A Slow Learning disadvantage?

[JCurwen3]

There isn't one.

You can have faster learning for a group of skills for which you have Talent, anywhere from -10% to -40% (or -50% with extension in Power-Ups 3: Talents) off the normal time needed for training / studying.

So we have Cannot Learn, for [-30]. I noted that Unhealing is also [-30], and it has a levelled Slow Healing [-5 / level] analog which halves healing rate each level.

Does it seem reasonable to say that Slow Learning, as a disadvantage that doubles with each level the time needed for training / study, sound appropriately valued at the same [-5 / level]?

[Not another shrubbery]

Hmm... It doesn't seem like Unhealing/Slow Healing compares well with Cannot Learn/the proposed Slow Learning, since there is usually less immediacy attached to learning than there is to healing. Maybe it should be a limitation on CL.

[lexington]

The trouble is that Cannot Learn totally prevents you from spending CP to improve skills, DX, or IQ. Ever. For any reason. You have have them downloaded into your brain, granted by a god, whatever, but otherwise its out completely.

On the other hand Slow Learning can only reasonably effect study or practice time while a lot of skill improvements are "I used this skill a lot during the adventure". Even in a game where the GM has ruled that you must spend time learning to ever raise skills the result generally boils down to "and then I spend a few weeks studying". Except under strict time pressure it isn't really a disadvantage.

I'd call it a leveled Quirk.

[aesir23]

Extra Sleep effectively slows learning through study. Extra Sleep (can do anything but study -60%) would do it.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Extra Sleep effectively slows learning through study. Extra Sleep (can do anything but study -60%) would do it.

Absent minded, laziness (common rather than gurps definition), etc. would also make any form of concerted learning slow.

[doulos05]

Is this a part of anti-talents?

[panton41]

I know GURPS tries to cover all bases and character options, but I'd simply call it a low underlying attribute. It'll take more study (i.e. skill points) to reach the same level of proficiency.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by lexington

I'd call it a leveled Quirk.

That does keep the value down, which I'd call a good thing. Making it a Quirk might be understating the impact some, since it would only matter in games where accounting for time studying was important, and it could become a pretty big hindrance then. I'm not too keen on the idea of allowing levels of it, though. Maybe if you had a reasonable cap.

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Extra Sleep effectively slows learning through study. Extra Sleep (can do anything but study -60%) would do it.

I like this, seems like a nice RAW way to do it. How'd you estimate the -60%, btw? I like that as a value, just curious.

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

That does keep the value down, which I'd call a good thing. Making it a Quirk might be understating the impact some, since it would only matter in games where accounting for time studying was important, and it could become a pretty big hindrance then. I'm not too keen on the idea of allowing levels of it, though. Maybe if you had a reasonable cap.

Seems pretty self limiting to me:

"I've taken ten levels of the Slow Learner quirk! Haha!"
"Congratulations, you've crippled your character progression for minimal gain."

Or limit it to 3 levels.