Area Knowledge-Alchemy

[JohnPaulB]

Originally Posted by hcobb

A character can also take Area Knowledge for a field of study.

For example Area Knowledge-Alchemy(1), IQ 8. This character is familiar with the effects of the alchemist potions and if told of a type of potion can on a 3/IQ roll describe what the effects and risks of that potion are in general. This provides no benefit in actually creating or identifying a given potion, but on a 4/IQ roll can remember that a given substance is an ingredient for an alchemist potion. Can determine that a given facility is an alchemist laboratory on a 4/IQ roll, but wouldn't be able to spot if critical parts were missing.

This character can later invest 1000 XP and convert this into the full Alchemy talent with only six months of full time study.

If the full talent isn't doubled for wizards then the Area Knowledge of it isn't either.

I like this idea. Though I would call it "General Knowledge - Insert Topic" To me, Area Knowledge implies knowing the geography, flora and fauna of a certain land area: Like Area Knowledge of Sherwood. It is an ITL IQ 8 Talent.

I think this is a good concept to apply to HEROES that would never practice magic, but might have a booklearned theory of it. They might be able to read a text on magic and interpret it but not perform it, like HCOBB describes above.
These subjects are not limited to Magic, Alchemy or Chemistry. A subject could be Dran History or Forging theory. God Forbid the novice actually apply the data he learned.

I think General Knowledge is a great addition to the SCHOLAR who should get a bonus of some kind when rolling for success.

Here is my previous suggestion on this topic in October
Re: More things to spend XP on. Talents in Training

Originally Posted by JohnPaulB

PARTIAL TALENTS or TALENTS IN TRAINING
During Character Creation,

Perhaps start a figure partially knowing a Talent as they are learning it. (buy it at half cost, just put it in your beginning character IQ slot) You cannot use partially learned spells.
You risk fouling it up if you use Talents partially learned.

Do your normal Die Roll for that Talent.

• If you Fail, you Fail.
• If you Crit Success, you succeed.
• If you Crit fail, you CRIT fail.
• But if you succeed, you still have a 50% chance that you still failed. Sort of an UnSavings "Roll": Flip a coin and on Tails you actually failed.

Once you gain enough XP to pay for the other half of the Talent, you do so and you don't need to roll UnSavings Rolls any more.

Perhaps to keep Training Talents from become too common, boost up the up the crit-fail to 15 auto miss, 16 Drop Weapon, 17-18 Break Weapon or the talent's equivalent.

A figure rolls more dice for unskilled roll. But since the figure is becoming 'skilled' in this talent, he rolls as if he knows the spell (with a bit more crit fail and no Crit Success. Joe says "I was this close..." as his charred hair smolders.)

This gives your character some background, helps handle the problem some posters in other threads have about characters needing to be learning their Talents in advance, and it allows the character to give advice that is only partially learned (being obnoxious and perhaps faulty in doing so.) Or even have the GM goad the partially trained into using the half-learned talent because, sure I know how to drive a car... smash.