Copyright (c) 1996 by Elizabeth McCoy <emccoy@jade.mv.net>

Counselling skill, (M/A, no prereq, defaults to Psychology, and
Physician -2, posiibly also Acting -5, Bard -5, Carousing -8, or
Diplomacy -5)

Modifiers: Charisma, +3 for Empathy, maybe +1 for Intuition, maybe +1
for Voice.  Appropriate reaction penalties may act as minuses to this
skill (e.g. some Odious Personal Habits, Stuttering. . .)

Possesion of skill at 15 would give +1 reaction roll in situations
where someone was agitated, 20+ would give +2, or, perhaps, a
counselling roll could be used in place of a reaction roll in some
situations (terrorist negotiatons, talking a jumper off of a building,
etc.), with a success giving a Good reaction (Excellent on a critical
success), and a falure giving a Poor reaction, or a Very Bad on a
critical failure. . . some people just REALLY can't stand
psychobabble. :)

Counselling would be available at *any* tech level, and a psychologist
would have the Counselling skill as their professional skill.
Medicine men and women, tribal elders, priests, and so forth would,
and do, have this skill, also.

At an appropriate tech level, Counselling *may*, at GM's option, give
reasonably complete and accurate information about the effects and
side effects of psycopharmalogical drugs -- this would depend on
character concept.  A professional psychologist would know this sort
of thing, and where to send someone to get a perscription, while a
priest or rabbi would probably just know that they existed, but
wouldn't know any specifics.

You could have optional specializations in Counselling, including
Emergency Intervention, Addiction Treatment, Hostile Situations (might
be appropriate for police or SWAT teams, would *not* be appropriate
for military or Special Ops).

A successful Hypnotism roll on a willing subject may give +4 on a
Counselling roll in certain situations, like reducing the severity of
a mental disadvantage.

Mental disadvantages that can be treated with Counselling, including
drug treatments, (and appropriate payment of character points)
include virtually everything except Dyslexia, which, as described, is
too severe a problem to be treatable by normal means, Illiteracy,
which just has to be learned, Unluckiness, Cursed, or Jinxed.  Most
counselors, also, would have a real problem being asked to "cure"
Codes of Honor or Honesty.

Odious Personal Habits, Overweight, Skinny, and Stuttering, may, in
*some* cases be treatable by Counseling.