Ancient Wonders, Technical Skills, and Aberrations-
What once were the commonplace tools of living and leisure for the Ancients are now considered archaeological treasures and great boons.
While both Intelligence and Wisdom must certainly play a role in determining the type of item, and diagnosing its condition, with a strong argument that high Dexterity may illuminate additional features on most purely-mechanical devices, surely experience itself is a great teacher? So far we have something like this:
- Base Percentage Chance (BPC) based upon the item's Utility (01% -- 100+%, with higher being better). Simpler, or more 'user-friendly' items are easier to activate in their intended manner than similarly complex items with lower Utility.
- +/- 5% per Modifier on Exp, Wis, Int, and Dex
- Condition modifies the Threshold: Irreperable +100, Badly Damaged +75, Minor Damage -0, Superficial Damage -05, Display Item -10, New In Box -25, NIB still in Crate -50
- Remove Traps to Disarm/Make-Safe, Diagnose Condition, and effect Repair
- Open Locks to Diagnose and Clear Correctable Malfunctions/Reset
- Technologians have the correct skill set to perform these procedures, and receive a flat +20% bonus in addition to their rolls
- Certain Aberrations provide specific bonuses at various stages in the Identification/Diagnosis/Repair process
Clearly, a series of steps are necessary to take an artefact and bring it back to operational level. To speed things along, I've come up with this procedure:
- Spend an amount of coin on diagnosis and any possible repair at a cost equal to the item's XP value. A rush job will cost at least double (1d4+1x), and subtracts 25 from the item's Utility until the first six times it is used, decreasing by 6% each time until only 1% has degraded until the minor repair is performed.
- Spend the XP for the Armour/Weapon Proficiency or Open Locks +%s necessary to operate the item in the field
- Pay 1/2 the XP value of the item (if discovered, it may be a 'free cost')
