Hello,
I know that carreers traits aren't much used in the system, but I don't understand the 'specialist' trait on some careers.
What is this mysterious link between (for exemple) apothecary, pit fighter and scribe? A link that makes it easier (=costs less XP) for an apothecary to become Pit Fighter!
It doesn't. According the FAQ and, I believe, the Player's Guide, Specialist never counts as a matching trait when figuring out the xp cost of a career transition.
Edited by cronevaldPage 47 of the Player's Guide:
"During career transitions the Specialist trait is never considered compatible -- even with another career with the Specialist trait."
Thanks for the answer, I missed this sentence.
So.... this trait has no use whatsoever, or maybe it's here just to make sure the cost of changing career won't get low...
It's there to indicate that these careers are specialist careers, that in the real world they have skills that don't transfer over as easily to other careers; if your last career was as a bomb disposal expert some skills would transfer (that of being calm and electrical wiring) but others skills (knowing how to operate a bomb disposal robot) wont be useful anywhere else.
exactly. what this careers have in common is that all of them have some aspect in which they are different from every other career: their own specialization. to have a trait that doesn't ever match it's a very important use.
It is a little silly when they also publish an advanced version of the career, also with the Specialist trait. Pistolier and Outrider both have "Specialist", for example, and clearly they are specialists in shooting and riding and other pistolkorps-y things but there's no XP break for it.
It's a very minor gripe, I suppose, but I wish that "Specialist" was instead a half dozen different traits so they could have careers build on them. Sort of like how the dwarven "Slayer" careers have their own trait.
We don't use many house rules in my group, but I would likely allow a player to count that as a matching trait when there's a clear connection between the careers.