Those who learn faster...

By ElricOfMelnibone, in Anima: Beyond Fantasy RPG

Hi guys.

This topic is about the setting.

Among the "Advantages" you can buy in Anima there is Learning allowing your character to earn more experience per time unit. Now, it's pretty clear that there are a few characters in Anima setting that actually have such advantage. The reason I'm quite concerned with it, is that such characters should be able to gain levels in a "rapid way" while the campaign goes on.

A clear example of this (although Dramatis Personae makes to mention of it) is Elisabetta. She's Level7 Paladin and is 13 years old! She's getting an average of 1-2 levels per year...she definitely has 3CP Learning!

Same goes with Lucanor. He's Level16 and is in his forties...Kisidan has been alive since the War of Chaos (thousand years now) and is Level14. It's pretty clear that Lucanor's learning curve isn't normal.

Other guys which should be considered (to various degrees) good learner are on my opinion Yuri Olson (in his twenties, he's a Level8!), Pharaoh of Estigia (Level5 Paladin and has just turned twenty), Erika (she's from the heaven order...a weapon master at least Level5 and is 13 years old) and there are surely more around, if we read carefully Gaia...

Kisidan, who is thousands of years old, should probably be sky-rocket up to level 20+. But being so high-leveled means that lesser threats doesn't give him as much experience as it would for a level 3. When he trained Elisabetta and took her to the secret expeditions outside (how else did she get exp?), she gained levels faster where he on ther other hand barely got a handful.

Now, with the girl on the throne and he standing there all day out, he doesn't face with much action to level anymore. Even with massive threats, he is never dispatched to deal with it: the other members of the Heaven Order (or Tol Rauko, or whoever) does it.

Lucanor, with the exception that he is a wonderchild by bloodline, probably wandered the world a lot to level up in the tons of political and economical intrigues. He has been very active and progressed faster than Kisidan in that little time.

But this is illogical. Kisidan should be higher after relieving two massive wars and many conflicts. So I think it's merely just storyfluff or whatever that says Lucanor is stronger: just to show he is brilliant. Or he took the secret "Awesomely-Conviniently Quick Learner" CP ability. gui%C3%B1o.gif

When I rolled Kisidan, actually I gave him the slow learner disadvantage...although it's normal that high level characters grow slower...living thousand years, working as a godslayer for the Imperium and still being Lev14, means you don't learn too much from your experiences...on the other hand, it's clearly said in the book, that Elisabetta's (and Lucanor's) growth curves are definitely beyond normal limits.

Elisabetta has made a few levels travelling alone, the rest by training with the heaven order...still, assuming her training cannot have started before she was 7 or so, she practically gets levels at skyrocket speed...

This is true, but consider that while most games give experience for battle this one gives experience for going through hard times. This explains both Lucanor and Elisabetta's growth. Even though they are fairly young they have both been through alot, and Lucanor (and Elisabetta to a lesser extend) are noted for how fast they learn, so it makes sense they would be higher level.

This however makes you wonder why Kisidan is so low a lever. The three reasons I can think of are he is very slow at learning, his activities are few and far between (only doing things once every few decades when a war starts or something), or when he was doing things he was laid back and didn't do very much. But for 1000 years to give only14 levels... probably all three... Or maybe he is cursed or bound so he is weakened as to what he should be (Plot Hook)

While I think that this idea is very compelling, I would also like to point out one other possibility. (Might even be a combination of the two!) Most of the major players in Anima are said/assumed to have a higher gnosis than most others, at least in comparison to the average joe. I think that potentially this gnosis affect could also lend hand to the learning rate of some of these individuals. That is, in addition to any potential 'quick learner' bonus that would be applied. I think that the two together would be responsible for Elisabetta and Lucanor's incredible growth. But on the other hand, could also be a contributing factor to Kisidan's slower growth. While he is a powerful character, he's not as central, or at least arguably does not possess the natura/gnosis effect to the extent that either Lucanor or Elisabetta does. Alot of other major powers also don't tend to grow as quickly as you have seen in the rates that those have. As pointed out by Elric, but I tend to think that it's not so much that all these individuals are just that fast at growing in experience due to a creation point advantage, but rather that they are naturally inclined to gain more experience due to the effect that natura has by making them the center pieces for large and consequently high experience events.

The other reason I take things into account this way, vice the CP advantage, is the official NPC stats for Anna Never give her the advantages: See Supernatural, Charm, Lucky and Martial Mastery vice any 'Quick Learner' advantage. Just my two cents. But I think that while it is a possibility, I think that the experience disproportion is due to Natura effect making things happen near them that might give them more experience.

What do you guys think?

That's actually an interesting way to explain it, plus if gnosis can control some of how fast you learn you could explain a sort of "maximum potential" with it too. It seems that leveling makes more sense if you ignore immortals. Elves in D&D are always confusing, what with taking 100 years to reach level one while a human takes 16. Same problem here-if Kisidan were a level corresponding with 1000 years of learning (even a slow learner would be level 25-30 if they were active the entire time) he would unbalance the setting.

I've always thought of experience gain and leveling to be a direct reflection on the individual's willingness to change or be changed by their experiences. Many people are very fixed in their natures, and even though they may plow through major experiences or undergo long periods of adversity, they remain unchanged by them. They would rather preserve their self-image than be that affected by their world.

That kind of person is why you can have a level 1 NPC who has seen 8 war campaigns and even made rank. A player character having been through 8 campaigns might be level 9 or higher. I know people in real life like that too - amazing things happen, opportunities appear, and they just stay on their railroad tracks and keep being exactly as they are. Others take the leap, transform, and become different, grow in many areas, or integrate something completely new into their life or personality.

So I cannot quantify any one thing in the game that toggles how fast you earn XP or whether or not your gaining it. IMO, it entirely depends on the personality and the world-view. A soul hungry for growth will level fast. A self-absorbed 'master' might never change in 100 years.

It's pretty much satisfying when a tread you launch eds up being much more interesting than it was supposed to be in the beginning! Thanks a lot to all participants!