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Author Topic: Character Advancement
Nigel_Clar-
ke
Nakomé (Clanless)
Posts: 9
Post Character Advancement
on: December 31, 2019, 05:33

One thing that I find a bit short of 'crunch' is post chargen advancement. I noticed it most when considering the possibility of learning ancient languages. Now Swords & Glory had a convoluted system involving several styles of learning and rating skills from easy to learn to very difficult but the issue is 'convoluted'.

Now you can spend a point of post chargen Advantage on the Training advantage but that jumps the PC ahead by two years and gives one rank in one skill. This either separates a group of players or the Training goes on in the background.

Another issue that rears it's head is spending one EP and instantly losing a -4 for untrained in a skill. This felt at odds when so much of the rules is geared to a longer term campaign. It seems more oriented to a constant adventuring style of game.

I'm inclined to make a House Rule that sets the time for learning 1 EP's worth of a skill at 40 weeks based on 3EP's in two years (720 days). Now there's no time spent per day given or implied but I'd say 2 hours per day for most skills with four hours per day for Academic/Temple skills.
Rather than playing out the 40 weeks it's simpler to 'red line' it and summarise the intervening time for everyone at once and just advance the timeline. Anyone spending longer training can be temporarily replaced by an NPC or secondary PC from someone's entourage.

jeffdee
Administrator
Posts: 427
Post Re: Character Advancement
on: January 10, 2020, 15:04

The -4 for untrained use of certain skills is meant to reflect the fact that the 'basics' of those skills aren't common knowledge. It's not meant to imply that those skills are 'harder', per se. Thus paying 1 EP is sufficient to acquaint the character with those basics, and advancement proceeds normally from there.

-Jeff

RobATX
Nakomé (Clanless)
Posts: 1
Post Re: Character Advancement
on: February 15, 2020, 11:53

As a campaign modification, I allow my characters to freely add EPs to skills they already have. For new skills, they have to justify to me how the activity in the game allowed them to pick up that skill. For example, they are in a legion that is fighting skirmishes on the Mu'ugalavyáni border. So, after several encounters, capturing enemy troops and transporting them back, etc. I allowed them all to learn Mu'ugalavyani language. I would not have allowed them to learn ancient Bednáljan without some down time to study.

That said, in my campaign there is usually a period of some days or weeks in garrison after an adventure, where the characters are just performing routine duties until their next assignment. This allows them to then spend earned EPs for new stuff.

The effect is that they can immediately get better at stuff they already know, but have to wait for the end of an adventure to get new skills, unless they can demonstrate why they deserve to get the new skills right away.

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