| This skill requires specialization |
"... I'm the first one they call when they discover a new piece of art--and I'm the one they're scared to call, because I'm the best in the world at discovering a fake.." -- Jacob Stone, The Librarians[1]
Connoisseur (IQ/Average) is the skill regarding an educated understanding of art and luxury items.[2] Requires specialization. It can be used to predict what the critics will think, assess how much an item will fetch on the market,[3] and to impress the culturally literate.[4]
Defaults: IQ-5 and others -- Each specialty defaults to the skills used to study or create the art at -3.
Examples[]
- Art
- Literature
- Music
- Visual Arts
- Weapons -- useful for telling weapon quality as it covers all weapons, compared to Armory covering a smaller category
- Luxuries -- Collected together in the DFRPG
- Wine, cloth, perfume, etc.
Modifiers[]
- Lack of a Cultural Familiarity may give a penalty to Connoisseur
- Killjoy gives -3
Where referenced[]
- GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons™, p. 14, on evaluating loot
- GURPS Martial Arts, p. 56, on taking Weapons as a specialty
- GURPS Low-Tech Companion 1: Philosophers and Kings, p. 13, on the application of iconography to Connoisseur (Art).
- While Dungeon Fantasy RPG mentions Connoisseur, it seems superfluous, as Merchant assays prices and Forgery tells fakes.
Kromm Quotes[]
Sean Punch has commented on Connoisseur in the following posts to the SJG GURPS Forums:
- On the breadth of possible specialties [1]
- On its usefulness to a black-market dealer [2]
- On spelling it
Classic[]
- Appreciate Beauty was a VH Classic skill that became Connoisseur (Beauty) in 4e.
See Also[]
References[]
- GURPS Update, p.18, 21