When you purchase a non-career specialization - do you get that specialization's career as you second career?

I think not.

But one of my players says an FFG employee told him you do. He says you get 3-4 free ranks in that second career's skills. In addition to free ranks in 1 career and in 1 specialization...

It's like....
Buy a career - get free ranks in career skills

Buy a specialization - get free ranks in spec skills

Buy a second career spec - dont get free ranks in spec skills

Buy a NON-CAREER specialization - don't get free ranks in spec skills BUT get free ranks in that specs CAREER skills

Is he right?

Short answer no.

You don't gain any free skills points for buying a new Specialisation tree.

I believe you do get to mark the skills in that tree as career skills, (although I could be wrong about that) meaning said skills won't cost you as much down the line.

Sorry, but your friend is in error.

A character only has one career, that being the one they selected at character creation; once chosen, the character is locked into that career. You get those eight skills as career skills (six if using a Force and Destiny career) and one free rank in four of them (three if using F&D career). The character then gets four additional career skills from their initial specialization, and one free rank in two of them.

It's not possible to acquire an additional career. And even when purchasing a second specialization, be it from the same career or a different career, the character doesn't receive any further free skill ranks; instead the only thing provided by the new specialization is you add the skills listed for that specific specialization to the character's list of career skills. The only other time a character gains something from purchasing an additional specialization is with those universal specs that offer Force Rating 1, but in exchange don't provide the character with any additional career skills.

On 12/18/2019 at 2:49 PM, Oyami said:

But one of my players says an FFG employee told him you do. He says you get 3-4 free ranks in that second career's skills. In addition to free ranks in 1 career and in 1 specialization...

My mom says I'm the cutest, and deserve to be president. Seriously though, just the concept of that for potentially as low a cost as 20xp should raise red flags.

The XP cost for the non-career specialization is 10x the total number of specializations their character will now have, and career skills for the non-career specialization now become career skills, if they weren't already.

example: they have two specializations currently, the cost to take the new, non-career specialization will be 30XP. Astrogation isn't a current career skill, but the new spec has it as one. Astrogation is now considered a career skill with no ranks in it.

That would be the limit of it.

I thought the cost for a career specialisation is 10*number of spec the character will now have XPs and the cost for a non-career specialisation was the same +10XPs. So for a character buying a 3rd specialisation it'll be 30 XPs for a career one and 40XPs for a non-career one.

1 hour ago, WolfRider said:

I thought the cost for a career specialisation is 10*number of spec the character will now have XPs and the cost for a non-career specialisation was the same +10XPs. So for a character buying a 3rd specialisation it'll be 30 XPs for a career one and 40XPs for a non-career one.

You're right.

3 hours ago, WolfRider said:

I thought the cost for a career specialisation is 10*number of spec the character will now have XPs and the cost for a non-career specialisation was the same +10XPs. So for a character buying a 3rd specialisation it'll be 30 XPs for a career one and 40XPs for a non-career one.

Woops! I did forget to add in the +10 premium for non-career. Thanks for the catch on that 👍