Can an Affliction Grant Skill Points?

[Proteus]

I'm trying to create a spell (in a magic-as-powers setting) which will temporarily grant the target new or additional skill(s) determined by the caster of the spell.

My first inclination is to treat this as a Modular Ability (Cosmic Power) addressing a class of similar Afflictions, each granting, say, four points in the skill(s) chosen by the caster. However, the rules for Affliction address conveying advantages and disadvantages, but not skill. Are there any hidden traps or pitfalls in extending Affliction to cover such a case?

Note that I don't want to Afflict the Modular Ability: it's up to the caster to determine the skill award, not the target, and the skill points can't be rearranged once granted. I'd also rather not Afflict something like Wild Talent, since it has no effect on skills you already know and also isn't scalable in the expertise conveyed (only in the frequency of use).

Thanks for any advice or warnings from the accumulated wisdom of the forums!

[Sam Baughn]

Originally Posted by Proteus

Note that I don't want to Afflict the Modular Ability: it's up to the caster to determine the skill award, not the target...

IIRC, that's already how advantages granted by Affliction work by default.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Proteus

My first inclination is to treat this as a Modular Ability (Cosmic Power) addressing a class of similar Afflictions, each granting, say, four points in the skill(s) chosen by the caster. However, the rules for Affliction address conveying advantages and disadvantages, but not skill. Are there any hidden traps or pitfalls in extending Affliction to cover such a case?

The only problem I can foresee is if the ability gives a number of CPs in the skill that's not divisible by 4, because then in some cases there will be no observable effect when the character already has some CPs in the skill.

For instance if a character already has 2 CPs in a skill, and your ability gives +1 CP, it makes no difference for this target character.

Your suggestion is to give chunks of 4 CPs, though, so you have presumably already foreseen this minor problem. So I'd say you're good to go.

Okay, maybe you should think about applicability. What can the CPs be applied to? What can the caster choose? For some abilities it doesn't make much sense to enhance social skills. For others it makes little sense to enhance raw knowledge. Depending on the type of Power, the Source, theme and so forth.

But those are world issues and minor issues. I can't see any game balance problem at all with chunks of 4 CPs.