Ok, we're ditching the screwy advancement system. The advancement purchase system is way-more complicated than it needs to be.

Here's how it works for us now:

* When you rank up (i.e At 10 xp), you change careers. Keep your old card and get the new one (unless you're a wizard or priest who leaves his order)

* Reiklanders get a bonus xp each 10 xp.

* Spend your points how you like up the max allowed by your career (including 1 wound, 1 skill, 1 action, 1 talent). Costs haven't changed (double for out of career stuff). Max ability score is 5 until rank 3 then you can shoot for a 6.

Reasons besides it having been more complicated than necessary before this:

It self-balances. If you want to waste x.p. on more expensive out-of-career stuff, go ahead. You'll be weaker.

Switching careers: no more tracking "similarities of traits." Whew! It's almost as bad as planning a prestige class in D&D 3e! Players justify it by roleplaying. If you want to go from bounty hunter to merchant, feel free.

My house rules allow you to re-take a career (giving it an "advanced theme"..e.g. soldier becomes veteran or sargent....commoner becomes "town elder").

Comments welcome.

jh

I like it. Sounds good to me. I especially like the more open options you give for players moving from one career to another. I would not allow it unless a player can justify it in the story, but if they can, then who am I to charge them extra exp for this?

What do you do about the other 'free' bonuses characters get for completing a career? eg, the free specialisations? Do you ignore them, or just allow them upon completion of a career.

Angelic Despot said:

They dont get them. The official rule is a bad one too. "you dont get advances to those skills you took at creation." IMO, a stupid, nit-picky rule that just encourages one-trick pony-stat-maxing. I believe the rules needed a hedge-trim and this is a solution that doesn't have to confuse n00bs to no end.

Also, so many posters are noting that advancements come too fast and too easy, the bonus skills just encourage more min-maxing-powergaming. I'd consider granting .75 xp/session instead of 1xp/session.

jh

if that works for you fine, at my table folks are fine with the advancement system. It's a flexible ongoing "point buy" system with career = menu and things you can usually buy every session with reasons to save up and splurge from time to time.

Emirikol said:

And what about the career ability/talent? Do you allow players to keep that for free once they finish a career? Do they get any bonus for completing the career a second time (to take into account that they're not getting a new career ability)?

And what about if they don't complete a career? Do you penalise a player in any way? (By not letting them keep anything, for exaxmple?)

>>>>Angelic Despot said:

>And what about if they don't complete a career? Do you penalise a player in any way? (By not letting them keep anything, for exaxmple?)>>>

Nobody actually completes a career anymore AND if they use their points for out-of career skills, they are penalized. It's self-balancing.

It removed all the B.S. from the advancement "system."

jh

In my opinion your solution takes everything bad and puts it in a jar to get a worse result. I see no help making the system easier this way and mor problems with power gaming as before.

There's less powergaming this way actually. The costs are the same, but a player only has 10 xp to decide what the heck he's going to do with his character. If he's going to waste it in cross-career skills and characteristics, he's not going to come out with much in the end.

Characters are actually weaker.

The system is a LOT simpler than the screwy original system.

jh

(defending his thesis)