Is it ever acceptable, when converting a Multiverser character into another game system for the purposes of running a game world, to use the character's decimalized area bias to derive the value of a game system attribute?
I'm thinking not, if only because it would be difficult to convert it back if the game world attribute increased. Still, I'm left wondering what to do in a situation like this one:
The system has six attributes, four of which are fairly straightforward. Physical power, endurance and toughness are all wrapped up in Strength, coordination and agility are covered by Dexterity, and Knowledge covers erudition and breadth of experience. The fourth, Discernment, encompasses a great many things, including sensory perception, forensic investigation, stealth, leadership, bargaining, and resistance against many of those skills as well as against mind-affecting powers; it's effectively a blend of intuition and persuasion, a sort of sensory/cognitive attribute. These four are fine, converting readily enough with some thought and consideration. It's the last two attributes, the fifth and sixth, that cause trouble.
In this universe, psionics are ubiquitous and everyone is presumed to have a wide range of commonplace psionic skills. Two attributes deal specifically with psionic talent in a very broad way - Physic is defined as general facility with those skills which cause tangible effects, and Psychic is the character's aptitude for those skills causing intangible effects. Specific abilities and techniques are covered as individual skills, but the vast majority of advanced psionic skills are supported by one of these two attributes. (Many simple psionic applications are assumed by skills covered by other attributes - skill with ranged force-generative weapons is supported by Dexterity, for example, and if you're Bargaining without using empathic manipulation and suggestion you're not doing it right.)
What do I do with this? Our verser may have some psionic skills, but he's not steeped in a heavily psi-biased culture where a solid foundation in that area is assumed as a part of daily life. Even if my verser is heavily detailed, how am I to distinguish his talent from his skill, much less divide his talent into two spheres?
I could just grab his psi BRA and use that for both attributes. Intuition and Persuasion are both already covered, but Willpower is conspicuous in its absence; I could take that as a cue to use Willpower for both Physic and Psychic (willfully ignoring that several indigs have very different values for the two attributes).
Alternatively, I could try to derive a value somehow from the verser's psi skills. Physic skills primarily come from bias levels 4-7, 9, 10, 13, and 15; Psychic skills are mostly drawn from levels 1-3, 8, 11, and 12. Perhaps his highest SAL from each of those groups could be put through some sort of formula to produce a value for each attribute? A single high-level skill shouldn't skew the result, though, because these are meant to represent a broad array of ability; perhaps I could use the average of his highest SALs from each of five bias levels within those groups? (e.g., the character has 2@1 Mind Reading P1@1, 1@8 Thought Shield P2@1, 1@5 Mind Scan P3@9, 1@8 Interrupt Thought P8@1, and a 2@5 Danger Sense P12@1, so [97/5 = 19.2] we compare 1@9 to a special scale to determine his Psychic.)
Thoughts?
