IMO, some of the Origin Path options just beg for the character to pick up some Elite Advances to flesh them out. The basic guideline for Elite Advances is a cost of 500 xp, but that can be adjusted up or down depending on what the player and GM work out. Still, I'm wondering if there is a bottom limit. One of the examples shows a player 'bidding' 200 xp to purchase Trade (Miner) for his character. What's a good guide to assigning the xp cost for Elite Advances tied to a character's Origin Path?

What I'm looking at right now are xp cost suggestions for the following:

A character with the Child of the Creed background wants to start with Common Lore (Imperial Creed).

A character with Peer (Underworld) from Noble Born wants to start with Common Lore (Underworld).

A character with Decadence from the Vaunted background wants to start with Carouse.

A character with Logic from the Savant background also wants to start with Peer (Academics).

Should these Elite Advances cost 100 xp? 200 xp? 500 xp?

HappyDaze said:

I'd say 100xp for an advanced skill becoming an untrained basic skill (the Common Lore skills, for example), and 200xp for training in a skill. A talent like Peer, I'd require maybe 200xp for, alongside the character fulfilling the normal prerequisites. None of those examples given are particularly 'out there' in terms of power, and are all useful, characterful options.

500xp works as a good baseline because it can cover pretty much anything. Elite Advances can, at GM's discretion, cost as little as nothing in terms of xp, and may often have some other price attached in place of part or all of the xp cost - a requirement of time spent, the completion of a particular in-game event, the accumulation of Insanity or Corruption Points, or something else of significance.

I'm going to write up a set of Elite Advances attached to each Background. At some point, I'll probably expand this to cover other parts of the Origin Path. I'm going to price Skills and Talents at 200 xp (or 100 xp to treat an Advanced Skill as an untrained Basic Skill).

Here's a few examples:

Child of the Creed

Common Lore (Ecclesiarchy)..........Skill..........200 (100)

Common Lore (Imperial Creed)..........Skill..........200 (100)

Literacy..........Skill..........200 (100)

Performer (Singer)..........Skill..........200 (100)

Scholastic Lore (Imperial Creed)..........Skill..........200 (100)

Speak Language (High Gothic)..........Skill..........200 (100)

Peer (Ecclesiarchy)..........Talent..........200

Savant

Literacy..........Skill..........200 (100)

Logic..........Skill..........200

Scholastic Lore (Philosophy)..........Skill..........200 (100)

Speak Language (High Gothic)..........Skill..........200 (100)

Foresight..........Talent..........200

Peer (Academics)..........Talent..........200

Scapegrace

Blather..........Skill..........200 (100)

Concealment..........Skill..........200

Deceive..........Skill..........200

Gamble..........Skill..........200

Performer (Musician)..........Skill..........200 (100)

Melee Weapon Training (Primitive)..........Talent..........200

I am considering allowing for a 'package deal' that allows a character buying two selections from one of these lists to get a third selection (of equal or lesser value) from the list for no additional cost during character creation.