[RPM] Power Talents Adding to Paths?

[Engurrand]

I respectfully disagree with the advise so far, and foresee serious balance issues.

In my experience with RPM, which is now going on five years of consistent play both as GM and as player, the power curve for very-high skill levels in RPM is not at all balanced against the curve for Powers.

As with all skills, it is possible with RPM skills to get over the bell curve and end up in the land of gravy and honey, except with RPM the extra energy afforded by a higher skill increases with increasing skill, so there is no leveling off of additional utility per skill increase above skill 20 like there is with normal skills. This isn't a bad thing if all your players are equally using skills-based magic, but if you are combining Powers with skills-based magic then the difference in value between 4 more points in a path skill above skill 19 and those same four points on powers, is VAST and gets vaster as your RPM users progress up the skill ladder. This is especially true in the Path of Matter IME, but it is true across the board. The only check on this is that there are no talents for RPM skills, so they must be bought individually which greatly increases the cost of reaching that level. If you allow talents, then a few cheap ranks will you pop your RPM skills straight up out of the curve.

I would advise against allowing power talents to apply to magic skills.

Compare with the +1 to a specific related bandwidth of rituals afforded by the [5/lvl] Higher Purpose, capped at three levels. If your power talent costs the same, then it is doing vastly more. Even at ten points a level, I don't think it's balanced.

[AlexanderHowl]

I agree. Skill-30 (which requires Magery 18), would allow an average of 41 energy for the first two rolls, 55.5 for the next three, then 52.5 for the next three, and so on. By the time that effective skill reaches 16, the character has gathered an average of 505 energy.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

I agree. Skill-30 (which requires Magery 18), would allow an average of 41 energy for the first two rolls, 55.5 for the next three, then 52.5 for the next three, and so on. By the time that effective skill reaches 16, the character has gathered an average of 505 energy.

In the setting, the local Mana is usually -8 to -10, when and where there is Mana at all. Also, Magery 18 doesn't exist and if it did, the 54 energy it would allow for instant rituals would be rather more to the point than what a character could theoretically build up five minutes at a time. Interrupted rituals in my campaign lead to all the energy being released somehow and if anyone were to try a 500+ ritual designed to harm anyone, I'm guessing that this would show up in a lot of prophecies beforehand.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Engurrand

Compare with the +1 to a specific related bandwidth of rituals afforded by the [5/lvl] Higher Purpose, capped at three levels. If your power talent costs the same, then it is doing vastly more. Even at ten points a level, I don't think it's balanced.

I am comparing Higher Purpose (Tradition) with this. Few traditions only cover one Paths and, in fact, several published examples cover most of the Paths as long as they are used in certain ways. This covers one Path.

Higher Purpose seems to me distinct, but neither better nor worse.

[AlexanderHowl]

Originally Posted by Icelander

In the setting, the local Mana is usually -8 to -10, when and where there is Mana at all. Also, Magery 18 doesn't exist and if it did, the 54 energy it would allow for instant rituals would be rather more to the point than what a character could theoretically build up five minutes at a time. Interrupted rituals in my campaign lead to all the energy being released somehow and if anyone were to try a 500+ ritual designed to harm anyone, I'm guessing that this would show up in a lot of prophecies beforehand.

You did not specify such a setting in the initial post. At -8 to -10 to skill, no magic will exist, as no one will be able to survive long enough to create magic. In RPM, a character would need Magery 8 to reach skill 20, which is 10 to 12 after the penalty. Assuming IQ 12, that would be 245 CP to be a bad mage in RPM.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

You did not specify such a setting in the initial post. At -8 to -10 to skill, no magic will exist, as no one will be able to survive long enough to create magic. In RPM, a character would need Magery 8 to reach skill 20, which is 10 to 12 after the penalty. Assuming IQ 12, that would be 245 CP to be a bad mage in RPM.

Which is why the world is mostly like ours.

However, with Ritual Mastery, Grimoires, Spirit-Assisted Magic, Places of Power, Ley Lines and Mandatory and Significant Modifiers, prepared occultists can indeed create paranormal phenomena. They just can't do it under controlled circumstances, in front of skeptics with scientific measuring devices.

[Engurrand]

Originally Posted by Icelander

However, with Ritual Mastery, Grimoires, Spirit-Assisted Magic, Places of Power, Ley Lines and Mandatory and Significant Modifiers, prepared occultists can indeed create paranormal phenomena. They just can't do it under controlled circumstances, in front of skeptics with scientific measuring devices.

Requiring close GM control and supervision in this way is the best way to handle RPM IMHO. If spending points on those skills means you can sometimes, when the circumstances permit, do truly awesome things, then that is worthwhile. Presumably powers will be available much more often and reliably.

So in the case of your setting, I withdraw my objection. But do note that increasing skill in RPM does continue to exponentially increase effectiveness indefinitely. You may wish to institute skill caps.