5  Character Development
========================

After playing a bit, perhaps each session, the player will want the
character to grow in abilities.  At this point, initial GM-set skill
limits (such as one Superb, three Greats) can be exceeded as the
character naturally develops.  There are two ways to handle character
development, or "experience," as it's often called.

5.1  Subjective Character Development
-------------------------------------

When the player feels the character has accomplished enough to warrant
improving in some trait (and he feels he's been roleplaying well), he
petitions the GM for permission to raise it.  A trait can only be
raised one level at a time.  A trait must be used more to raise it
from Good to Great than Fair to Good, and so on.  Also, skill traits
should be much easier to raise than attributes.

Likewise, the GM can simply award an improvement in a trait she feels
deserves to be raised.  In these cases, there is never a corresponding
reduction of another trait - this is character development, not
creation.

5.2  Objective Character Development
------------------------------------

In the Objective Character Development system, the GM can award
experience points (EP), which the player can trade in any way he wants
at the following rates:

Raising a skill up to Fair level: 1 EP per level.
Raising a skill from Fair to Good: 2 EP.
Raising a skill from Good to Great: 4 EP.
Raising a skill from Great to Superb: 8 EP.
Raising a skill from Superb to Legendary: 16 EP (or more), *and* GM
       approval.
Raising a skill from Legendary to Legendary, 2nd Level: 30 EP (or
       more), *and* GM approval.
Raising a skill each level beyond Legendary, 2nd Level: 50 EP (or
       more), *and* GM approval.
Raising an attribute: triple the cost for skills of the same level.
Adding a gift: 6 EP (or more), *and* GM approval.
Adding a supernormal power: 12 EP (or more), *and* GM approval.

However, a trait can only be raised one level at a time.

The GM may adjust these point levels as she sees fit, of course, and
should require that the traits being raised are those that were used
significantly during an adventure.

As a guideline, good roleplaying should be rewarded with 1 to 3 EP per
gaming session, with an upper suggested limit of 4 EP for flawless
roleplaying.  Players may save EP as long as they wish.

Attribute levels may or may not have effect on EPs put into skills.
For simplicity, you can ignore attribute levels entirely when raising
skill levels.  As an interesting way to keep the game more realistic,
however, consider the following options:

High attributes: if a character has an exceptionally high attribute
that would logically affect a skill, then the GM may shift the EP
costs (on the table above) one level cheaper.  For example, raising
Juggling from Fair to Good costs 2 EP for most characters, and raising
it from Good to Great costs 4 EP.  If a character has Great or Superb
Dexterity, however, it would only cost 1 EP to raise Juggling from
Fair to Good, and 2 EP to raise it from Good to Great using this
option.

Low attributes: conversely, an appropriate attribute of Terrible or
Poor would shift the costs one level the other direction.  Raising
Juggling skill from Mediocre to Fair would cost 2 EP if the
character's Dexterity attribute were Terrible, for example.  For an
extreme treatment of this (involving a skill controlling a Supernormal
Power), see Moose the Mage, Section 6.313, Character Examples.

This system is strictly for character development, and is not
recommended for character creation.  If the GM decides to use it,
however, she should warn the players at the time of character creation
so they can plan their characters' attributes accordingly.

A simpler way to handle this is to charge double EP costs (or multiply
EP costs by 1.5, round up) when a skill is raised *above* an
appropriate attribute.  For example, Josco the Jester has Good
Dexterity.  EP costs for raising Juggling skill are normal until he
tries to raise Juggling to Great, which is higher than his Dexterity.
At that point, he must pay double cost: 8 EP.  (Or 6 EP, if using the
x1.5 formula.)  This can quickly become very expensive in terms of EP,
however, especially if the GM hasn't allowed many free attribute
levels.  It is *not* recommended in epic style campaigns, especially
those with Legendary levels!  Again, this would have nothing to do
with skill level costs at character creation, only EP costs.

5.3  Development through Training
---------------------------------

Improving skills through EP is not always realistic, to be honest.  A
gaming session might only cover a few hours of campaign time.
Allowing a character to improve one or two different skills from Fair
to Good in that time is far-fetched, to say the least.  But it's fun
for the players, and psychologically satisfying, and so recommended.

As an alternative, or in addition to the methods described above, the
GM may allow traits to be raised through appropriate amounts of
training time.  This would require finding a teacher (which would cost
money) or taking an appropriate job (which may not be totally
dedicated the skill you wish to learn, and so take longer).  It's also
possible to learn something on your own, but the GM should double the
time required.  If using the Objective Character Development system,
the GM may (or may not) require that EPs be spent in this manner -
that is, you can't spend EPs unless you also take the time to train.

The GM will have to set training time and costs, and difficulty of
finding a teacher.  The teacher has two skills that must be
considered: Teaching skill, and the appropriate skill being taught.
She should also require a number of rolls from the player to see how
diligently the character learned the skill.  These rolls should be on
an attribute such as Willpower, Drive, Zeal, Wisdom, Self Discipline,
Self Motivation, Psyche, Intelligence, etc.  If the player can give a
valid reason why the character is extremely motivated to learn this
skill, the GM may grant up to +2 to the trait tested.  Not every roll
has to match whatever level the GM has set for success, but over half
of them should.

Example: Billy Blaster, space cadet, is back at the Academy after his
first tour of duty.  He decides his Fair Laser pistol skill is not as
good as it needs to be.  He takes a ten-week training course in Laser
pistol use, taught by an instructor of Great Laser skill and Superb
Teaching skill.  (Since Billy has Gift: Employed by Space Patrol, this
is free training for him.)  The GM decides that Billy's player needs
to make five Willpower rolls to see how dedicated he is to studying.
If most of the rolls are Mediocre or better, Billy can raise his Laser
pistol skill from Fair to Good, given the length of training and
quality of the instructor.  Had the training been shorter, or the
instructor worse, he would have needed a preponderance of Fair or even
Good rolls to have successfully raised his Laser pistol skill.

If using this system, remember that it is much easier to improve a
skill from Poor to Mediocre than from Great to Superb.  Require more
time, or higher Difficulty Levels on the Will rolls to raise an
already high skill.
