Dungeon Fantasy Niches & Character Improvement

[Kuroshima]

Personally, I encourage people to remain in template (or templates, if they have any cross-template lens) by using the training costs in DF3. Also, my players are quite niche-obsessed, and so instinctively remain in their niches. The problem is usually making them fill a niche that isn't properly covered by any template in the group.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

Personally, I encourage people to remain in template (or templates, if they have any cross-template lens) by using the training costs in DF3. Also, my players are quite niche-obsessed, and so instinctively remain in their niches. The problem is usually making them fill a niche that isn't properly covered by any template in the group.

Yes, this is exactly my experience as well. Usually they'll just hire some poor schlub who can barely fill that empty niche.

[PseudoFenton]

Gain it through play, or rationalise how you got it. Which generally means that most character's invest into thing's they're already good at, or are willing to lay the ground work for.

I prohibit Power Ups unless you have the full underlying template.
I allow incremental gains towards a new profession, but I also charge UB's for each additional profession beyond the first (which rapidly increases in cost).
I generally ask for either meaningful time spent self-training, and/or charge training costs (from hiring tutors to just buying required manuals/tools/etc) when moving into a field of expertise otherwise unrepresented in that character (even if it's on their professions template).

As such to directly answer your questions: No free-form spending, and logical training sequences (even if its just training montages).

Of cause, they also have access to quest rewards which can improve characters. Also, my world has quirky alchemy miscibility, magic that becomes twisted and 'leaky' when it's left to age long enough, fae who will trade abstruse and insubstantial traits or concepts... basically many way's to alter and perhaps improve oneself without ever spending a character point - which has lead to a few interesting means of character development, or at least sideways progression.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Guys, thanks so much! My gaming group just grew from 3 to 6 over night (bunch of my friends moved back!) and I've got another two who want to join in and Dungeon Fantasy just became the "vehicle" to intro folks to GURPS. I feel the days of old are returning where I'm running for twelve or twenty people at he same time (not including my Adversary). I have longed for such days. ;-) Anyways, thanks. I've got a good handle on where things are now. Looks like my Dungeon Fantasy output is probably going to increase in the coming months.

(I'd still appreciate any input others might have, so please, post away!)