Martin Dick
>... would be to say that you can't
> increase an ability beyond 20W unless you
> provide a specifically magical way of being
> taught.
Is that a 'just plain can't' or a 'finds it very
difficult to'?
Can't is easy but I'm not too keen on hard and fast
can'ts when it comes to PCs.
I'd probably prefer something less absolute with the
same practical effect. I might simply settle for
not counting the skill as used in the game if the
player cant come up with a suitable magical source
for the skill, which means its learned at double the
cost.
I'd reserve the can't for the NPCs.
> So when ... you see that Erik ... has Fishing 10W4,
> you can either assume its because he spends all his
> time fishing if you want mundane superfishermen
> or its because he has done deals with dolphin [etc]
Good.
However the statement "A PC cant increase an ability
beyond 20W"
- only makes sense if the PCs are human. If the PC were
a golden-eye horse himself he would be able to run at
10W3, and presumably could train further. So now we
would have made a rod for our backs since we would have
to set the threshold for every skill for every
creature beyond which it cant or cant easily progress.
Which is a problem. And a pain, since I would like
to be able to restrict mundane skill improvements
as you suggest.
- only makes sense if all skills have a mundaneness
on the same scale. Yet, while the skills do get
expressed on a universal scale, I would be inclined
to believe that for a human
Swallow Molten Lead Without Blinking 15
is already pushing beyond the mundane in a way that
Estimate Cost Of Round At Pub 15
is not. And that
Breath Air 15
is less impressive still.
Summary:
there is a threshold at which a skill is no longer mundane
that threshold depends on the skill in question
and it depends on the character
ie its subjective, the ref decides when its no longer mundane
and what consitutes a good reason for further learning is also subjective
Conclusion
Its all subjective!
I suggest a rule that says that the ref has to agree that a certain skill
can reasonably be increased and if the player cant convince him that he has
such a reason it costs twice the HP.
<double take>
Uhh! We've already got one.
</double take>
The one thing I might change is to reserve the right to set a heavier
training cost modifier the nearer to breaking the players push my credulity.
Nick Hollingsworth
Birmingham - The land of the free and the home of the balti.