While reading through the rules, I've been coming upon questions. Most are answered by a second read, the FAQ, or by searching these forums. A few have not. I have a couple questions and am sure I will have more. So, to not clutter the forum with several possibly stupid questions, I'll put them all in this thread as I try to master the rules:

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First off, Advancement questions . Note: I have only the core books and the FAQ/Errata, not the guides.

I think I have these parts right - I can change Careers whenever I want, but get several bonuses if I complete 10 career-qualifying advances first. Even if I leave a career, I can later come back to it and finish off the 10 advances to get the bonuses. The checklist on the back of the character sheet helps me keep this straight. 4 advances I must complete are always locked, 6 other open ones allow customization. I can go outside the box and grab other things, but they won't count towards my 10 advances. If I wish to raise a characteristic, it will require several advances whose cost must fit into the 6 empty slots for career advances (but only for my career's primary characteristics) or in the slots allowed for non-career advances (with the cost penalty, caps the characteristic at 4).

On these forums I see 2 interpretations of the Advances table (the one that has numbers of Actions, Talents, etc). One interpretation (I think the correct one) makes these numbers the limits for the open slots. A.i. if my career has a limit of 2 Actions, I can actually get 3 total since Action is one of the 4 locked in. But, all of the career cards I've looked at have the limits add up to 10, always. Same number of advances needed. Just a coincidence? Or was the original intention for these numbers to be the total limit, locked-in plus open advances? A.i. if my career has the same limit of 2 Actions, I can only get 2 total including the locked in one.

I can't figure the next one out at all. On the back of the character sheet there is a career completion advances section with two lines. One has a single checkbox for whether I've unlocked the career bonuses by completeing 10 advances. That one makes sense (dedication bonus). The line above it has the title, "Career Transition" with a blank to the right and 5 check boxes to the left. What in the world is supposed to go here? The line is a place to write in the next career I'm about to pick up? I can't figure out what I need to check off 5 of though. Probably something simple, but even with a re-read and looking at FAQ I can't figure it out. I miss something twice? Is it an error and should be 4 boxes to represent the cost of advancing to a new career?

Thanks, until we meet again after I read a couple more chapters.

Sturn said:

I don't have my rulebooks with me, so can't reference pages etc. However, IIRC the 10 career advances are the possibilities you can pick from for the 6 open advances. For your example, if you have 2 actions available to your career, you can get 3 action advances during that career - the "standard" action from the 4 locked advances and 2 from the career advances. I'm pretty sure the rulebook (or, perhaps it's the Player's Guide) states that the career advances available are in addition to the 4 standard/locked ones.

Sturn said:

Again, IIRC, there can be upto 4 advances needed to change career - if none of the traits of the career you're in match those of the career you're moving to. I think the additional advance is required if you are moving to an "Advanced" career.

Trenloe said:

OK, I've checked and transitioning to an advanced career doesn't require an advance - you just need to be at least Rank 2. Got that one wrong - sorry. Don't know why there are 5 check boxes on the character sheet for career transition.

Making the transition from basic to intermediate or advanced is a cost issue via the mechanism of "it costs 4 minus traits in common to minimum of 1 (then minus 1 to minimum of zero if Reiklander)" to change careers. So if you go "basic to basic" you have a trait in common, but once you go to "intermediate" or "advanced" you don't. Thus it costs more to change careers flipping between these categories.

It's important to recall when paying to transition careers that you can "go back" to an unfinished career at the start of any session for free. So yes, a Reiklander in particular can often nip about between careers (e.g., picking up extra Wound advances from multiple careers). In the long run, they are deferring the tasty completion bonus - particularly nice for making the career ability permanent.

I houserule myself that you have to be Rank 2 to take Intermediate career, Rank 3 for Advanced etc. If you're a wizard or priest in the "locked tiers" it's that way anyway. But that is only my houserule.

Yes, it's standard that there are 10 advances in a career, plus 1 more to earn the tasty tasty "completion bonus". The 6 open / 4 fixed menu also links to the limits on characteristics. Since you spend open slots to advance primary stats, the most you can spend is 6 and thus the absolute cap on stats is 6. No PC race can exceed 6. It's important if flipping between careers to remember that the payment to advance a stat must come all from one career's alotment (you can't pay 4 open advances off one career and then 2 off a different one to make a stat go from 5 to 6).

Thanks, I guess I had it figured out but didn't trust myself.

Still don't know what those 5 boxes are for though. With no better answer, I'm going to assume they were meant to track advance expense of the transition. Currently, the most you will pay is 4. Perhaps when they made the sheet they imagined a future supplement where certain high-powered careers had a 1 advance penalty?

I noticed Gitzman's full sheets still have the 5 boxes. Perhaps he figured out what they were for or it was just a straight copy from the original?

I believe that you are right, as of now there is no way to spend more than 4 advances to change careers so the fifth box seems to be an "error". But yes, you use them to track the advances spent for the transition into a new career. Might gbe that in the future there will be more "expensive" careers, but as of now the maximum is 4 advances to make the transition.

Yup, I too don't know what the 5th box for career transition is about. Either it's an artifact from some earlier in design point when it made sense or as noted it is lying there 'sleeping' until some ruinous power awakes it in a future expansion.

Rob

I'm back. Question on the different types of checks. I think I got this right, but the rules seem spread out in the core book and I had to look at examples to make sure:

There are 4 types of Checks (not specifically stated in Core, my groupings): Unopposed, Opposed, Competitive, and Attacks.

Unopposed: The basic test. Challenge dice per Challenge Level and Misfortune dice provided by GM.

Opposed: Someone actively opposing the character. Don't use the Challenge Level at all. Instead Challenge and Misfortune dice provided by the Opposed Check Difficulty table (page 43 and page 58). Note: FAQ adds a correction to the page 43 table, but forgot to mention it needs corrected on the repeat of the table on page 58.

Competitive: Two characters performing the same task against each other. Both use the simple Unopposed check. The one with the most successes wins (leaving out details of ties, boons, etc).

Attacks: As an Unopposed test (even though you do have an opponent, somewhat confusing at first). Add 1d Misfortune per Defense of target.

Does the Player's Guide have this spelled out better? It is a core element of the system and I had to read through to page 60 (of 82 pages of rules, with several page flips to previous sections) to have enough information about each of the types of Checks. For a first time player it would be easy to confuse the different types of checks at first. A.i. for combat adding Misfortune dice from target Defense AND modifier dice from the Opposed Check table since combat does seem "opposed". Or, thinking of combat as "competitive" and thinking you should somehow roll for the target's defense. For example I originally figured I was going to be rolling checks as a defefender for Dodge, Parry, Block, read later those or just Action cards with effects, no roll needed.

I can change Careers whenever I want, but get several bonuses if I complete 10 career-qualifying advances first.

Correct

Even if I leave a career, I can later come back to it and finish off the 10 advances to get the bonuses. The checklist on the back of the character sheet helps me keep this straight.

Yes, depending on the career and GM-approval. For example, the wizard or Trollslayer career might be (probably are) impossible to return to once you leave.

4 advances I must complete are always locked, 6 other open ones allow customization. I can go outside the box and grab other things, but they won't count towards my 10 advances. If I wish to raise a characteristic, it will require several advances whose cost must fit into the 6 empty slots for career advances (but only for my career's primary characteristics) or in the slots allowed for non-career advances (with the cost penalty, caps the characteristic at 4).

Correct

On these forums I see 2 interpretations of the Advances table (the one that has numbers of Actions, Talents, etc). One interpretation (I think the correct one) makes these numbers the limits for the open slots. A.i. if my career has a limit of 2 Actions, I can actually get 3 total since Action is one of the 4 locked in. But, all of the career cards I've looked at have the limits add up to 10, always. Same number of advances needed. Just a coincidence? Or was the original intention for these numbers to be the total limit, locked-in plus open advances? A.i. if my career has the same limit of 2 Actions, I can only get 2 total including the locked in one.

Coincidence, and there are some careers that have more or less than 10. The first is correct. You always get each of the 4, and the open 6 are chosen from the advances available on the career. See the FAQ page 3, "Character Development: Fixed Career Advances" that gives an example using Wounds.

I can't figure the next one out at all. On the back of the character sheet there is a career completion advances section with two lines. One has a single checkbox for whether I've unlocked the career bonuses by completeing 10 advances. That one makes sense (dedication bonus). The line above it has the title, "Career Transition" with a blank to the right and 5 check boxes to the left. What in the world is supposed to go here? The line is a place to write in the next career I'm about to pick up? I can't figure out what I need to check off 5 of though. Probably something simple, but even with a re-read and looking at FAQ I can't figure it out. I miss something twice? Is it an error and should be 4 boxes to represent the cost of advancing to a new career?

It is to record the amount of XP spent to transition to the new career, and which career you are transitioning to. Keep in mind that careers cost a number of XP based on the difference in traits between the two. Theoretically, a PC who wishes to go between two fairly opposite careers could spend 3 or more XP, depending on how many traits the two careers have in common (or don't have in common).

For example, a career that is: Basic, Menial, Rural, and Specialist transitions to an Advanced, Bureaucrat, Urban, and Social career. None of the traits match. Thus, it will cost a base of 4 xp to transition between these two careers, one for each trait that is different.

No responses to my questions 2 responses up, so bumping this hoping it was missed.

Completed Core rulebook, no more questions. On to the mage and priest books.

Sturn said:

Seems to me your action summary is about right - in theory GM could add misfortune oe fortune dice to an opposed roll, if one opponent had a significant environmental advantage over the other and default challenge for attacks is one challenge, but don't think you are confused by anything..

Tome of Mysteries questions regarding Power:

Power over 2x Will Power needs Maneuver + Stress. Got it. Power over 1x Will Power needs Maneuver to keep in check. Got it. Power equal to Will Power or lower doesn't need any special considerations to keep Power from dropping. "Equilibrium" is holding Power equal to a wizard's Will Power level.

I take this as meaning that at the start of an encounter Wizards will typically be already walking around with Power = Will Power. I guess the question is if Wizards can walk around doing day-to-day activities while keeping their Power at "Equilibrium" If so no sensible Wizard will not have Power = Will Power at all times until he has to cast spells.

Hmm..what about a Wizard that just woke up? Just got revived from being unconscious? Are they at Power 0 until they can perform enough Channel Powers to get them up to Equilibrium? Or do the Winds of Magic naturally bring the Wizard to Equilibrium even while asleep/unconscious? If so how quickly does the sleeping/unconscious Wizard reach Equilibrium if he was above/below his Will Power.

Sturn said:

According to the rules (under Equilibium), "all spellcasters trend towards equilibrium and they are assumed to be at equilibrium anytime their current power is not defined, such as during Story Mode (in most cases) or at the beginning of an Enoucouter." Further, during the end of turn phase, a character whose current power is less than his equilibiumgains one power; no maneuver or action required.

I hope this helps.

Sturn said:

Sturn said:

This is covered by the blanket sentence in the players guide that when-ever power or favour isn't defined or tracked (anytime in story mode, in effect) it's assumed to be equilibrium.

In essence if you aren't in encounter mode, then it doesn't need tracking and when you enter encounter mode you are assumed to be at equilibrium.

It is their natural state and so wizards/priests don't need to do "anything" to get to that state during normal day activities.

So to answer the question about the unconcious/sleeping character, how quickly depends on which mode you are in, if you are in story mode then "how quickly" shouldn't be important, because nothing relating to time and sequencing should be relevant and you can just assume it has happened, if you are in encounter mode then how quickly will be "1 point towards equilibrium each round"....

I can't find any of this, especially the quote, so I'm assuming its in the hardback Player's Guide and the Winds of Magic expansion? The only thing in Core that describes Equilibrium that I can find is in the softback Tome of Mysteries. It describes in detail what happens when over Equilibrium, but not when under.

Thanks for the extra information. Kind of getting to be a repeat when I'm reading the Core manuals that clarification has to be guessed at or found in the Player's Guide. I should have purchased it before learning the rules I guess. If they ever do a second printing of the Core set, FFG really needs to update the softbacks.

Update: Found the rule under "clarification" in the FAQ. Probably should be in the errata section since it is a missing bit of information, not a clarification. There is nothing about the End of Phase adjustment upward (if under Equilibrium) of 1 Power per round in Tome of Mysterties>Equilibrium or Core Rulebook>End of Phase explanation. It's only hinted at in general terms of Power reaching Equilibrium, never saying how much per round when under Will Power.

Thanks. I'm sure I will be back. I still love the WHFRP system I've been reading, the learning curve just seems to be steep since the softbacks are not well written.

Yes, there was alot of discussion when the soft back books first came out around clarifications on rules, and equilibrium and encounter mode vs. story mode was one of the big subjects (as was healing and I'm still not sure that one has been put to bed!)

When the equilibrium section was first added to the FAQ, there wasn't much else in there, so it was pretty clear to spot, but I can imagine coming to the rule sheet fresh these days could be quite a tricky propersition!

The hard back player guide does clarify a lot of stuff, that was a bit muddy in those early days, but most of it is in the FAQs too i think.

And you've always got this forum/thread as almost certainly if there is an official answer to your question, someone somewhere on the board will be able to help!

Happy gaming!

Henchmen vs. Normal monsters and stands.

Since Henchmen represent several of a monster, but normally share a single attack (1 attacks, others assist), and share Wounds, are GM's placing 1 Stand for a group of Henchmen? Or are you still flopping down enough stands to represent all of the Henchmen?

Positives would be one Stand representing a group of Henchmen leads to less clutter and less need of several Stands. Negatives would be keeping track of which stands represent several Henchmen, keeping track of how many monsters that one Stand currently holds, and players not being able to visualise that single Stand as representing several monsters. Player - Wait, I just killed him, how come the Stand is still there? GM - No there are still 2 left. Oh, I didn't realize I was fightin 3!.

I would prefer to have each Stand represent one monster, but fear: I don't have enough Stands/Markers even with Core + Creature Vault; Keeping track of which stands are Henchmen and which aren't could get confusing.

I just stick one out there and tell the players that there are (3) or whatever people in that henchmen group.

jh