>How do people play this? Are the talents simply "innate" in some
>way, ie can you gain a new talent independent of any teacher? In
>which case, I guess in some respect gaining one is always "related
>to game play" (ie 2 HP unconcentrated). Or, is there some Flesh Man
>god-talker who teaches them to people?
>
>Can one character teach common magic to another? What would be the
>prereqs for being able to do that?
>
>Just curious - can't really find anything in the rules to pin this
>down. I'd be v. interested in everyone's views.
As far as the rules go: HQ page 59:
"Your hero can usually learn a common magical ability whenever he wishes, although he may have to specify who he learned it from if the ability is not common in his homeland. Learning a common magic ability costs 2 hero points unless your hero has concentrated his magic."
More broadly, I assume that most common magic is things you learned from your parents growing up, or tricks shared between members of the same clan. Abilities listed in the rulebook as coming from a specific common religion, magical society or organisation may be more restricted in availability - but even so I'd say that learning them is just a matter of finding someone who already has the ability and is willing to teach you (possibly in return for payment or service, or requiring a Relationship contest): no special qualifications required. There are religious charlatans around - some listed in ILH2 - who offer their followers common magic while claiming it's actually from their god.
One PC teaching another common magic he knows? - I'd allow it as long as the learner was willing to pay the hero point cost. Possible in-game complications from the teacher's kin wondering why he's teaching this foreigner the ancestral clan magic, though...
The way I'd play it, you *can* learn Talents from other people - at least for Flesh Man talents, these are presumably things which all descendants of Flesh Man - that is, all mortals - are theoretically capable of. A teacher can show you how to express your inborn abilities.
I'd also rule that you can develop a Talent spontaneously, with no teacher, if you are placed in a stressful situation where the Talent would be useful. For example, if you're being chased by hungry trolls and duck down behind a rock, you might "spontaneously" discover you have the Flesh Man talent 'Hide in Cover'. Lost outside on a cold Dragon Pass night, and you might find you have the 'Make Fire' talent. (Or alternatively, you're trying to get the hearthfire lit after it went out, and your children are hungry and crying for food.) But if the player can't come up with a logical explanation as to why his character would have discovered the hidden ability during play, then it's Unrelated.
Stephen
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