is born with an innate (passive) ability to do what you just gave example to/ whatever you want.

If in the world that is like Supreme Magus where the MC is a growing supergod, we tend to forget/ ignore the normal folks that don't even fireball.

So the thing becomes very good to have, but if you don't have it in you, welcome to the mook army, here's a bow and arrows.

Derailing: I think that it is up to the writer.

Yup, if you want it to be a racial trait, go for it.

The reason why litrpg is fun-ish is because of how the MC can gain skills/ traits/ abilities that his original race can't get.

Fireproof
Breathe underwater
Mind link

These kinds of passive skills/ abilities are not available to normies. Only with the help of system would you get them.

You can streamline and give them a box if you want, but the odds of people taking note and remembering is low. They just know that MC OP, thats it.

Yes, I also agree that [Skills] are things thats naturally learnt, like [Carpentry] [Swordsmanship] [Stealth].

A while [Abilities] are something a creature can naturally do, but in some cases learn how do some. [Voracity] [Mana vision]

 

[greyblob]

Skills are passives. Abilities/Spells are actives.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Depends on how you establish them, but in most cases it boils down to active/passiv or magic/power. From there you can add what you want. Race/class/path/regional/etc.

 

[SpiraSpira]

I’ve been trying to decide between calling them abilities or skills. Abilities to me are more in like natural things like [mana manipulation] or [Voracity]. While skills are like [Backstab] [Shield bash] [Basic something something mastery]


Because my thoughts are I hate having hundreds and hundreds of skills that are mostly passive, that you forget later on. So I want other people thoughts on them so I have a wider range of thoughts.

Doesn't really matter what you choose, just be consistent in your own internal rules.

For example, you could have Skills be learnable skills such as those you mentioned Backstab, etc.
Abilities could be something ingrained into a person, for example instead of [Mana manipulation] being an ability perhaps [Mana sensitivity] is which might be a prerequisite to learn the [Mana Manipulation] skill.
Traits could be something that is restricted to a character's race, as maybe Dark Elves had the [Nightvison] trait but Humans had the [Adaptable] trait, etc.

In this setup Skills would be easy to learn, Abilities would be difficult to qualify for and receive and Traits would be close to impossible to adjust....

These are just ideas, the main point is just be consistent.

 

[2021]

Doesn't really matter what you choose, just be consistent in your own internal rules.

For example, you could have Skills be learnable skills such as those you mentioned Backstab, etc.
Abilities could be something ingrained into a person, for example instead of [Mana manipulation] being an ability perhaps [Mana sensitivity] is which might be a prerequisite to learn the [Mana Manipulation] skill.
Traits could be something that is restricted to a character's race, as maybe Dark Elves had the [Nightvison] trait but Humans had the [Adaptable] trait, etc.

In this setup Skills would be easy to learn, Abilities would be difficult to qualify for and receive and Traits would be close to impossible to adjust....

These are just ideas, the main point is just be consistent.

Yeah, I got this idea from d&d, but reworking it to be more fitted to well story.