Artist*

Artist*
Use: Unskilled
use penalized. Macro skill
Sample limitations: Painting,
sculpting, fashion, music, writing, dance choreography, flower arrangement
Sample specializations: Specific
field within a limitation (writing poetry, composing music, watercolor painting,
etc.), forgery
This
skill gives its user the ability to create a work of art. “Art” is a broadly
defined category but for this skill generally refers to designing, arranging or
creating something which provokes a response from observers. Tastes vary and
not all artists will produce works for the same reason; some may want to
entertain and please, others shock, still others may try to communicate a
message with their work. Some categories that fit this definition of art do not
fall under the artist skill.
While dance choreography falls under this skill, the actual application of the
artist’s work is done instead with the dance
skill. Similarly, forms of art which
involve speaking, singing and anything else which involves performing for an
audience are covered by the performance
art skill. Creating a work of art generally
does not involve making an artist skill
check against a difficulty number. Because perception of art can be very
subjective, when a character creates a work the player generates an artist skill
total and that value is then used to gauge the effectiveness of the work however
seems most appropriate. A painting intended to invoke feelings of anger in the
observer could use the artist skill
value like the taunt skill,
while a song meant to convey a message and convince people of something could
use the artist skill
value like the persuasion skill.
As a general guideline, “good” or at least “effective” artwork should have a
skill total of at least 15. The amount of time involved in creating a work can
vary, anywhere from a few days to years. The artist
skill can also be used to judge other
works of art, perhaps to determine a monetary value, to detect a forgery or to gain
a better appreciation of the artist’s talent (or lack thereof.) The difficulty
of judging another piece of art is usually equal to the artist skill
value of the piece though gamemasters may adjust the difficulty of the task
depending on circumstances using the Difficulty Number Scale. Producing a
forgery of a piece of art will use the artist
skill.