Statting a teenager--skills needed and likely

[Mgellis]

Originally Posted by malloyd

That isn't RAW as far as I know. Note the example Priest of Set has always gotten his full Clerical Investment with no indication the trivial size of his sect makes a difference.

And Peter, while the LDS isn't huge, it's got about as many adherents as say Judaism or Tibetan Buddhism, and probably as much international presence as either of them. I suppose you might class them as irrelevant and obscure nation-specific faiths too, but most people probably would not.

I've always assumed that was just a 0-point feature of things like Clerical Investment. Even if we're talking about more traditional faiths, you don't get a point break for being a rabbi as opposed to being a priest, even though there are about 100 times as many Catholics as Jews in the world.

Oh, just for the curious...

According to http://www.spiritrestoration.org/Chu...ranches%20.htm

Jews: Approx. 15 million worldwide
Mormons: Approx. 11 million worldwide

[Mgellis]

Originally Posted by Agramer

If we assume High school kid goes to scool on average 250 days / year and has classes 5 hours / day that amounts to 1250 hours ... divide by 2(they arent paying attention whole time during classes) =625 hours . Add 30 minutes / day worth of homework or preparing for exam = 125 hours.

So during one High school year they have 625 hours with tutor = 6,25 CPs (B293 Education) and 125 hours /selftought = 0,625 CPs

So Average Highschool kid should gain 7 CPs / school year.

My point is that you guys look at kids as more incompetent than they actually are.They are resourceful and their heads are stuffed with knowledge.I could actually make a case that they gain additional ,minimum, 3+ CPs /calendar year during their "off school time".

Optional rule: Maintaining skills (B294) nicely sums it up...We all have forgotten much more than wed like to admit.

Test:(If you have teenager at home) I bet he knows more about each subject that he has learned in school than you do,unless youre professional in that field.Try starting withmath,chemistry,formulas,physics,Geography,
History...etc

No, no, no...oh, my friend, this way madness lies! :)

Seriously, the education rules are great for abstracting learning in a balanced way for gameplay purposes, but if you try to use them as a way to extract how many points the average teen gets out of high school, etc., you will quickly run into all kinds of gray areas, special cases, etc.

It will make you crazy.

Player characters get as many points as the campaign parameters allow. NPCs get as many points as the GM thinks they need. That's all you have to know. :)

Now, my quick-and-dirty "okay, how many points do people usually have" approach is to assume 90% of a local population is "average" with 50 points or less. About one in ten is "above average" (up to 100 points), one in a hundred is "heroic" (up to 150 points), one in a thousand is "extraordinary" (up to 200 points), and one in ten thousand is "legendary" (201 points or more).

Of course, it's an abstraction, but it's pretty useful for modeling, for game purposes, a population.

So...how many points do you have to work with? In a school with 900 students and 100 teachers and administrators, most will be 25- to 50-point characters, maybe a hundred will be 60-, 80-, and 100-point characters, and a dozen might be in the 125- or 150-point range. (Hey, just give someone ST 11, DX 13, IQ 11, HT 12, and 15 points for skills, and you've spent 125 points already. A "heroic" character is certainly well above average, but not all that extraordinary.)

[Mgellis]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

To be fair (speaking as a parent), that need not be a delusion. As Bill Cosby pointed out, "Parents are not interested in justice. Parents are interested in quiet."

That just means they're evil and mean. In fact, it suggests they are not stupid. :)

[Dragondog]

Originally Posted by Ed the Coastie

Oddly enough (from a GURPS standpoint), a 14-year old male active in the LDS church will usually possess Clerical Investment (LDS) [5] and Religious Rank 1 (LDS) [5]. Of course, this is generally off-set by Vow (assorted LDS obligations) [-5] and Honesty (15-)* [-5].

* Hey...we're talking a teenager here!

I don't know what unnamed privileges Clerical Investment alludes to, but the only one it identifies is the authority to preside over various ceremonies. And a 14 year old doesn’t have that authority. A 16 year old might preside over some, such as a standard church service, if no one else is available. And an 18 year old might have a little more authority, especially if there are very few ordained priests in the area.

While a wedding, as far as I know, must be presided over by a bishop. A funeral could, at least in theory and under very unusual circumstances, be presided over by an 18 year old. But then again, if all Clerical Investment signifies is that you have been ordained, then a 12 year old could have it.

[shadowjack]

Originally Posted by Mgellis

I've always assumed that was just a 0-point feature of things like Clerical Investment. Even if we're talking about more traditional faiths, you don't get a point break for being a rabbi as opposed to being a priest, even though there are about 100 times as many Catholics as Jews in the world.

I agree with that. One could look at it that in a smaller religion, any individual cleric has greater relative authority.

The only Priest of Set in the world may have a small flock, but to his people, he's the religious authority. While there are Catholic bishops to spare (not to mention the other clerical ranks).

[Ed the Coastie]

Originally Posted by Dragondog

I don't know what unnamed privileges Clerical Investment alludes to, but the only one it identifies is the authority to preside over various ceremonies. And a 14 year old doesn’t have that authority. A 16 year old might preside over some, such as a standard church service, if no one else is available. And an 18 year old might have a little more authority, especially if there are very few ordained priests in the area.

While a wedding, as far as I know, must be presided over by a bishop. A funeral could, at least in theory and under very unusual circumstances, be presided over by an 18 year old. But then again, if all Clerical Investment signifies is that you have been ordained, then a 12 year old could have it.

In absence of a specific "Clerical Investment allows this, but not that" ruling, I suppose that it basically boils down to how far you allow your House Rules to interpret the RAW.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Ed the Coastie

In absence of a specific "Clerical Investment allows this, but not that" ruling, I suppose that it basically boils down to how far you allow your House Rules to interpret the RAW.

To be honest, in the LDS case I'd say it's not actually Clerical Investment by the RAW. Those present CI as a special name for Religious Rank 1. Since all (adult male) members of the Church have at least this level, it's effectively Rank 0. It's functional equivalent to what in another society might be ceremonial initiation into a new age grade, which can be a pretty elaborate event and even give you some genuine authority over those in your old age grade, but if it happens to (almost) everybody, doesn't give you a level of Status either.

This is slightly confused because Basic actually gives CI a supernatural effect (effective exorcism) which [ought] to have a separate cost from the Rank. In that case members of the LDS might take CI, but most other Christian priests should pay for both CI *and* Religious Rank 1.

[Ed the Coastie]

Originally Posted by malloydTo be honest, in the LDS case I'd say it's not actually Clerical Investment by the RAW. Those present CI as a special name for Religious Rank 1. Since all (adult male) members of the Church have at least this level, it's effectively Rank 0. It's functional equivalent to what in another society might be ceremonial initiation into a new age grade, which can be a pretty elaborate event and even give you some genuine authority over those in your old age grade, but if it happens to (almost) everybody, doesn't give you a level of Status either.

This is slightly confused because Basic actually gives CI a supernatural effect (effective exorcism) which [ought

to have a separate cost from the Rank. In that case members of the LDS might take CI, but most other Christian priests should pay for both CI *and* Religious Rank 1.

I disagree...I was under the impression from the RAW that Religious Rank is separate from Clerical Investment. An example of Religious Rank 1 without possessing Clerical Investment would be a non-Priesthood holding member of one of the various Presidencies (Sunday School, Primary, or either of the Relief Society councilors) while I generally assume that the Relief Society President holds Religious Rank 2. The young men in the Aaronic Priesthood technically outrank them in the Church hierarchy...but that is kind of like a shavetail Lieutenant outranking a senior NCO, and even the members of the Elders' Quorum disregard the advice of the Relief Society President at their peril. *grin*

Again, it depends upon your individual interpretation. This is how it works for me and my players, and I have yet to see any "official" interpretation of the RAW to indicate that we are necessarily wrong.

[Dragondog]

Originally Posted by malloyd

This is slightly confused because Basic actually gives CI a supernatural effect (effective exorcism) which [ought] to have a separate cost from the Rank. In that case members of the LDS might take CI, but most other Christian priests should pay for both CI *and* Religious Rank 1.

As I read CI it is a purely social advantage and that the mentioning of exorcism in that advantage in no way gives you any bonus to actually do it. And the text of the Exorcism skill backs this up.

And I agree with Ed that CI isn't Religioius Rank 1 among the LDS. Or anywhere else for that matter.

Not that I wanted, or intended, to pull this thread off topic.

[Ed the Coastie]

Originally Posted by IrishRover

Her outdoor time was bicycling, playing games with the other kids in suburbia, going to school.

Don't forget Area Knowledge (Town).