Using Modular Abilities for Self-Training

[AlexanderHowl]

I am curious, could a character with Modular Abilities (Cosmic Power) use it to train themselves in any advantage or skill that he or she acquired (or any ability or skill that they allowed)? For example, could a character with Modular Abilities (Cosmic Power) 20 give herself Telepathy Talent 4 so that she could learn Mind Probe? If so, would it be considered self-teaching or normal education?

[weby]

Basically yes, provided you have the training materials/facilities.

The thing will not provide you with training materials, but can provide you with required advantages.

Of course if the trait is leveled(like a skill) you could likely use it to train by switching in a low level and using it. Having proper facilities for training would allow training at self taught level or just using it would allow training at work level.

But if the trait gained requires some advantage you would need to switch in that advantage before using it.

Clear examples are the esoric traits like say blind fighting:
You can switch in weapon master and then receive training in the skill, or if you switch in weapon master and one point of blind fighting you could then train as self learned provided you have a suitable training facility or an opponent.
But once you switch out weapon master you cannot use blind fighting until you switch it in.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by weby

The thing will not provide you with training materials

Unless you switch in Snatcher first :)

I'd agree that you could train yourself while the requisites are switched in. But the skill is nearly useless when you abandon those prereqs. I say "nearly", because it's possible to have a little theoretical academic knowledge about things you can't actually do. So you might allow the float-to-IQ sorts of rolls to answer questions about what it's like to fight blind. You can remember, even though you can't currently do. You might not have useful vocabulary to answer questions in a meaningful way. ("So, how did you probe their mind?" "Well, I had to, you know, sync up or get in phase or whatever, and get around that block the way you do, and..." Or perhaps your setting has detailed technical jargon for psis which make at least abstract sense to non-psis.)

In some cases, you might get left with relatively dreamlike memories-of-memories. Swap in Racial Memory, and now you can remember things thanks to your ancestors. Recite the name of the city with the secret ancestral tomb ten times. Swap out Racial Memory. You probably don't immediately forget the name of the city. You'll probably even remember it a week later. But you can no longer remember it directly; you're remembering your recitation. And that kind of memory isn't as solid as the direct sort.

[AlexanderHowl]

What about Power Talents and their abilities? Since abilities do not need prerequisites to work (Power Talents are only required to learn new abilities), can I acquire Telepathy Talent 4, spend 480 hours of training to develop Mind Shield 1, and then have the Mind Shield that I developed fuctional after I reallocate the points from Modular Abilities? If so, could I then use my Mind Shield to develop Telepathy Talent so that I could develop further Telepathy Powers without using Modular Abilities?

[GodBeastX]

This is one of the applications of Wild Talent and it has a modifier.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Recite the name of the city with the secret ancestral tomb ten times. Swap out Racial Memory. You probably don't immediately forget the name of the city.

That's why you write things down!

Other than that, I agree that information gained via traits you no longer possess should probably fade with time.

All this depends on the GM and the campaign style.

In some campaigns, the GM can and should veto using Modular Abilities, Shapeshifting, or any other trait to "buy beneficial traits which get you beneficial traits," at least until you permanently buy prerequisite powers or skills.

In other sorts of campaigns, the ability for a character to "ret-con" a high level of skill or a brand new power and then never use it again is part of the genre and the GM should just roll with it.

[weby]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

What about Power Talents and their abilities? Since abilities do not need prerequisites to work (Power Talents are only required to learn new abilities), can I acquire Telepathy Talent 4, spend 480 hours of training to develop Mind Shield 1, and then have the Mind Shield that I developed fuctional after I reallocate the points from Modular Abilities? If so, could I then use my Mind Shield to develop Telepathy Talent so that I could develop further Telepathy Powers without using Modular Abilities?

Basically it seems that you could learn an ability by taking the talent and then you would have the power and that would allow you to buy the talent..

So the RAW answer is most likely: "yes".

But it definitely skirts the line of abuse so having it potentially declared such by some GMs should not come as surprise.

[AlexanderHowl]

I am not sure if using Modular Abilities to be able to learn abilities after character creation is necessarily abusive. I could purchase a number of highly limited potential abilities froma dozen Power Talents for one CP each, which would cost less than than Modular Abilities 20 (even if I had -80% in limitations). If a GM had problems with it though, he or she would only have to ban Modular Abilities (Cosmic Power) from his or her game or require a limitation that makes it specific to one focus or power.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by GodBeastX

This is one of the applications of Wild Talent and it has a modifier.

This is the route I'd go. In fact, If you want to just pick stuff up super quick you'd need something like Wild Talent 1 (Accessibility, Only to retain skills, -25%; Game Time, +0%; Retention, +25%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [16]. Takes Extra Time is a tad iffy with Game Time, but you could use it to say "Once per game month my character's studies enable him to earn one point in a skill of his choice." the GM would need to sign off on Game Time, but I'd likely be comfortable with this in a game I ran. afterall, you're getting 1 point for skills for 15 points and it depends on downtime. Levels of Cosmic may be appropriate for campaigns with lots of downtime and multiple levels of such a modified Wild Talent are likely to be mildly abusive in any case, but a single level seems to suit characters who good at picking things up rapidly.