(TFT) Improving Talents with Experience

["Chris Nicole" <chris@loran.karoo.co.uk>]

This is untried, but I've been thinking about it for a while and have
suggested it to my TFT players:

Characters can use experience points to learn new talents (or spells) or
improved levels in existing talents (or spells) as well as increasing
attributes.

When Ron Pehr wrote his "Superheroes in TFT" article (online at Ty's site)
he proposed buying some talents at different levels as Basic, Improved,
Advanced, and Expert. The Basic level is the talent as written, the higher
levels give -1, -2 or -3 dice modifiers to attribute rolls using the talent.
These could be useful particularly with weapon talents as characters acquire
expertise.

"Training to each new level of proficiency is done exactly as if acquiring
the talent at its basic level: Allot IQ points... ...The Basic and Improved
levels of the skill each require the basic cost of the skill; Advanced
requires one point higher, and then Expert requires 2 points higher. "

Starting and lower level characters are much better off putting their XP
into improving Attributes, but after a while they reach a point where the
cost to improve an attribute is so high that it rarely happens or that they
already have most of the talents they really need and just want to get
better at using them.

Beginning characters acquire their starting talents at Basic level just as
in the standard rules. Once they have accumulated enough experience they can
buy an improved level in an existing talent or a new talent at Basic level.
A new talent requires a teacher, improved talents come through practice. A
character is still limited to talents at their IQ level or less. If they
improve their IQ Attribute they still get one point to use on a new talent.

A wizard character can use the same system to buy improved levels in spells.

My main stumbling block on this has been how much to price improved talents
at?
Just as a suggestion to try things out;
10 x [the IQ level of the Talent] x [the original IQ cost of the Talent +
the IQ cost for the improved level]

For example;
Improved (+1) Bow;  IQ7 (2pts) would cost 10 x 7 x 2  = 140 XP with Basic
Bow as a pre-requisite.
Basic Climbing;  IQ 9 (1pt) would cost 10 x 9 x 1 = 90 XP
Expert (+3) Climbing would cost 10 x 9 x (1+2) = 270 XP with Advanced
Climbing as a pre-requisite.
Fencing;  IQ 10 (3pt) would cost 10 x 10 x 3 = 300 XP Pre-requisites;
Dexterity 14 or better and Sword.

Weapon and low IQ talents that get frequent use are most worthwhile
improving. There is very little point in improving absolute Talents such as
Fencing or Physicker that don't require an Attribute roll to use, but they
can still be bought as new talents at the Basic level if you can find a
teacher. An experienced character could have more talents than they have IQ
points.

Regards,

Chris

=================================================================
Chris Nicole
The Little Furry Masters Page:    http://www.loran.karoo.net/cavy/
Home to Whiskey Pig, Brandy Brindle & Piper Pipsqueek:
SLAMMER - Fast Action SF Skirmish Rules:
http://www.loran.karoo.net/slammer/

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