Alternate XP progression schedule

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck

In my approach...back to the discussion at hand regarding XP progression, and the costs of attributes and talents. I wouldn't "sell" [additional talents] for XP points. The only way I'd allow PCs to improve... is by raising attributes and subsequently raising IQ for new talents

Who was the hypocrite who wrote that? Oh wait, that was me -- LOL!

Just skimming through an aging binder of my house rules from the 1980's, I was shocked and appalled to see I'd advocated and implemented the very thing I'm always opposing in this discussion -- oh the things we forget! Here was our system back in the day...

We had a home-made stat called "Talent Points", with a box on our character record sheets labeled "TP". I had no recollection of that at all. The new rules I'd written then went on to say:

• New PCs started with zero TP
• The IQ of a starting PC determined how many points they could buy talents with (same as in both Classic and Legacy ITL)
• When a PC acquired and spent the XP to increase an attribute, if they spent it on IQ then they also had 1 more point to spend on talents (same as in Classic ITL only)
• But for the same cost as a 1 point attribute increase, the PC could buy 2 Talent Points instead
• Going forward, the PC could afford talents = IQ + TP
• Every 2 TP a character accumulated counted as 1 attribute point in determining the XP cost of the next increase

I'm not sure what part of finding that surprised me the most. On one hand this was the 80's, yet it foreshadows Legacy ITL in that it permits the sale of talents for XP.

On the other hand, that last rule obviates the possibility that the same total XP could result in character builds with different attribute totals, something I actively dislike about Legacy ITL. It also obviates the unsavory tendency of the new rules to force PCs into doing any attribute increases early, while saving talent additions for later in their careers lest they waste the buying power of their XP.

And lastly it mitigates that problem in Legacy where talent points and IQ increases are in competition for the same XP, as it still grants that one talent point with the IQ increase -- you can still work on acquiring both another talent and a higher level talent at the same time.

My old group collaborated, revised, and voted on all house rules, so I really can't say who should get the credit for that whole thing. I was the editor typing it all up, but it's hard now to remember who came up with exactly what parts.