I'm looking at the costs associated with the advanced specialties in Rites of Battle and I'm finding many of them somewhat higher than the cost I'd set for taking the same skill or talent as an elite advance

The conceptual model that I put advanced specialties into is that the buy in cost pays for the original ability (such as the chaplain's fearsome pressence) and the extra wargear. The costs of the talents and skills associated with the advanced specialty are the costs of taking the skill as an elite advance, The advanced specialty provides the logical justification and the in character explanation for the advance, but it doesn't give a discount on xp costs.

Does this mindset make the advanced specialties more palitable to anyone else?

I believe that Elite Advances are meant to be the exception rather than the rule. The Advanced Specialties secures the player the right to acquire all those talents listed beyond GM's whim. That's my reading of it. That said, RoB isn't good in execution on a number of accounts. Btw, that's why I am glad that N0-1_H3r3 is co-authoring on the newer books: I might have had some strong disagreements on general design with him here but all the crunch I have seen from him so far has always been good.It should serve to improve the quality of the crunch.

Alex

ak-73 said:

Yes but would you price elite advances at more or less the same level as the costs of the same advances from advanced specialties? The big benefit of the specialties is( if this is the case), as you say, securing the right to acquire them beyond GM whim.

Or would you set the costs for elite advances a bit lower because as you say RoB didn't have good execution on a number of accounts

I have no definite answer. It's something you got to handle individually as the GM.

Alex