On (In-Game) Books in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game

Though I toyed with the idea of mixing the Demonic Tutor Drawback with Tomes, that is going to take a while to "cook." I may not go that route, at all. Still, it is more difficult to learn from book than it is from a tutor or mentor and that needs to be reflected systematically. 

To those ends, I proffer the following:

Test against Decent (11) for comprehension [(INT+Occultism+d10) vs. 11]. Interpreting a book from another language requires a skills test for that language (10 - Adequate), add 1 SL to the test for comprehension for every failure in interpretation. This simulates a possible misinterpretation of at least some things, be they mere words or entire concepts.

For books with a PL, the reader is required to earn as many SL as the book's PL. For books without a PL - mundane books you could find at, and check out from, a public library, for example - there is no need to check Occultism. If it is a book which teaches a Skill, the Target Number to beat is the usual 10 (plus that Skill, if the character already has a score). These only require 1 SL, at GM's discretion (Kung-Fu may require more).

A book takes [PL] weeks to read and research. These are obviously not the same thing, as Researching/Investigating a Tome is a more complicated process than merely reading one. Mundane books (those without a PL) take 1-2 weeks to finish, depending on circumstances. They can be read much more quickly, but the contents to be learned cannot be rushed.

If there are rules similar to this in one or more UniSystem books I do not own, go with those (for now, at least). Neither the Angel nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG handled this to my taste, so I developed an entire sub-system for books and periodicals to cover it. I may post that one day, but it's loaded with fonts that will not show here, several of which are not for commercial use.

I am still on the fence when it comes to challenging Tomes readers by PL or by assigning a DV to each Tome, the latter of which is what I did originally.

© The Weirding, 2024