XP Cost for Talents/Spells

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

I didn't like how the game forced characters into two distinct phases of progression... build your stats until they get too expensive then switch to talents. I wanted the choice between stats and talents to stay (mostly) even at every stage of play. It's OK if both choices get more expensive as PCs advance - that's to be expected - the goal is simply to keep one option from significantly outpacing the other.

The other factor to consider, of course, is the rate at which XP is earned.

Those are also my pet peeves with the Legacy way of doing these things. I really want more Talents to be more accessible to more characters as well, but not by this gamey approach of turning Talents into a tax shelter for XP.

My preferred way is to continue raising Talent Points (TP) with increases in IQ, leaving XP for thier original purpose of increasing attributes only.

Over the years I've concocted many formulas for allocating TP without any of those complications, with my favorite (albeit un-play-tested) being this latest one:

Talent Points = (IQ - 3) x 2

A slightly different formula applies to non-human species, but for humans an IQ 8 figure has 10 TP, at IQ 9 it's 12 TP, at IQ 10 it has 14 TP, etc. Yes, at IQ 20 a figure would have 34 TP (but more on how this would be mitigated is below). Thus every time IQ is raised 1 point, TP increases 2 points. At any stage in a figure's life, Talent Points are determined by IQ. As attributes go up, the next IQ increase costs progressively more XP, but unlike Classic TFT figures get twice as many TP for these IQ increases.

To slow what would otherwise become a runaway train, I'll raise the cost and IQ level for most of the more advanced talents. Some 3 point talents will now cost 4 (or more), and a few 2 point talents will now cost 3. We already have a few advanced talents a little-too-easily in reach of starting characters, so spreading out the range of talent costs will permit more adjustments in that regard.

And lastly, wizards. As I frequently mention, I've always used a Wizardry talent with a cost of 5. That eats up half or more of these TP for wizards until their IQs start exceeding 10 (and I've never charged wizards double cost for any other talents). We had an Advanced Wizardry talent as well in my 80's group. I've expanded that now to FIVE levels of the Wizardry talent, the first costing 5 TP and the remaining steps each costing 3 TP; yes, each one makes a wizard a better wizard. But this forces any wizard who keeps progressing as a wizard to keep at least 50% of their Talent Points tied up in Wizardry at each IQ level, preserving the original game balance. Yes, a young wizard might decide to depart the path of magical education and pursue expertise with the sword instead, but then they'll never be as powerful a wizard as the one who stuck to magic.